Manager Mistress Christine, photo © 2000 NY Rock more photos

La Nouvelle is located at 101 East Second Street, right off First Avenue, behind a somewhat non-descript façade. Once inside, you witness a bustling atmosphere laced with plenty of S&M trimmings, including an array of large portraits, all with bondage themes, and a smattering of television monitors displaying a procession of women, most of whom have very little clothing on.

Upon our arrival, my wife and I were met by manager Mistress Christine, an exquisite Bettie Page lookalike whose shapely legs could easily be insured for a couple million dollars at today's rates. Mistress Christine provided us with a brief history of the restaurant: La Nouvelle opened in 1997 as the first S&M restaurant in New York, if not the world. It moved to its current location two years ago and is now housed in the same building as Lucky Cheng's, the well-known restaurant where drag queens serve up Pan-Asian cuisine and spicy cabaret-style entertainment. The sole proprietor of the two restaurants created an interior passage way connecting the two so that patrons can experience the best of both worlds.

After chatting for a bit with Mistress Christine, we sat down to dinner. Mistress Deborah, a raven-haired knockout, was on spanking duty for the evening and a tireless effort she put forth. Dressed in a smart looking leather corset, the mistress gave a steady stream of customers her best shots. One after another, she blindfolded and tethered her mostly male clientele, and then pulverized their rear ends with a ferocity that would have surely left Mark McGwire in awe.

According to Mistress Christine, "It's just a theatrical thing." She noted that "a lot of people expect it to be in a private setting. They're always asking where the backroom is. When people come in they get very intimidated. They sit with their menu in front of their face like we're gonna hit them. Little do they know they have to pay for it. But the drunker they get the easier it is to get them to do things. As with most things. Their inhibitions go down."

Surprisingly, since La Nouvelle Justine is known more for its $20 spanking sessions than its culinary offerings, I found the food to be quite good. With the distraction of the night's activities, however, I'm not sure if I can remember what I actually had for dinner – something with portebello mushrooms, I believe.

Mistress Deborah in Action, photo © 2000 NY Rock more photos

Nevertheless, as I sat genteelly sipping my wine and consuming my food, Mistress Deborah continued her handiwork. I started to note the riveting, almost ballet-like theatrics of her style. She ties the boys up, blindfolds them, stalks them in the most predatory of manners, rubs them down as if to tenderize them for the blows to come, and then wham, bam, thank you, Mam, she paddles, whips and otherwise demolishes their backsides. At the session's end, she even lets a few of the lucky fellows kiss the toes of her knee-high leather boots – only if they've been good, of course.

It occurred to me, sometime toward the meal's end, that S&M really is a wonderful thing. For better or worse, we all have the tendencies, don't we. Whether you care to admit it or not, you simply must deal with these things, one way or another. The choices are many including denial, repression, psychotherapy, trips to the local confessional and more. Me, I'd rather take a trip down to a place like La Nouvelle Justine and have a little fun. What the hell, in additional to its aforementioned amenities, the selection of wine is nice.

And as Mistress Christine mentioned, "At least one person from every table goes home realizing they like S&M. They buy paddles and chokers and collars and run around smacking their friends with it. It's more main stream than people think. It's not an advertised thing. They keep it under wraps."

March 2000

More S&M on NY Rock:

• Mistress Persephone's column.
• Interview with Erotic Photographer Misa Martin.
• Review of another New York City S&M restaurant, La Maison de Sade.
• Interview with Mistress Dakota: Some People Call Us Goddesses.
• Photo of Mistress Dakota featured on our July '99 cover.
• Review of the SMack party in New York City, including photo of Mistress Dakota.
• A Chat with Mistress Raven of Pandora's Box.
• The Erotica Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC.
• Review of Fetishes, Nick Broomfield's documentary on Pandora's Box.
• Photo of Mistress Katie featured on our December '98 cover.

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