|
The terms 'kind', 'competent'
and 'hospitable' do not come easily together when trying to get a good
Martini cocktail in some of this world's most renowned establishments,
and that's why this list is devoid of several famous names that are now
no more than beastly tourist traps. It is therefore especially pleasing
to find that the great 'Le Meurice' in Paris, one of the French
Capital's more famous hotels, welcomes the weary visitor with a smile
and a Martini that's close enough to perfektion. Extremely dry,
extremely cold, based on our beloved Tanqueray 'Ten', its
strong bite not mellowed by any unduly watering inflicted on it by the
cruel shakering of a mindless bartender but, au contraire,
carefully stirred in a large crystal glass of perfect size and
proportions: it is a really great Martini. I didn't
even have to specify 'no lemon, one olive': that's, apparently,
how they do it anyway. Mr Oliveri is one of the best Bar Managers that
you can hope to find anywhere in the world.
'Le Meurice' would deserve an even better placement if
our second try was not so successful as a French waiter recently
promoted to some post of responsibility had not been reluctant to find us a
table for another round, but the memory of that splendid Martini on the
eve of Rétromobile 2014 still lingers in my mind. Service is good; the place, fascinating;
and General Manager Franka Holtmann's very courteous answer to my
TripAdvisor review was, I must admit, really classy
|
