26 AMERICANWAY
JANUARY 1 2008
H I G H S T A K E S
ManyU.K. casino operators
hope that the recently
relaxedgambling laws (and
hipper places togamble)
will usher in a new era of
prosperity.
ByGregoryKatz
What
Happens
inLondon
Stays in
London
It ISHARdNottoNotICE
thepersistent
smile on Salvatore Calabrese’s face. Sure,
it’s part of his job to look happy, but he is
also enjoying a thrill few cocktail makers
ever achieve: welcoming people to Salva-
tore at Fifty, an extravagantly beautiful bar
thatbearshisnameandall thehallmarksof
his taste. Calabrese, one of London’s best-
known barmen, helped with the design,
the colors, the fabrics, and the bar staff.
The cocktail list contains some of his own
special concoctions, includinghis signature
drink, theBreakfastMartini, andanewone
called theSpicyFifty.Butmost importantly,
thebarnamedafterhimhas adefinitebuzz
on this Friday evening as night falls in the
British capital. The bar is filling up, people
look happy and excited, and no one crowd
or agegroup isdominating.
“It’s chic, it’s elegant, it’s fun,” says Cala-
brese after greeting two beautifully dressed
womenwho are drinkingChampagne here
beforegoing todinneratarestaurant that is
alsopart of theFifty St. James casino com-
plex. “And that’s what makes a great bar.
The young and the old get along, and the
mood varies throughout the evening, and
it becomes a great party. This ismy dream
bar. It’s theperfect playground for adults.”
It’s also lucrative. Located in the heart of
the posh St. James district, the members-
only club known to its regulars as Fifty is
helping to revitalize the casino business
in London and throughout the rest of the
United Kingdom by making casinos fash-
ionable again. Its goal is to offer a great
nightclub, good restaurants, a fantastic bar
— and a gaming room, for thosewhowant
to use it. This approach has been repeated
at other new casinos open to the general
public, including the Casino at the Em-
pire,whichhas brought stylishgambling to
crowdedLeicesterSquare,London’sversion
ofTimesSquare.
Now open to visitors from all over the
world, who can simplywalk in and gamble
with proper identification, the Casino at
the Empire has brought a whole new ele-
ment of cool to Leicester Square, which is
alreadyhome tooutsizedmoviepalacesand
crowded nightclubs. On Saturday nights
the casino floor is jam-packed, Vegas-style,
withwaitresses scurrying to deliver drinks,
while gamblers in everything from tuxedos
to ragged jeans concentrate on the game
ahead. Some of the women are dolled up
in evening gowns, others prefer tight jeans
and sparkly tops. The wildly mixed crowd
reflects London’s status as a global tourist
magnet – Americans, Chinese, Koreans,
Russians, andEasternEuropeans keep the
conversation going in a multitude of lan-
guages. The casino isdottedwith small res-
taurants and bars and hideaways and even
has one— the Icon bar—with an outdoor
terrace overlooking the pandemonium of
Leicester Square from above. It’s heavenly
on a late summer evening when the sun
fades at nineor 10at night, and fun inwin-
ter if you’rebundledup.
The new casinos have given a welcome
boost to the nightlife scene in Britain’s
major cities, says Craig Doyle, group op-
erations director of Maxwell’s Restaurants
Group, whichmanages a number of eater-
ies.He says places likeFifty and theCasino
at theEmpirearemaking casinos cool.
“Fifty sets the precedent really; it’s the
top of the pile. But I also think theEmpire
is very good for Leicester Square,” he says.
“They are certainly bringing an element of
quality toourbusiness.”
Fifty
