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New York Post
21-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Top NYC restaurant owner's criticism of ‘con artist' Zohran Mamdani leads to public insults from Keith McNally
A top New York restaurateur's anti-Zohran Mamdani stance has led him to bump up against his former idol Keith McNally, who has become a passionate supporter of the Democratic socialist. 'I don't want Mamdani to be mayor,' said David Rabin, the force behind some of the city's most iconic bars and restaurants including Lambs Club, American Bar and the Skylark, adding: 'I will do anything to try to stop him.' Meanwhile, McNally — owner of Balthazar in SoHo and the Minetta Tavern in Greenwich Village — seems to be doing everything he can to ensure that Mamdani wins, including ranting against Rabin and calling him 'raving mad' in an Instagram post earlier this month. Things started off with a 'nice' online conversation between the two bigwigs after Rabin reached out to compliment McNally on his memoir, 'I Regret Almost Everything.' 6 Restaurateur Keith McNally stamps copies of his bestselling memoir 'I Regret Almost Nothing' at his marquee restaurant, Balthazar. Instagram/@keithmcnallynyc 'I've been in awe of him for years,' Rabin told The Post. 'I sent him some of my posts on Mamdani, and instead of responding to me, he took one of them and posted it and called me a racist. 'My sending him posts was only in response to him sending me post after post trying to get me to support Mamdani, and I kept asking him to stop.' Then without warning, McNally railed against Rabin's post, showing Mamdani with his arm around anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil — a former Columbia University graduate student who spent three months in federal custody for his role in organizing violent protests against Israel. 6 Zohran Mamdani, who has vowed to freeze rents and introduced government-owned grocery stores, sailed to a stunning upset victory in the Democratic primary for mayor on July 1. Andrew Schwartz / Rabin included a long caption, which reads in part: 'Two chums. Pals. United. In their hate for the Jews and their newfound optimism that they'll be running s–t. BC a bunch of dumbass white yuppie schmucks think Marxism and a 3rd intifada might be fun.' McNally put him on blast, re-posting the image and calling it 'the most disgusting post I've ever seen on Instagram,' writing in all capital letters on July 1. 6 Restaurateur David Rabin, the force behind iconic restaurants and bars such as the Lambs Club and the Skylark, says he is doing everything he can to make sur that Zohran Mamdani does not become New York City's next mayor. Robert Mecea 6 David Rabin's Lambs Club is one of the iconic Manhattan eateries which he runs. Stephen Yang 'I told him repeatedly that I thought Mamdani was antisemitic and bad on crime and Marxist,' said Rabin. 'He knew my feelings. That's why the post was such a shock to me. One minute we're having a 'debate' that I didn't want and kept begging him to stop and the next minute he's calling me a racist.' McNally did not respond to The Post's request for comment, but he is long known for being a provocateur. Last year, he slammed Lauren Sanchez, now married Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as 'repulsive' in a series of Instagram posts. He banned and then unbanned comedian James Corden, citing alleged abusive behavior to his restaurant staff, and admitted to making up an affair with broadcaster Diane Sawyer in order to generate publicity for himself. He also once picked a fight with AirMail editor and fellow restaurateur Graydon Carter, calling him a 'fancy f–ker' in 2021 after he skipped out on a reservation for 12 at Morandi, another McNally restaurant. 6 David Rabin's Instagram post denouncing both Zohran Mamdani and Mahmoud Khalil was the subject of a blistering attack from Keith McNally, who accused Rabin of 'toxic extremism.' 6 Balthazar Restaurant in Manhattan, the eatery which made Keith McNally most famous. Robert Miller For Rabin, Mamdani's ascendancy is deeply personal. He said after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, he went to Times Square to watch pro-Hamas demonstrators who held up their phones, showing swastika screensavers. 'It's 2023, and people are unashamedly waving swastikas in my face,' said Rabin, adding that he is a non-practicing Jew. 'At that point, my whole life did a 180.' Mamdani becoming frontrunner for mayor is bad for business and he has little government experience, said Rabin. Mamdani, a member of the State Assembly since 2021, ran on a campaign to freeze stabilized rents and open government-run grocery stores. 'He's a con artist trying to get in office so once there he can implement his Marxist and 'anti-zionist' agenda,' Rabin claimed. In order to assuage some of his critics, Mamdani recently met with some of the city's biggest business leaders, and said he would refrain from using the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' which has been interpreted as a call to violence against Israel. His campaign has also insisted his criticism of Israel does not amount to antisemitism. Last week, McNally called out the state's Democrats who have refused to endorse Mamdani, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Rep Hakeem Jeffries, among others.
