Conspicuous Coffee Tables 1 Elaine's

Elaine's best table is not the big round one at her famous Second Avenue restaurant, but the coffee table at her apartment. It's made of woven bamboo, painted a plump tomato red—Elaine's color. The table's a cluttered reliquary, displaying an early Coptic head, a Black Madonna from Brazil, a dark tribal mask from the Ivory Coast, a brawny carving of Christ. Elaine laughs, "For somebody who's not particularly religious, I ended up with a whole pile of religious figures... .1 have a closetful of all this junk. ' ' Why so much? "Art feeds you—it feeds the emotions. ' ' True, and everyone knows Elaine has a hearty appetite—for food, for friends, for the good life.

Eyeing her collection maternally, Elaine indicates the delicate antiques—' 'They're fighting for their survival. ' ' Elaine is also a survivor. Before she was New York's most celebrated restaurateuse, she was Elaine Kaufman of Jamaica, Queens. "I didn't know what a coffee table was. We lived in a very small apartment behind a store... the four kids slept together in studio beds. The kitchen was the coffee table. It was the centerpiece of the house.

.. .When I left home, I came into contact with my first coffee table.... At one point I had one that I found at the Salvation Army when I was living on Avenue B. ' '

Elaine's altarlike coffee table has a mystical effect. For a moment, Elaine appears as an Earth Mother, offering sound advice. "You never stop being who you are," she states knowingly. "You build from the beginning and learn as you go along. I'm a good listener—that's how I learn.... I enjoy working with people. " Her eyes light up. "Take the surprise birthday party we had for Bob Altman—he was there with his wife, and then Shirley MacLaine sat down, and Bob Blake's group joined them, and then... " Elaine pauses for a moment and smiles. "Cometothinkofit, my restaurant is just like a giant coffee table.? '

E. Brooks Peters