Keith McNally: Bruni Just Desperate for Attention

Earlier this week at a book reading, when asked a question about restaurateur Keith McNally, ex Times critic Frank Bruni said, "I do not go to Keith McNally restaurants anymore. I would have loved to have given Minetta Tavern a horrible review, because McNally is a horrible man." One can assume Bruni said this, of course, because McNally publicly called him sexist back in 2007 and called Adam Platt fat just earlier this year.

Well, McNally is not standing by idly. He sends Eater his response:

I'm not sure whether being called "a horrible man" by the person who wrote an entire book in praise of George W. Bush (Ambling Into History) is necessarily a bad thing. However, even though it's possible to be called a horrible restaurateur (not something I would dispute), I don't for the life of me understand how Frank Bruni - a man of limited, but undeniable intelligence - can call someone 'a horrible man' when they've never spent any time with him. This is like reviewing a restaurant without eating the food. It's also extremely silly. Unless, of course, you're in the process of selling a book and are desperate for attention, as is clearly the case with little Frankie.

Bruni also says "I don't go to Keith McNally restaurants any more". This is strange. Wasn't it Frank I said hello to at Morandi last year? And wasn't that Frank I saw happily sitting at Pulino's very recently? I guess the kind of person who can write such an affectionate book about a President who lied and mislead the nation (fairly horribly) can also lie and mislead a little himself. However, this does not make Frank Bruni "a horrible man." Certainly not in my eyes.

Sincerely,

Keith McNally.