Not everyone was a fan of Elaine's, the famed Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side that was a regular hangout to many famous New Yorkers (among them Woody Allen). While the place was never really known for its food, the reviews could be vicious: "Restaurant was probably good before Pizza Hut came out, but Pizza Hut has since raised the bar for overpriced Italian food," Grant E. complained. So how will the Yelp users who took to the Internet to semi-anonymously complain about the now-closed restaurant feel hearing that items from the restaurant—as well as souvenirs from the late Elaine Kaufman's apartment—brought in $385,734 at auction this week, an amount that surpassed pre-sale estimates ("Of course the decor is not that exciting"—A.K. on Yelp). more ›

Derek Jeter isn't alone when it comes to accusations of dodging taxes. The New York Post features a rundown of other famous New Yorkers who are on the hook for taxes owed. Near the top of the list is rap mogul Damon Dash, who allegedly owes the state $2 million.Dash, 36, is one of almost 225,000 city debtors who together have shortchanged the city and state more than $1 billion in income taxes, penalties and... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a carjacking at Tompkins and School Rds. on Staten Island, a person was killed by a 5 train at Bowling Green station in Manhattan, and an armed robbery at 51st Ave. and Northern Blvd. in Queens. Bidding closed at $2,600 for the new owner of the Seinfeld ASSMAN license plate prop on eBay. Another Mister Softee driver was busted for selling drugs out of his ice cream truck, this... more ›

We'd like to use this space to say that our thoughts are with the friends and family of John Pike (pictured). The 23-year old drummer of Syracuse band Ra Ra Riot was found dead yesterday in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. more ›

Graphic designers tend to be an even-keeled lot, unless you mess with their precious Futura typeface plans. So at Monday night’s The Art of the Book: Covers With Dave Eggers, Chip Kidd and Milton Glaser, moderated by designer Michael Bierut at the 92nd Street Y, we weren’t surprised that book jacket designer and author Kidd made nice with Panelist Four – a man well into his senior years who boosted the show from the first row. more ›

November 3: Chocolate and Dessert Wine Seminar more ›

Sunday and Monday nights were the James Beard Awards annual gala events, and the results are now in. Sunday night focused on the journalists, highlighting books, broadcast media, and even websites (a new category), while Monday was all about the chefs and restaurants. The excitement was palpable in the food world, so much so that Ed Levine decided to liveblog Monday's Awards dinner, an extravagant black tie affair, for those of us not "in" enough to snag an invitation (thanks, Ed!). more ›

with a hint of trepidation, always slightly suspicious of any literary representation of that day in September. McInerney didn’t disappoint, at least not on that count. The aftermath of the attack, the atmosphere in the city – both human and architectural – was carefully and truthfully written, and the surrealism of downtown was captured perfectly. Even the behavior of his characters in relation to the disaster that disrupted their lives was believable; their questionable motivation behind their charity, the selfishness mixed with the unfamiliar camaraderie was all recognizable in the memories we all carry of that autumn. more ›

This week's literary events kick off tonight (1/24) at Housing Works Used Books Cafe (126 Crosby St.), with a reading from Surviving Justice: America's Wrongfully Convicted and Exonorated, edited by Dave Eggers and Lola Vollen. The reading will be followed by a Q&A and a signing, starts at 7PM, and is free. more ›

Only beautiful people can throw beautiful people parties at clubs that are already the toast of the town before they've officially opened. This is a rule of the city. You can tattoo this on your arm. It's called the pecking order, people. Get beautiful or get used to it. more ›

With 250 guests, the Lakshmi-Rushdie nuptials included Lou Reed, Steve Martin, Tina Brown, Ismail Merchant, Julie Taymor, Jay McInerney, and Diane von Furstenburg. The Wetlaufer-Welch affair had 75 guests - Vernon Jordan and Matt Lauer among them. Advantage: Lakshmi-Rushdie, especially because their wedding was in New York City, but the Wetlaufer-Welch wedding probably had a better goodie bag. more ›

Kurt Wenzel, Novelist more ›