BlackBook

Nightclubs can’t survive in this economy on booze sales alone. It’s for this reason that today’s savvy businessmen are now looking to on-site restaurants to support their operations. Food seeds a room early. Smart new boîtes are doing big dinner business at 5pm—or brunch, even—with their clubs only a staircase away. Whether or not they eventually fill up, places that don’t serve food don’t do much business until well past midnight, which means their owners spend way too much money on soaring rents, insurance fees and operating costs. New York nightspots like Tenjune, STK, Simyone Lounge, Abe & Arthur’s, the new Butter and the forthcoming joint from Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva all play this same game. Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss’ Avenue even does it all in the same small room.

You may remember the case of Gary Malhotra, a co-owner of the club Quo in New York City. As reported in the New York Daily News and New York Post and noted on countless other websites and blogs, Malhotra was convicted in December 2009 of "sex abuse, harassment and forcible touching" involving Quo waitress Nicole Slama. According to those charges, Malhotra snorted cocaine off Slama's shoulder without her consent. Slama then filed a $3.5 million lawsuit against Malhotra in March 2010. Meanwhile, our own nightlife columnist, Steve Lewis, had written about Malhotra and Quo back in August of 2009; Lewis wrote again about Malhotra in March of this year in reference to the Slama lawsuit. Some time thereafter, Malhotra's attorney, Carmen Santiago (who is also his wife), had BlackBook served with papers declaring Malhotra's intent to sue for libel and defamation, as well as requesting an emergency injunction to remove Steve Lewis' columns mentioning Malhotra. Obviously, we have not complied with this demand.

Dear Uncle Steve: I haven’t been entirely nice to my girlfriend lately. Well, let's say I did something really hurtful. After the incident, she told her best girlfriend of my actions, and as a result, her friend hates me. Since the incident, my girlfriend and I have "mended the fences" and are more in love than ever. However, her best friend still maintains her ill will and thinks I’m a terrible guy. Her attitude is constantly shared with my girlfriend, and remains a negative force between us. What can I do to make things better with my girlfriend’s best friend?