We just got back from that brunch with Jay McInerney. Who else—plied by the promise of free brunch, Bloody Marys and swag—took time out of their busy busy day? Spotted at the bar, grasping hefty noon Bloody Marys were Hunter Hill of Paper mag, Brett Thorne of the Sun, Jessica Green (wife of Bill Buford), Black Book EIC Steve Garbarino avec sa femme, Nicole Miller and film exec Sarah Colleton. And then there was Jay McInerney. This is the first time we've met Jay face a face and he, IRL, doesn't disappoint. He looks almost exactly like a ventriloquist dummy: same grin, those blue eyes at once profound and shallow, the curly hair that looks like a Pixar simulation. When he laughs he actually says the word, "Heh." When we approached him he was inviting Nicole Miller up to his Water Mill house for a party he and Anne were having Friday. Candace Bushnell and her husband Charles were staying the weekend and Brooke Shields was expected. "Jay," we said, "we have some reader-submitted questions for you." His blue eyes grew murky and the grin deepened into a grimace. "Our first question comes from TheBigDoggy who asks, 'What's the best burgundy to serve with writer's block?'" McInerney paused before answering.