CBS News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Restaurateur Keith McNally on why he regrets "almost everything"
Restaurateur Keith McNally hates New Year's Eve – he doesn't like being told to have a good time. "I don't like to be forced to enjoy myself," he said. The "least hospitable man in hospitality," as he calls himself, is not a big smiler, either. "Inside," he explained. It doesn't seem to have hurt. Over 40 years, he's opened some of New York City's most popular restaurants, among them The Odeon, Balthazar, and Pastis – institutions almost as well-known as some of the bold-face names that frequent them. But McNally himself has never been much of a publicity hound, even less so after suffering a stroke in 2016. "Naturally I'm a bit embarrassed to be on TV talking like this—who wouldn't be?" he said. "But it's good for me to do it, because it gets me free of my embarrassment. Actually, I'm embarrassed talking about embarrassment!" But the British-born McNally has largely overcome his embarrassment in a new memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything." "The drawback for me with most memoirs [is], if you're not embarrassed by what you write, you've probably not spoken the truth," he said. "If you don't cringe over every word, it's not the truth." The hardest part to write, he said, was about his suicide attempt, "because my kids. I didn't want to leave them at all." That suicide attempt was two years after his stroke. He was found by his younger son, George. "He was supposed to not find me," McNally said. "Like most teenagers he would sleep until noon. But that day he woke up early, at 8:00 o'clock." "You expected him to be sleeping later, he woke up early, he saw you?" I asked. "Yeah, the bastard just woke up early and saved my life!" he laughed. McNally might joke about it now, but the father of five was suffering with an immobile right arm (he was right-handed), back pain, and aphasia (which causes his slurred speech), and his second marriage was falling apart. But as he writes, some sobering words from a doctor made him reflect: "He said that children who lose a parent to suicide were far more likely to kill themselves than the children of parents who don't. That stopped me in my tracks." Because he had such trouble communicating verbally after his stroke, McNally began using social media. "I was so embarrassed by my speech and the way I looked, I didn't go to my restaurants for one year," he said. "I was ashamed. But eventually I realized, nothing to be ashamed about. So, not only did I admit it wasn't a bad thing, but I went in on Instagram." McNally went viral in 2022 with a post criticizing former late-night host James Corden for allegedly being rude to the waitstaff at Balthazar. But now, McNally confesses in his book he isn't so sure calling out Corden was fair. He wrote: "For someone who's hyperconscious of humiliation since suffering a stroke, it now seems monstrous that I didn't consider the humiliation I was subjecting Corden to. I felt like I'd hit the jackpot of a slot machine and thousands of gold coins were spilling out in front of me. That night I ended up with over 90,000 followers. I was intoxicated with self-righteousness." "Uh-huh, it's true," McNally said. "But afterwards, I felt really bad." Corden later apologized. But the 73-year-old McNally has continued creating a stir online. Take this recent post he wrote about his friend, ABC News' Diane Sawyer, describing a weeklong affair the two had in the 1970s. The story made news … except that it was completely made up. I said, "Some people say, 'Listen, Keith, you know, it's really not cool for you to be sharing this.' And so, did you enjoy that back-and-forth with them?" "Yes. Yeah, I'm afraid, I did, yeah," he laughed. "And I wonder, do you think that the stroke – I don't know, is that, does that …" "Say what you think," said McNally. "Well, is it that you feel a little trapped inside of yourself?" "No," he replied. "I've always been a little like this inside. But since my stroke, and now on the outside." McNally grew up in the East End of London, one of four children born to Jack, a dockworker, and Joyce, a house and office cleaner. The family had little money. "I got angry inside at my parents," he said, "because we had no books in the house, no pictures on the walls. But they couldn't help it. They were working class who grew up with nothing." McNally says he didn't eat in a restaurant until he was 17. "Most of the time, when we were on a holiday, we would go to the restaurant, they would look the prices outside, and then she'd go, 'Not for