the great appletini

OK, so maybe it's a bit too trendy, but I have to confess that I quite like [sour] apple martinis. Jeff and I were having dinner at CPK the other night, and I ordered one and began critiquing it, comparing it to one I'd had at Fuzio several weeks earlier, and he suggested that I begin a search for the best appletini or variant.

Of the two in recent memory, Fuzio's is the clear forerunner. Their sour apple is described in the menu as "Smirnoff Citrus Twist Vodka and apple liqueur." It was served in a deliciously sugar-rimmed and stylishly funky martini glass with a slice of Granny Smith apple, and sold for $7.95. It was really very good.

CPK's apple martini (not listed on their web site's beverage menu), however, was extremely disappointing; Jeff and I have learned that one does not go to CPK for its bar drinks. Frankly, now that the neighborhood CPK has stopped serving Dr. Pepper, and with the flavorless bread and bad service we've received there several times, I'm not sure what one goes there for, though every now and then we still get cravings for their pizza or, in my case, for their Szechuan Slaw that comes with the vegetarian focaccia sandwich. Listed on the menu at $4.99, but appearing on the bill at $5.49, their apple martini was served in a small plain martini glass with no seasoning on the rim and with a single maraschino cherry--sans stem or skewer--as garnis. Quel dommage.

As the search continues, I'll keep you updated. This follows on previous, non-documented searches for the best crème brûlée (so far, probably the rosewater brûlée at Rubicon in San Francisco I had back in the mid-90s) and best banana split (I'm still waiting to try the sinful sounding Grillfish's Black Russian Hot Fudge Banana Split before making a determination; come to think of it, their Cheesecake Brulee with Butterscotch-Caramel Crust sounds like a contender for the other category). I may need to re-open those cases.