TUSCAN COOKING, PLUS A CELEB OR TWO
NELLO\'S CUISINE IS FOR THE MOST PART WORTH THE POCKETBOOK PAIN
By Tom Steele
With its staid and sophisticated décor, an elegant staff to match and flawlessly executed Northern Italian cuisine, Nello has been attracting well-heeled Upper East Siders and more than a few celebrities ever since the restaurant flung open its doors in 1991.
Late summer roses are practically everywhere you look in the dining room. The ivory walls are hung with enlarged black-and-white Karen Blixen photographs of African wildlife. Read more
THE BEST OF MANHATTAN 2008
We know the word “best” is a little presumptuous. And it’s easy to run into trouble with superlatives, especially in a city with so much to offer. Nevertheless, we took a stab at it and compiled our annual “Best of Manhattan” list, an eclectic and wide-ranging catalog of goods, services, foods, drinks, places, people, ideas, events and anything else that tickled us pink. Read more
BEST OF MANHATTAN: SERVICES
Best of Manhattan: Services
BEST OF MANHATTAN: EATS AND DRINKS
Best of Manhattan: Eats 
Drinks
BEST OF MANHATTAN: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Best of Manhattan: Arts 
Entertainment
BEST OF MANHATTAN: CITY LIVING
best of Manhattan: CITY
LIVING
YANKEE TIX FOR FREEDOM
A man tried to bribe his way out of an arrest by offering up Yankee tickets to cops. On Sept. 5 at 4:20 a.m., police detained Michael Mata on the corner of York Avenue and East 72nd Street for driving while intoxicated. Cops said Mata then tried to bribe his way out of the arrest by enticing them with free Yankee tickets, which only got a bribery charge added to his rap sheet.
APARTMENT BUST
A 27-year-old man told police that he was bilked out of $1,700 that he transferred to a MoneyGram account on Sept. 5 to secure an apartment. The money, the victim told police, was meant for a rent payment on an apartment he found on craigslist.org, though he never met with a broker or landlord or saw the apartment. The victim, who lives on East 88th Street, told police that he knew the thief by name.
OFFICE THEFT
A 42-year-old doctor’s-office employee was almost robbed of her purse after letting in a man who was wearing a big black wig. Police said that on Sept. 8 at 2:30 p.m., the man, described as a transvestite, came to the office, at 329 E. 69th St., between First and Second avenues. The visitor told the employee he needed to make an appointment for his mother, but he needed to use the bathroom first, according to cops. When he did not return, the victim went to the back of the office and found her purse open and the wallet missing. When she checked the bathroom, the suspect was caught rifling through the victim’s belongings. Police said that after a struggle, the would-be thief ran out of the office toward First Avenue without any loot.
ICH BIN EIN ELVIS
An Elvis impersonator representing the Hessen region of Germany takes part in the Annual Steuben Day Parade along Fifth Avenue on Sept. 21.