us.'" And yet, when McNally moved to New York City in 1975 as an aspiring filmmaker, he made ends meet by working in restaurants. "I didn't eat asparagus until I came here," he said. "And the next day, I went to the doctor because the smell of my …" "That was so pungent from eating the asparagus?" I asked. "Yeah, I thought I was sick! So, I went to the doctor. He said, 'What'd you eat last night?'" McNally laughed. "You know what? You gotta put that in the paperback," I said. In 1980, McNally opened his own restaurant, The Odeon, in the neighborhood of Tribeca, in what had been a no-man's land. An immediate sensation, it established certain McNally "musts," such as the importance of having a hamburger on the menu. "I don't like hamburgers much myself," he said. "But it's a sign of snobbery not to have a hamburgers." McNally prides himself on putting his staff above even his diners. Some of his employees have been with him for over 30 years. And ever since returning to work post-stroke, McNally has come to appreciate how they feel about him. "I had to talk to my staff and was really nervous," he said. "They were really kind. In the end, kindness is really essential." I asked, "The stroke lifted the veil on what they thought of you?" "Yeah, yeah," McNally laughed. "They made me feel good." READ AN EXCERPT: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here. For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@ For more info: Story produced by Kay Lim. Editor: Carol Ross.
CBS News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Book excerpt: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally
We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. British-born restaurateur Keith McNally was responsible for the opening of such popular New York City institutions as The Odeon, Balthazar and Pastis. But a 2016 stroke, which caused immobility and affected his speech, led him to attempt suicide two years later. He's recounted his story in the irreverent memoir "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" (Simon & Schuster). Read an excerpt below, and don't miss Mo Rocca's interview with Keith McNally on "CBS Sunday Morning" July 20! "I Regret Almost Everything" by Keith McNally Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now. There was a time when everything worked. ... I'd been happily married and the owner of eight successful Manhattan restaurants, including Balthazar in SoHo. In 2004, the New York Times had called me "The Restaurateur Who Invented Downtown." I had everything going for me. And then on November 26, 2016, the clock stopped. I was living in London. One Saturday morning I coaxed my youngest children, George and Alice, into seeing a Caravaggio exhibition with me at the National Gallery. George was thirteen, Alice eleven. While looking at a painting of Jesus being betrayed by Judas, The Taking of Christ, I sensed my body beginning to show signs of betraying me: a strange metallic tingling started to pinch my fingertips. It was an odd feeling, but as it stopped after five or six seconds, I didn't give it another thought. Soon afterward, to the relief of my children, we left the museum. Two hours later, when I was back home by myself, the metallic feeling returned. Only this time it was in earnest. Within seconds the horrific tingling shot up my left arm and, like some malignant jellyfish, clasped itself onto my face. Terrified, I phoned Alina, who rushed back with the kids and instantly called an ambulance. George, fists clenched, was panic-stricken as medics examined my convulsing body. Within minutes I was being hoisted into the waiting ambulance. Alina, George and Alice looked on. I woke up several hours later in Charing Cross Hospital. The first thing the doctor told me was that I'd had a stroke. The second thing was that my brain would never be the same again. Perhaps his bluntness was necessary for legal reasons, but from where I stood—or lay—it was a brutal awakening. After the doctor left, I tried wriggling my arms and legs to check that I wasn't paralyzed. I wasn't, thank God. To test my memory, I wrote the alphabet on the back of the nurse's chart. I then tried saying the letters aloud, but here there was a problem. The words wouldn't conform to my efforts. They exited my mouth in such a slurred and disorderly way that I sounded like a stage drunk. But this was a small price to pay for my stroke. My first stroke, that is. Because the next day the artillery arrived and gave me such a hammering that in one fell swoop I lost the use of my right hand, right arm and right leg. And my slurred speech, perhaps