Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
The "side" might be their effort at making a martini "club style" which is where a bit under half of the martini is served in a small glass itself on crushed ice in order to stay cool while the guest drinks the first bit. It's 30-40 years out of fashion, but you still see it occasionally.
I wasn't aware of that, and I do like the idea. I'm not sure this restaurant was sophisticated enough to do that. My best guess is the bartender over-poured into the shaker and it didn't all fit into the martini glass. If that's true, I'd actually commend the bartender, but I still wouldn't call it a martini.