Elaine's

The Rise of One of New York’s Most Legendary Restaurants

By: Amy Phillips Penn

Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella, Johnathan McClain

A tribute to legendary restaurateur Elaine Kaufman and her renowned Manhattan creative melting pot.

Elaine's was a world-famous New York restaurant that became home to writers and celebrities. Owner Elaine Kaufman was known to be "New York feisty", controversial, often rude, always blunt, with the flare of Gertrude Stein and Dorothy Parker. Elaine was highly respected and frequently feared, and Elaine's the restaurant received the public's love and praise time and time again. Woody Allen held a regular table there, and Elaine's was even featured in Allen's Manhattan and Billy Joel's song "Big Shot".

Throughout the years Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and countless celebrities, politicians, socialites, private eyes, athletes, and artists and the biggest names in Hollywood became Elaine's regulars. Most emphatically Elaine's raison d'être was to nourish "starving writers" with encouragement, introductions to Pulitzer Prize winners, and free food and alcohol. These struggling authors responded to Elaine's support with profound gratitude.

Elaine passed away in 2010, forcing the restaurant manager to close shop shortly after. "There is no Elaine's without Elaine", she decreed. However, the memories remain and are recalled by a variety of Elaine's regulars in this moving, oftentimes amusing collection of personal essays.

©2015 Amy Phillips Penn (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Good to Know

I like learning the reality of the settings of books I've read. Very good book.

Sit Down & Eat

Peek through the window into Elaine’s literary clubhouse in Manhattan’s Yorkville neighborhood, where you were nobody unless Elaine liked you. Read the book, you knucklehead.

Fun Stories

As told by many who were there, Elaine's sounds like a place anyone would have liked to have been to or opened. If you like the Moth and other story telling you'll love this!

New York History at it's best!

I really enjoyed this easy listen. There are individual stories volley'd between two narrators. Each story talks about the writer's personal experience with Elaine's and its famous namesake. The stories are quintessential contemporary New York. This listen made me long for the famous restaurant to be opened again.

ELAINE WAS ONE OF A KIND<br />

Utterly adore this book, and I wish Elaine had been my MOMA also!!!
Amy Phillips Penn brings forth the ambiance, the heat, & star studded qualities of this remarkably, unique character, Elaine, who can never be replaced.