in fright, went AWOL. Overnight I was confined to a wheelchair and deprived of language. So much for The Restaurateur Who Invented Downtown. * * * I shared a ward with five other men whose ages ranged from forty to eighty. At night, with words inaccessible to me, I'd listen in awe to them talking. Speech suddenly seemed like a divine accomplishment. Even everyday words had an element of poetry to them. I dreaded the moment when the men would stop talking and I'd be left with my own thoughts. Sleepless, half-paralyzed and unable to speak, I felt buried alive. More than anything, I wished the stroke had killed me. Bereft of speech and right side unusable, I wondered how my relationship with Alina might change. And with George and Alice also. All children exaggerate their father's strength. Most sense it ebbing away imperceptibly over twenty or so years. Generally, a father's decline appears natural, tolerable even. It wasn't going to be like that for my children. My new life seemed ungraspable. It existed, but was outside of me. On my second day in the hospital, Alina arranged for George and Alice to visit. An hour before they were due, I became so ashamed of them seeing me disabled that I canceled the visit. The next day I could hold out no longer. Hospitals are a great leveler. Like soldiers at war, patients lose all distinctiveness. As they entered the ward, George and Alice failed to recognize me. I was lying at the end of a row of identical beds, assimilating into the world of the sick and dying. Although it had only been three days since I last saw them, they looked years younger. They stood by the door, small eyes darting from one sick man to the next, searching for some identifiable sign of their father. After a few seconds they rushed to my bed. Alice seemed happy to see me, but George looked angry and said less than usual. He'd behaved in a similar way a year earlier after watching me lose a match in a squash tournament. Back then, I found his anger confusing. Now it made sense. Alina put on a brave face but was so shell-shocked she said little. I managed to gurgle out a few words, and in between the long silences the heavy breathing of the man in the next bed entered uncomfortably into our space. Alina told the children I was going to regain my voice and would soon be walking out of the hospital. Neither responded. When the three of them left, I wept for the first time in twenty years. From "I Regret Almost Everything" by Keith McNally. Copyright © 2025 by Keith McNally. Excerpted with permission by Simon & Schuster, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Get the book here: "I Regret Almost Everything" by Keith McNally Buy locally from For more info:
New York Post
07-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Balthazar owner Keith McNally among NYC millionaires backing socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor
Balthazar owner Keith McNally — whose SoHo hotspot has been a magnet for A-listers and one-percenters for years — is throwing his support behind marxist New York City mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani. McNally — who owns more than a dozen eateries in Manhattan including Minetta Tavern, Pastis and Morandi — called the democratic socialist 'fantastic' on Instagram, adding: 'More so, when my affluent, paranoid friends tell me Mamdani's dangerous.' 6 Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. Paul Martinka for NY Post Advertisement The restaurateur joins left-leaning financiers, corporate lawyers and other business leaders who are aligning behind Mamdani — despite his platform to tax wealthy to pay for his expansive social programs, according to the Wall Street Journal. Mamdani became the front-runner to lead the nation's center of capitalism by shocking former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic primary for mayor last month. His policy proposals include free public buses, a freeze on regulated rents, universal childcare starting at six weeks old and a pilot program for city-run grocery stores. Advertisement 6 Restaurateur Keith McNally, best known for owning and operating several iconic eateries including Balthazar, has praised Mamdani. Instagram/@keithmcnallynyc Yet a growing faction of millionaires sees Mamdani as a necessary force to address the city's deepening income inequality — and are willing to pay their 'fair share' to elect him over current Mayor Eric Adams, who will run as an independent. James Hueston, a 27-year-old venture capitalist, is part of a group of younger, upwardly mobile professionals, many in finance, who are backing Mamdani's campaign. 