Keith McNally, called “The Restaurateur Who Invented Downtown” by The New York Times, founded Balthazar Restaurant, Balthazar Bakery, Pastis, Minetta Tavern, Pravda, Schiller’s Liquor Bar, Morandi, Cherche Midi, Lucky Strike, Nell’s, Cafe Luxembourg, and the Odeon, plus the staggeringly unsuccessful pizzeria, Pulino’s. McNally is the author of The Balthazar Cookbook and Schiller’s Liquor Bar Cocktail Collection, and the writer and director of two features, End of the Night and Far from Berlin. He lives in downtown New York.
Richard E. Grant was launched to fame in the 1987 cult classic Withnail and I. Since then, he has gone on to star in a wide variety of films, including his Oscar Award–nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? in 2018. An avid reader, in 2021 he hosted the BBC’s literary travel series Write Around the World with Richard E. Grant. He married Joan Washington in 1986 and has a daughter, Olivia. You can find him on Twitter @RichardEGrant and Instagram at @Richard.E.Grant.