Bar fined for serving 'Jersey Shore' star

"Jersey Shore" is over and done in Seaside Heights, but the MTV reality show is still causing aggravation for some folks here, The Associated Press reports.

New Jersey liquor regulators said yesterday that they have fined a Seaside Heights cantina $15,000 for serving a "visibly intoxicated" Deena Cortese just before she wandered out into traffic in June.

As a condition of an agreement negotiated with Spicy Cantina & Mexican Grill, Cortese is banned from the premises for two years.

According to New Jersey's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Cortese and an entourage that included an MTV film crew were at the restaurant for 90 minutes on June 10. During that time, Cortese walked on the bar, fell to the ground, then climbed up and stood on a red bench at a table of restaurant patrons.

Cortese also left the premises with an alcoholic beverage -- a big no-no in New Jersey -- walked onto the boardwalk and returned to the bar a short time later.

"This settlement is a cautionary tale for licensees who might think ignoring the law for the sake of airtime is good for business," said Michael Halfacre, the division's director. "By turning a blind eye to the mayhem that can be associated with reality television, you are risking your livelihood. That is, without a doubt, bad for business." A woman who answered the telephone at Spicy Cantina yesterday said no one from the business would comment on the settlement.

Cortese, 25, was arrested by Seaside Heights police for disorderly conduct. According to police reports, Cortese was observed running out of Spicy Cantina and into the street.