'In my eyes, I should absolutely be paying my fair share for the people that need it,' Hueston told the Journal, adding that his views don't represent those of his employer. Advertisement 6 Kathryn Wylde, president and chief executive officer of Partnership for New York, said she recently met with Mamdani. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'I don't think that he's increasing taxation for the sake of it. I think that he's doing it to fund very explicitly good policies.' Voting data show that about a third of the city's wealthiest residents supported Mamdani in the primary. Many donors — particularly from Wall Street and large law firms — have remained anonymous, citing concerns about being ostracized by colleagues or clients. One executive at a major bank told the Journal she feared for her safety and that of her family if her support became public. Advertisement Campaign finance records confirm that Mamdani received contributions from a trader at Jane Street Capital, a managing director at Deutsche Bank and several employees at Goldman Sachs. 6 Ahmed Haque, CEO of Didactic Labs, said that he is supporting Mamdani. Linkedin/Ahmed F. Haque While critics like billionaires Bill Ackman and Dan Loeb have denounced Mamdani's agenda and thrown their financial might behind Adams, others have offered words of encouragement. Bradley Tusk, a venture capitalist who ran Michael Bloomberg's third campaign for mayor, wrote on LinkedIn that New Yorkers should 'do what we can to help him succeed.' These unusual alliances may stem from a belief that Mamdani's proposals are either politically constrained or morally necessary. Some backers assume that Albany's control over taxation will prevent the most aggressive parts of his agenda from being enacted. Others argue that his focus on small businesses, transit equity and public health infrastructure could improve quality of life across the city. 'His qualifying comments have identified the capitalist system as promoting income inequality. A lot of people in business agree with him on that,' said Kathy Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a major business group. Advertisement Wylde met with Mamdani in September and recalled him saying, 'I'm not in favor of government taking over your business.' 6 Mark Gorton, CEO of Tower Research, told the Journal he supports Mamdani's plan for free buses. Sportsfile via Getty Images Wylde, who did not offer an endorsement, added that Mamdani 'has already acknowledged that the housing crisis is only going to be addressed if there's an increase in private supply. So he's not just talking about social or socialized housing solutions.' Mamdani has also faced intense criticism from Jewish leaders and pro-Israel groups for defending the slogan 'globalize the intifada,' supporting BDS and sponsoring the 'Not on Our Dime!' Act, which aimed to block New York charities from aiding the Israeli military or settlements. Advertisement After the October 2023 Hamas attack, Mamdani condemned Israeli actions but did not explicitly criticize Hamas, further fueling accusations of bias. Some supporters said Mamdani's immigrant background and Muslim identity also influenced their decision to back him, particularly in contrast to Cuomo, who left office in disgrace over allegations of sexual harassment. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! President Trump's threat to deport Mamdani, a naturalized citizen born in Uganda, has further energized parts of the city's diverse business class. Advertisement Even Mamdani's ads have struck a chord with entrepreneurial voters. In one campaign spot, he promises to cut red tape for street vendors. In another, filmed in a neighborhood bodega, he pledges to simplify permitting processes for small businesses. 'For immigrants coming to this country, these small businesses represent the single path for upward mobility that they have,' Ahmed Haque, CEO of Didactic Labs, told the Journal. 'Overall, they are far more open to Mamdani's message because the high costs of New York City are forcing them out of the city.' 6 James Hueston, a 27-year-old venture capitalist, said he would gladly pay more in taxes. Linkedin/James Hueston Advertisement Mamdani's coalition includes both immigrant entrepreneurs and prominent investors. Mark Gorton, CEO of Tower Research, told the Journal he supports Mamdani's plan for free buses and brushed off warnings that wealthy residents would leave the city if taxes rise. 'New York is a pretty special place,' he said. 'It's very hard to go somewhere else. And are you going to do it for an extra 2%?'
