When the Baudelaires are having spaghetti alla puttanesca for dinner, Klaus wonders what puttanesca means. Puttanesca means "prostitute" in Corsican. However, as this is an Italian dish, Puttanesca means "Anchovies, olives and capers", which is how the sauce is made.
Briny Beach is named after the beach in "The Walrus and the Carpenter" poem from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll.
When Justice Strauss is talking about her library she mentions "The world's most dangerous fungus." This is a reference to The Grim Grotto (Book 11 of A Series of Unfortunate events).
Edgar and Albert Poe are arguing if a bird is a raven or a crow. This is a reference to Edgar Allen Poe's poem, "The Raven."
Arthur Poe and his sons Edgar and Albert are named after gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe. Eleanora Poe is named after "Eleonora" by Edgar Allan Poe.