NEW YORK (AP) – A former waiter at one of Manhattan’s finest restaurants claimed in a federal lawsuit he was repeatedly harassed about his sexual orientation and then ignored by managers when he complained about the abuse.

Joseph Bassani, who worked at Jean Georges from February 2004 until January 2006, said in the lawsuit the restaurant’s chef de cuisine and other employees insulted him after learning he is gay.

The lawsuit, filed Jan. 12 at a federal court in Manhattan, alleges a litany of ribald behavior at the posh restaurant.

In one instance, Bassani said managers hired a prostitute and threw a wild party for the departing chef de cuisine. The woman performed sex acts on herself and the staff in the plush dining room.

At the urging of the chef de cuisine and another cook, the suit said, the woman “charged at Bassani, pushed him onto the top of one of the dining room tables, straddled him, and began to gyrate … within inches of his face.”

Bassani likened the incident to an assault. When he told management about the party and other demeaning incidents, Bassani said his superiors did nothing.

Unable to endure the continued harassment, Bassani said he quit last January. He also accused the restaurant of giving him a bad reference when he tried to get a new job.

Jessica Kingsland, a spokesperson for Jean Georges Management, which operates the restaurant, declined to comment on the allegations. Kingsland said the company hadn’t yet seen the suit.

She said Bassani left on “good terms with us.”

Jean Georges is located inside Trump International Hotel & Tower. The upscale dining establishment is one of the best in the city, earning four stars from The New York Times and a coveted three stars from the Michelin restaurant guide.

It’s owned by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, considered one of the country’s top chefs, who runs a vast culinary empire stretching from New York City to Las Vegas to Shanghai. Vongerichten was not named in the suit.

Bassani did not specify what damages he was seeking.