New York Post
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
These 5 NYC restaurants have the hottest patrons, controversial new AI ranking claims — and some top spots got seriously snubbed
Hot or not? A divisive new dining ranking — more interested in who's sitting at the table than what's on the menu — is raising eyebrows in New York's image-conscious restaurant world. Created by Gen Z programmer Riley Walz, LooksMapping scores hotspots in the Big Apple — and Los Angeles and San Francisco, too — based on AI-driven evaluations of the profile photos of patrons leaving Google Reviews. Advertisement 5 Restaurants and bars have always been prime ways for single people to link up — Gen Z's just trying to make it easier. CandyRetriever – After scraping countless amounts of data, the algorithm spits out an average score that supposedly represents the physical appeal of each eatery's clientele. And the results are, in some cases, a complete slap in the face. Advertisement Take Balthazar, Keith McNally's iconic Soho brasserie, for example, long considered one of the top NYC spots to see and be seen — there, the clientele ranked a somewhat pitiful 5.4 out of 10. Adding insult to injury in many cases, the site also dishes a detailed explanation of its findings — like which way age, gender and general physical beauty lean. Further downtown, for example, it's supposedly mostly unattractive, middle-aged men and women dining at The Odeon, a Tribeca spot with a dreadful 3.1 rating that appears to no longer play host to the 'It' crowd of artists and celebrities it once did. 5 'The model is certainly biased. It's certainly flawed. But we judge places by the people who go there,' the website reads. 'This website just puts reductive numbers on the superficial calculations we make every day. A mirror held up to our collective vanity.' Looks Mapping Advertisement And way up town at ultra-exclusive East Harlem Italian restaurant, Rao's, the elite crowd was handed a woeful 3.4 — suggesting, perhaps, that even AI models get jealous over not being able to snag one of the legendary spot's highly-coveted tables. Of course, it's not all bad news — fine-dining stalwart Jean-Georges is where hot-leaning, middle-aged men and women go, according to the tool, earning the quintessential French spot a 7.1 and a light, rosy-hued marker on the map. But even that crowd can't beat local institutions like Katz's Delicatessen, which managed to snag an 8.1 rating — suggesting the customers are as beautiful as the city's best pastrami sandwiches. 5 Balthazar is a legendary spot in the NYC food scene, and despite its apparently unattractive reviewers, it still proves tough to snag a reservation. Bloomberg via Getty Images Advertisement The top ratings in town, however, were reserved for a handful of relatively obscure options — from a Midtown sushi spot to a Thai restaurant in the Financial District. The NYC restaurants with the hottest patrons, according to AI Ubani Midtown: 10/10 Shinn West: 10/10 KYU NYC: 10/10 Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen: 10/10 Top Thai 55 Carmine: 10/10 Walz first shared news of the site's launch back in March, and a steady wave of AI-haters, driven developers and delighted daters on the prowl quickly flooded the replies. 5 Rao's was among the LooksMapping's lowest-ranked of the iconic NYC restaurants. Google Maps Many have pronounced the AI model flawed — even suggesting that it has a racial bias. On this subject, Walz told the New York Times, '[the project] is making fun of AI,' and admitted that the attractiveness ranking system was 'a bit janky.' For now, Manhattan and the Bronx are the only boroughs included on LooksMapping, but Walz, a native New Yorker currently based in San Francisco, 'knew people would rightfully give [him] crap' and is planning to add the other three soon, he assured eager diners in a post on X. The release of the talked-about tool comes as younger diners are increasingly concerned with customer attractiveness. Advertisement With limited budgets and time on their hands, young and single New Yorkers want to go where they might score. 5 Admittedly, clientele can be considered a part of a restaurant's atmosphere, which, for many, is a key factor in deciding to make a reservation. bobex73 – On TikTok, a new trend has taken hold among women in their 20s that clearly demonstrates a demand for sites like LooksMapping. Advertisement Ahead of going out for the evening or as a deciding factor, these ladies are calling the restaurants and bars they're interested in going to and asking the staff whether the current crop of patrons is hot. 'As a hostess, I take my job of vibe checking very seriously and am always happy to keep the girls updated #womensupportingwomen,' wrote one understanding commenter.
