Firebrand restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar, suggested that his New York City restaurant may have been the target of a rodent release.
McNally posted a description of the incident on Instagram. “Last Thursday at 8:30 p.m., a man of about 35 years old sat at Balthazar's bar, released six tame white rats from a paper bag, and ran from the restaurant. One of my bartenders immediately arrested the man. The tamed rat was quickly captured and the entire incident, including the man and the white rat, was clearly visible on Balthazar's surveillance camera.
“Within 10 minutes of the rat being released into the bar area, a woman named Michelle Manning Barish posted a blurry photo of a white rat with the caption: 'Tonight in the dining room of Balthazar in New York City. There are rats… I can't imagine what's going on in the kitchen.'' Absolutely revolting.'' Michelle Manning Barish also commented: “And the owner is a vocal anti-Semite. He's defending sexual predators, he's decided to cyber bully Lauren Sanchez, and he's even creepy towards me.'' Karma. “'
Lauren Sanchez is an American media personality.
The New York fine-dining restaurant serves French-inspired dishes like escargot appetizers ($26), foie gras terrine ($30) and steak frites mains ($49).
McNally then speculated that the incident might have been a “hoax.”
“Did Manning Barish orchestrate this dastardly stunt, or at least have a hand in it? Police are currently investigating the incident.
In my eyes, the worst thing about this hoax attempt is the exploitation of six domestic white rats. I believe this attempt to have my restaurant shut down by the health department is the result of an Instagram I posted a few days ago. (So much for freedom of speech.)
The Instagram post McNally was referring to was a series of photos of Sanchez and his partner, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, that read, “What a strange-looking couple. When you have $1000 billion, this is what you do.'' Is it the effect it has on people?'' The post received backlash from commenters who suggested it was unwise for McNally to criticize people's appearance.
This is by no means the first time McNally has caused controversy on social media. Mr McNally sparked controversy last year when he suggested the British were the worst tipsters. He previously made headlines for banning TV presenter James Corden from his restaurant.
