PDT Please Don’t Tell

The next time you’re pub crawling in the East Village with someone you really want to impress and they say “where to next,” here’s what you do. Head over to Crif Dogs on St. Mark’s Place, a high-traffic dugout peddling franks and fries with gut-busting toppings. On the left-side wall pull back a sliding door to reveal a booth straight out of a David Lynch film, glowing red and empty except for a white plastic phone. Lift the phone, press the buzzer and wait. Do this like you know exactly what you’re doing.

Eventually the back wall of the booth will swing open and, assuming the hostess can fit you, you’ll be ushered inside PDT, a newly-opened bar with a speakeasy theme, complete with smoking patio and bathrooms entirely tiled with shattered glass mosaics. I ordered a summery aperol and prosecco spritz ($11) and a dainty, 10-oz lager ($4); both tasty, if slightly anemic, choices. But judging by the atmosphere this place is more about the vibe than getting a buzz on. Lest the crowd, a mixed bag of downtown types (James Iha was chatting away in a corner), and a bartender who takes his ice-crushing and mint-mashing seriously, lend too sophisticated a vibe, you can order in burgers and fries from Crif Dogs next door. A cool concept, and an alternative to the other new speakeasy in the hood, Death & Company.

PDT, enter through Crif Dogs 113 St. Mark’s Place