Clinton In Restaurant Row

SEPTEMBER 26--Bill Clinton is threatening legal action against a Manhattan restaurant if it does not immediately yank a photo of the former president's daughter Chelsea from the eatery's front window. In a September 18 letter to Osso Buco, an Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village, the ex-president demands the removal of the five-year-old photo of his daughter and Nino Selimaj, the eatery's owner. The picture, which is in Osso Buco's front window, is among scores of similar photos displayed throughout Selimaj's University Place establishment (as well as several other Manhattan restaurants he operates). The offending Clinton-Selimaj photo can be seen at right. These kinds of a-celebrity-once-ate-here photo are, of course, a staple in the windows of hundreds of Manhattan restaurants. The 'Dear Nino' letter, which is on 'Office of William Jefferson Clinton' letterhead, was authored by Clinton counsel Douglas Band and contends that restaurant's display of the fading snapshot leaves the impression that the 27-year-old Chelsea, a 'private citizen,' endorses the restaurant. If Selimaj fails to comply with the removal request, the letter notes, 'We reserve the right to exercise any and all options available to us.' (1 page)