James Corden on Berating Balthazar Staff: ‘I Haven’t Done Anything Wrong’ [Update]

James Corden has spoken out after being banned, then unbanned, from Balthazar for being the Soho restaurant’s “most abusive customer in 25 years.” The British late-night host tells the New York Times he’s feeling very “Zen” about accusations that he yelled at Balthazar’s staff over bits of egg white in his wife’s all-yolk omelet and demanded free drinks from servers. “I haven’t done anything wrong on any level,” he told the publication less than a week after apologizing for those incidents. “I was there. I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it’s so silly.”

In response to Corden’s interview with the Times, Balthazar owner Keith McNally called on the talk show host to “come clean” in an Instagram post on Friday afternoon. “If the supremely talented actor wants to retrieve the respect he had from all his fans (all 4 of them) before this incident, then he should at least admit he did wrong.” McNally added that Corden could “eat for free at Balthazar for the next 10 years” if he apologized to the two servers he insulted.

Original Donut Pub location forced to temporarily close

Open since 1964, the original location of Donut Pub at 203 W. 14th Street, near Seventh Avenue, is temporarily closed due to “structural damage of the building” and plans to “reopen as soon as possible,” the shop posted on Instagram. A violation notice affixed to the wooden barrier reads that the nearby subway line caused a partial collapse of the foundation and has “structurally compromised” the building that’s now “at risk of further collapse.”

Even Snoop can’t get into an NFT restaurant

Gary Vaynerchuk, David Rodolitz, chef Josh Capon, and Conor Hanlon’s Flyfish Club, the “world’s first NFT restaurant” that’s already raised $14 million, has a pseudo-cameo in a new Snoop Dogg video, Family Meal reports. “Crip Ya Enthusiasm,” (with its Curb Your Enthusiasm sample) shows the rapper-as-Larry-David who, along with Tupac, gets mugged, and tries to get into an NFT restaurant, but he’s not allowed in. No word yet on where or when the members-only restaurant will open.

A Shorty Tang relaunch

Closed through the pandemic, Shorty Tang will reopen as Tangy Noodles, at 98 Eighth Avenue, near West 15th Street, as soon as mid-November, according to a representative. The late restaurateur Shorty Tang made history over 50 years ago at Hwa Yuan with his cold sesame noodles. And yes, they’ll be on the menu —- a specialty of the chef, Tang’s son. Also look for Taiwanese beef noodles, dan dan noodles, and variations on wonton soup. “It will be a quicker dining experience,” says the rep. Why the name change? “It sounds more appealing,” they say.

Update: October 21, 2022, 12:04 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Balthazar owner Keith McNally.