NY Elaine's owner dies
Source: Agencies |
December 5, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ELAINE Kaufman, the colorful restaurateur whose East Side establishment in New York, Elaine's, became a haven for show business and literary notables from Woody Allen to Norman Mailer, died on Friday at the age of 81.
Kaufman died at a Manhattan hospital of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and pulmonary hypertension, according to a statement by the restaurant's representative.
Kaufman was a veteran waitress and cafe manager in Greenwich Village when she bought a small bar-restaurant near the corner of Second Avenue and 88th Street in 1963.
It was never about the design or the food - basic Italian fare. It was all about the owner-hostess, an outsized mother figure in a tentlike dress, and her friendships with the famous.
Writers Mailer, Gay Talese and George Plimpton quickly became regulars, and over the years the glitterati joined the literati. Even Jackie Onassis went there.
"It offers an ambiance of camaraderie that is centered on Elaine herself. She's the den mother there," Talese said in 1988. "It's like a boarding house: You've got the round table, and you don't need a reservation if you're a friend of hers."
Among those showing up at a 25th anniversary celebration were Sidney Lumet, Peter Maas, Eli Wallach, Raquel Welch, Jackie Mason, Billy Dee Williams and Cheryl Tiegs.
Allen opened his movie "Manhattan" with a scene set in Elaine's. He became a regular, Kaufman said in 1988, because "he loves to people-watch. It's comfortable, nobody bothers him, we make him what he wants."
Critics noted that ordinary tourists got less-well-placed tables and paid luxury prices for ordinary food, but Kaufman said both detractors and celebrity-watchers made too big a deal out of the place.
Kaufman died at a Manhattan hospital of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and pulmonary hypertension, according to a statement by the restaurant's representative.
Kaufman was a veteran waitress and cafe manager in Greenwich Village when she bought a small bar-restaurant near the corner of Second Avenue and 88th Street in 1963.
It was never about the design or the food - basic Italian fare. It was all about the owner-hostess, an outsized mother figure in a tentlike dress, and her friendships with the famous.
Writers Mailer, Gay Talese and George Plimpton quickly became regulars, and over the years the glitterati joined the literati. Even Jackie Onassis went there.
"It offers an ambiance of camaraderie that is centered on Elaine herself. She's the den mother there," Talese said in 1988. "It's like a boarding house: You've got the round table, and you don't need a reservation if you're a friend of hers."
Among those showing up at a 25th anniversary celebration were Sidney Lumet, Peter Maas, Eli Wallach, Raquel Welch, Jackie Mason, Billy Dee Williams and Cheryl Tiegs.
Allen opened his movie "Manhattan" with a scene set in Elaine's. He became a regular, Kaufman said in 1988, because "he loves to people-watch. It's comfortable, nobody bothers him, we make him what he wants."
Critics noted that ordinary tourists got less-well-placed tables and paid luxury prices for ordinary food, but Kaufman said both detractors and celebrity-watchers made too big a deal out of the place.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
