The famed Sparks Steakhouse in Midtown steakhouse has a beef with an Internet troll who posed as former worker at the eatery — claiming on Yelp.com that he “personally spit saliva into dishes,” a new lawsuit claims.
The storied eatery — where Gambino mobster Paul Castellano was famously gunned down in 1985 — is demanding the online review site reveal the name of the user who posted the “malicious and defamatory” comment, according to court documents filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Sept. 8.
The damning July 18 post, proclaims, “I have personally spit my own saliva into dishes…Our manager actually condones it to guests who give us attitudes. Just double check your food next time you eat here.”
The author claimed to be “Besfort S.” — AKA “Besfort Shala” — a waiter who had interviewed for a job at the restaurant, according to the court documents.
But Shala denied he had written it and even filed a police report, claiming an unknown person had used his identity to create the post, The Smoking Gun reported.
The East 46th Street eatery wants Yelp fork over the “real name” and “identifying contact information” of account user “Besfort S,” according to the lawsuit.
The reviewer “wrongfully defamed and libeled” the restaurant, it claims.