Interview: How To Get Past New York's Toughest Bouncers

Le Baron: Julio

Le Baron is where most of Downtown New York converges at 3AM, but on this one particular night in spring, I'm taken aback by the turnout. Never have I seen this many people at Le Baron. Not at the Encore Sessions with Theophilus London, not at the club's anniversary party, not at the film parties, birthday celebrations, and countless fashion week after-parties. Moving between floors is not likely; getting to the bar is downright impossible. Q-tip is DJing. Trendsetters are everywhere. And at the center of it all is the host and club doorman, Julio Montero. Raised in the Bronx, he accidentally found himself in nightlife. An impromptu night working the Beatrice Inn door yielded a job, a contact list, and a permanent place in New York's highest nightlife circles. It was at Beatrice that Julio met Andre Saraiva, and eventually found his way to Le Baron, and as they say, the rest is history. What do you look for in people you let in? Fashion, style, good vibes. We're looking at people with more of an artsy, cool vibe. Is there anything that separates what you look for in Le Baron than other clubs? Yeah, because a lot of other clubs are basically looking for money. They're selling themselves out for a bottle. You can't buy your way into Le Baron. Do you get offered a lot of things to let someone in? One time at Beatrice we got offered 30 grand. He wanted to get in whenever he came by with clients, so he said he would bring 30 thousand in cash. Here, we get offered a lot of things - money, girls offering to sleep with door guys, clothes from all different companies.