Waiting on Warhol

Elaine's

1703 Second Ave. at 88th St.
212-534-8103

This is now: The subject of the 2004 tome “Everybody Comes to Elaine’s,” the restaurant has only become more popular over time. Tables here are packed nightly with folks who’ve been regulars for decades (Joan Didion, Gay Talese and Woody Allen) as well today’s bright names (Sarah Jessica Parker, Lance Armstrong and James Gandolfini), begging the question of which came first: the stars or their tables at Elaine’s?

Keep the change: The famed veal chops cost $12.75 the year Elaine’s opened, but will set you back a hefty $38 today. And that’s not all: In 1968, the restaurant served “red veal,” not today’s white meat. “It was much tastier,” says Kaufman, “but today people want bleached, white meat. It’s just the fashion.”

Pictured: Elaine and Liza Minnelli, 2005