Expert Opinion

Talk about a brain trust. There was an expert for every conundrum at Whiskey Park last night, where the ever-charming Samantha Ettus, with the support of ForbesLife magazine, launched her latest book, The Experts Guide to Doing Things Faster. Having trouble getting pregnant? There was Lisa Masterson, of TV's The Doctors. Not the best judge of character? If you were able to pin down former Army interrogator Greg Hartley, he was there to tell you how to read the body language of others. Do you know the best ways to make someone feel good or (conversely) how to politely exit a conversation? No? Well, if you're feeling the need to brush-up in one of these areas, you're probably wishing you were at Samantha's party, too. But fear not, because all of this wisdom (and more) is found in the book—natch. And you don't need to be a speed reader to make your way through it. With quick in-the-know tips from Richard Branson, Barbara Corcoran, Colin Cowie, Gunnar Peterson, Graham Hill, Sally Hershberger and even New York Insider's Thomas P. Farley, among others, the table-top tome is jam-packed with pithy and engaging must-dos. One word of advice...don't start reading it before bed and still expect to nod off. It's far too scintillating to make you drowsy. But if you do have problems in that department, see Chapter 41, by Dr. Michael Breus. His contribution? "How to Fall Asleep."

For more photos, click here.

The Best Italian Restaurants? Fuhgeddaboutit

Zagat, compiler of the likes and dislikes of America's restaurant-goers, nightclubbers, business travelers, golf players and movie denizens, has just released "America's 1,000 Top Italian Restaurants." New Yawk being New Yawk, we've laid claim to over 150 of them—more than any other city. Not a surprise in a city filled with chefs with names like Batali and Carmellini. Among the Manhattan eateries that made the list include NewYorkInsider faves San Domenico, A Voce, Gennaro, Vice Versa (responsible for the delectable pasta dish pictured above), San Pietro and Del Posto. With 27-percent of U.S. diners citing Italian as their favorite cuisine (trailed by American, at a distant second—16-percent), we have a feeling this handy book will more than prove its weight in mortadella. For a limited time, Zagat is offering the guide for free. To claim yours, click here. What's your favorite Italian restaurant? Let us know. (And if you can't wait for your Zagat guide to arrive and want to know whether your red-checked tablecloth go-to place made the cut, drop us a line and we'll give you the scoop.)