New Gay Bar, Suite, Arrives With Fast Indian Food
in 'Hood

Students craving East Asian food delivered to their dorms or hoping for a chance to sing karaoke now have two new places to go. Both Bombay Frankie Roti Roll and Suite, occupying neighboring spaces on Amsterdam Avenue near 109th Street, celebrated their grand opening this week. These new eateries, run and co-owned by Ivan Balachandran, Sudhir Bhat, and Chander Malik, will provide the area with a unique dining and drinking experiences, with Bombay Frankie Roti Roll offering Indian fast food and Suite serving as the only gay bar in Morningside Heights. Read more...

NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: UPPER WEST SIDE;
Far From the Flash of Chelsea,
a Gay Pub with a Local Feel:

By Richard Morgan, NEW YORK TIMES
Published: July 31, 2005

ALL men are islands. Perhaps especially gay men, so many of them wary of homophobia. But, as Manhattan itself proves, islands need not feel isolated. Far from the Chelsea mainland, at the tip of a gay archipelago spread scattershot up the West Side, lies Suite, which opened in March at 109th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The closest gay bar, Candle Bar, is 35 blocks away, at 74th Street and Amsterdam. Why put a gay bar all the way up there? And why bother going? Read more...