Nevada Smith's, the East Village bar that is popular with both soccer fanatics and NYU kids, was briefly shuttered last week due to underage drinking. The bar quickly reopened, but without the popular bartender Kieron Slattery, who was fired and removed from the premises by the NYPD. According to EV Grieve, Nevada Smith's owners tried to pass the fine for underage drinking on to the bartenders, and Slattery refused to pay and was let go when he showed up for work. Slattery then refused to leave the bar and was arrested for trespassing.
Meanwhile, a second version of the events have been posted on the NY Gooners message board that give a bit more color to the story. According to the post, after shutting Nevada Smith's for numerous underage drinking infractions, the court stipulated that the bar both pay a fine and fire all of its bartenders. Paddy, an owner, convinced the court to allow the bartenders to stay if he paid a $10,000 fine, which was double the original amount. The owners then made the bartenders an offer, "pay a share of the fine . . . or leave Nevadas". Two bartenders accepted, two did not, which led to Kieron Slattery's arrest.
Needless to say, all is not well at Nevada Smiths. But a big round of Champions League matches and the final weeks of the Premier League season should keep the place busy, despite the turmoil.
