PDT

Here I can show You another example how this blog writes itself.
I am sitting in L'Fleur bar in Prague and Iam talking to head bartender and co-owner and my friend Milos Danihelka about my holidays and plans and that I want to go to New York. He replies, that if I will manage, I need to visit Jim Meehan in PDT. ,,If I will manage I will go, I promise.'' I replied. Milos says:  ,,Wait a second I will give You something''. He writes a dedication on the menu and gives it to me and says, that sometimes some guests are coming here to L'Fleur with words, that Jim Meehan recommnended this bar to them, so now it's time to send something back.

One month later I am in New York, sitting in the First Runner Dog Park and I am feeding squirrels. I came here very early. I am nervous, but excited and I definitely don't want to be late. This super-famous speakeasy have won the best cocktail bar in the world for the year of 2011 and the year after ended 2nd. They are always endind in best 50 any year, just to be clear. 3 Minutes to go for the opening. I know how to get in and where to turn nd what to do, but I know nothing about the bar itself. I have never seen (and never even checked) the pictures from this bar and i got no information, to get as clear judgement as possible.

So I start walking and I reach the place where I have to go in...
... and it is exact time for the opening and the time I've been told so, to enter...
... and there is a queue of 20 people lined up towards to the ''secret entrance.'' Which is - apparently not so secret anymore. That's what happens, when You become a victim of your own success. However I admit, that despite the queue outside, when You get to the hidden entrance itself, it still works the way it should. It sends the correct message and You can feel it. You know, that behind this, there is something, that should stay only there. And from this point of view, the queue forming now even behind me, helps. We are all going to pass through the same procedure to get in, so we all agree on the keeping our stories from visiting this bar ''behind the closed doors.'' That's what the acronyme of this cocktail bar stands for too : Please Don't Tell. And You know me. You know, that I will to keep the review written in a way to honor and to respect the name of this bar...

I entered inside and I have chosen my seat on the end of the bar. Its beatiful here. It's dark, it's raw. Brick walls, black leather seats for the guests, low ceiling and not so bright, but very white lightning, which adds contrast to this place with the use of dark wood. Unfortunatelly, Jim Meehan was not present this week, here. But I got served by A-K Hada the head bartender of PDT, who told me, that Jim is in Portland now and asked me, why I want to meet him. ,,Since I cannot give my dedication from L'Fleur directly to him, I have to give it to You.'' I Said and I gave the menu to her hands. I said my story and she replied, that she will make sure, that Jim will get it. That caught the attention of a guest sitting next to me, Patrick. We started to talk about life, NYC itself, Europe, my visit and his life and point of view on speakeasies.

We had a drink together and we noticed, that there is a guest sitting next to us, who took a camera out and snapped few pics. And then an interesting thought just came to my head. I said to Patrick : Don't You think, that it's very sad, when You go to a bar, named PLEASE DON'T TELL and You have to enter through a hidden entrance and then You take a picture and post it on social network?'' And yea, we both agreed, that this is the reason, why there are so many people waiting outside. Then Patrick said, just before he left, that if I want to visit another speakeasy, that is not so famous and not so crowded, I should go to Garfunkel's. He told me the adress and how to get in. So that bar will be our next point for review...

For now I had to take my phone out, just to write the name and the address that Patrick told me and I had few more drinks here in PDT, because they were amazing. Great, quick service and very well ballanced cocktails. Some created here by the bartedners themselves and some classic coctails with some change - some twist made by bartenders here. One of the greatest and very significant point of their hospitality was, that the person who is taking care of the reservations and who is sitting where, remembered my name throughout the whole night, Before I entered, I had to show my ID, then I entered and this person greeted me by my name. He also had to change my seat because one couple wanted to sit on the bar, but he didn't ask me in a classic way. He asked me, by my name again and when I was leaving, he greeted me by my name again. Yes, I had to repeat this so many times to stress as much as I could, to show how big difference it makes. Next level. I've been in 5* hotels and the best cocktail bars in this world, but this is something, that happened to me only here and it really stood up for me.
I don't wonder, that this bar is so famous after my visit anymore. It is a magical magical place and even after so many months, I still cen clearly remember how I felt inside this cocktail bar. And that doesn't happen very often.