I Regret Almost Everything

A Memoir

De: Keith McNally

Narrado por: Richard E. Grant

The entertaining, irreverent, and surprisingly moving memoir by the visionary restaurateur behind such iconic New York institutions as Balthazar and Pastis.

A memoir by the legendary proprietor of Balthazar, Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and Morandi, taking us from his gritty London childhood in the fifties to his serendipitous arrival in New York, where he founded the era-defining establishments the Odeon, Cafe Luxembourg, and Nell’s. Eloquent and opinionated, Keith McNally writes about the angst of being a child actor, his lack of insights from traveling overland to Kathmandu at nineteen, the instability of his two marriages and family relationships, his devastating stroke, and his Instagram notoriety.

©2025 Keith McNally (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Bingeworthy!

Loved the history, gossip, reflection, honesty, his self deprecating way… I could have handled several more chapters.

A fascinating and impressive life

Everyone remotely interested in the New York restaurant scene should read this. No one has succeeded more than Keith McNally. McNally has also been an actor, writer and filmmaker and there's an endless ambition to do better that drives him and the book forwards. It makes for a fun book.

The book is best when he's telling us what he achieved and how. It's fascinating to witness his natural talents as a restaurateur and designer. It's way less good when McNally offers profound insights about himself or life itself. Obviously, too, he can't decide whether he likes or hates himself. This modesty is refreshing at first, but it gets tiresome fast. If he's so terrible at everything, how come he's succeeded at so much? HIs terrible movie ended up at the Cannes film festival. His inability to run a restaurant ended up with some of the world's most successful restaurants. It's good to be complex, but he's obviously so used to controlling everything in his restaurants that he also wants to control everything we think of him. That doesn't work, and it's a blind spot he can't see in himself.

This is a 5 star story that's totally worth reading about but I'm giving it 4 stars because you know it's too controlling and so not as honest and authentic as it could be -- especially on his failings as a partner and father. We're left to read between the lines. Really, the overall rating should be 3 stars because the narration by Richard Grant is terrible. It's like an overdone steak that should be sent back. He buries half the lines in unintelligible whispers and weird actor-y laughs. It would have twenty times better read by someone more down to earth and like the person McNally seems to be. Perhaps the choice reveals one more side to an author who is at pains to sound more intelligent and upper class than he is but who, in fact, is most impressive and interesting when he's just being himself, living a life most of us could only dream about.

I don’t think he has anything to regret ..what an incredible life full of accomplishments

Loved the book ! Love the way it was written in that he had so much to organize and put the chapters together so well. He accomplished so much from acting in theatre to writing to restaurants. I would advise him to research dr Bryan Ardis to complete his recovery from COVID and the stroke. Get his book or rather listen to it on audible ! Incredible book. Couldn’t stop listening. You have so much to be proud of.

Very compelling read

I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down. I found myself immersed in Mr Mcnally’s world…He’s such a talented writer, so interesting, so honest, This book is skillfully crafted…I’m going to read it again I liked it that much.

Great listen. Richard Grant reads.

This is a very relatable story about the trials and tribulations of life. Specially helpful for people coping with the aftermath of stroke. Highly recommend. Really appreciate the efforts the author must have gone through to write this book.

Unraveling Preconceptions

I really enjoyed the humble revelations of this long admired New York wizard of the dining experience. It also brought me the "we're only human" enlightenment of my own self reflection. I was especially moved that Keith kept a hand on the shoulder of modesty while unraveling what he was and what mattered upon inspection as the tides of inevitable change is embraced.

A lesson in memoir-writing

One of the best memoirs I’ve read for its raw honesty and humanity. Thank you, KM!

Stunned

Had to stop my life to listen to it near continuously and I don’t regret it!

Entertaining but rife with contradiction.

Entertaining but ultimately empty autobiography. Keith is an unreliable narrator. Not sure if he believes everything he wrote in this book or due to ego or narcissism or brain damage, it’s full of bullshit. I hope to read a book from one of his ex-wives or children to hear the full truth.