We talked to Debbie Sharpe today, who confirmed that her grab 'n' go breakfast joint, Half & Half, nestled under the Damen "L" stop in Bucktown, has closed after four and a half years. "The building was falling down around us," says Sharpe, who is more better known for opening restaurants (Feast, Goddess and the Grocer, Cru) than closing them. She says the capital improvements needed for the space were more than she was willing to take on these days. But good news: She's offering commuters coffee and pastry down the street at Goddess and Grocer.

This certainly isn't major news, but we couldn't resist commenting on a story with the headline, "Hilton Tries to Help Drunken Elephants." Not that it requires any explanation--OK, it probably does. Paris Hilton is receiving praise for casting light on the problem of, yes, binge-drinking elephants in northeastern India. Apparently, the pachyderms tend to rampage after drinking farmers' homemade rice beer. "The elephants get drunk all the time," she said. "It is becoming really dangerous. We need to stop making alcohol available to them."

Now, we in no way want to make light of a dangerous situation. (Last month, six elephants were electrocuted after getting drunk and knocking over an electricity pole.) But is it not a little curious that a globally known socialite like Hilton is taking on an alcohol-related cause like this? Or that when she was quoted as saying how sad the elephant situation was, she was in Tokyo to judge a beauty contest?

Well, you tell us. Are you glad to see Hilton giving something back to the world, now that she's trying to improve her image after her jail term earlier this year? Does it change your opinion of her? And does the expression "an elephant never forgets" only apply when they're sober?

You won’t often catch us daydreaming about frozen desserts in November, but we just can’t get our minds off the gelato we had last weekend at A Mano, the new River North Italian spot from the folks behind Bin 36. Chef John Caputo brought in a fancy gelato machine from Italy to make the sinful stuff, and boy, does it make a difference. The smooth, silky consistency is spot on, and the flavors are fresh and perfectly balanced. We were smitten with the pumpkin and the mascarpone, but the pistachio—easily the best we’ve ever had—really stole our hearts.