PDT (Please Don’t Tell) is one of New York’s best-known speakeasies, and while the bar is hardly a secret anymore, it’s still worth a visit, both for the cocktails and the hot dogs.
The entrance is hidden inside Crif Dogs, a hot dog spot on St. Marks Place in the East Village. Inside, you step into an old phone booth, and from there you’re let into the bar.
Inside PDT, the lighting is so dim that it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. The space is small and intimate, and once the phone booth door closes behind you, Crif Dogs on the other side suddenly feels very far away.
Steve ordered a Benton’s Old Fashioned, probably PDT’s most famous cocktail. It was created by bartender Don Lee during PDT’s early years and is made with bacon-infused bourbon using a technique called fat washing. The cocktail helped bring the technique into the wider cocktail world and is now considered a modern cocktail classic.
I ordered a mocktail, which was good, though apparently not quite as memorable. Afterwards, I couldn’t remember either the name or exactly what it tasted like. Judging from the photos below, though, it looks pretty good, doesn’t it?
Hot Dogs from Crif Dogs
One of the things I really like about PDT is that you can order hot dogs from Crif Dogs and eat them inside the bar. There are hot dogs made especially for PDT, along with some from the regular Crif Dogs menu.
Steve and I ordered two different ones, a Hanoi Dog and an Elote Dog. The Hanoi Dog came with cilantro, lemongrass chili, and fried shallots and was really good, but the Elote Dog was easily our favorite.
The Elote Dog is from the Crif Dogs menu and came topped with chipotle mayo, corn, Cotija cheese, and cilantro. It was creamy, a little spicy, and packed with flavor, and Steve and I both agreed that it was the better of the two. In fact, it was so good that I’d happily go back to Crif Dogs just to order another Elote Dog. Or three.
Fun fact: I also spotted a little Danish connection on the cocktail menu. PDT had a cocktail called Cellophane Soda made with Aalborg Jubilæum Akvavit. Not exactly what I expected to find on the menu at a speakeasy in the East Village🙂
PDT (Please Don't Tell), 113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009
