From the moment Rose and I thought about doing The River Café, Rose made it clear that everything she knew, she had learned from Keith McNally, a hero of restaurants — with The Odeon, Pastis, Balthazar, Lucky Strike to name a few.  

Keith is here with me today to talk about friends, family, writing a book and most of all ‘regretting almost everything’.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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Nili Lotan is not only a brilliant designer, and an entrepreneur. A woman with strong values she has held onto since starting her own fashion company, she advocates for peace, she supports women and working mothers.  

She and I both believe that great design, whether food or fashion, is about simplicity, precision, and timelessness. We talk about food and architecture, food and politics, food and family, food and fashion. 

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In The River Cafe, we like a question. One of the reasons we have an open kitchen is that everything is on view and even our customers ask for tips on how to prepare their favourite meals. 

This week, Sian Wyn Owen, Joseph Trivelli and I are answering questions you have sent in. When and what to eat, our favourite seasons and much more.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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Looking at all the work Graydon Carter has done over the years, what it would be like to be one of his creations? 

As Spy magazine, I'd be fearless, funny, ahead of my time, radical and brave. Were I Vanity Fair, I'd be glamorous and erudite. Say I was his restaurant, The Waverly Inn, I'd be delicious, nestled in a beautiful corner of Greenwich Village. As Airmail, I would fly through the air every week, telling everyone what they need to know. 

And were I one of his five children or his beautiful wife Anna, I'd know what it feels like to be the focus of Graydon’s life.  

As for his newly published memoir, When The Going Was Good, I'd be unputdownable and number five on the New York Times bestseller list. 

But I would trade any of these just to be Graydon's friend, and that is what I am. 

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In this week's bonus, Anthony Scaramucci compares the challenges involved at his restaurant Hunt & Fish Club with Ruthie's at The River Cafe. Plus, he shares some of the items on the underground menu, including the secret meatballs.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In my career, I've been a chef, an author and now a podcaster. In Anthony Scaramucci’s career, he’s been Communication Director in the White House, a financial genius, founding Sky Capital, and the host of the podcast The Rest is Politics: US.  

We’ve both had our ups and downs. His may have been higher ups and maybe downer downs, but we're not here to compete. We're here to talk about food, politics, family and memories. To date, I've only spent about 10 minutes with Anthony, but it doesn't feel that way. For me, the night we met in The River Cafe was an immediate connection. How lucky am I to have him here today? How lucky am I to share stories?

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In this bonus episode, Cate Blanchett and Ruthie reflect on the similarities between a theatre performance and a restaurant kitchen.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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People ask me who my dream guest would be on Ruthie‘s Table 4. Cate Blanchett has always been top of the list - an actor, director and vocal activist for values and ideas close to my heart.  

Cate lives with purpose in the countryside in East Sussex, keeping bees, growing vegetables in her garden, cooking and eating seasonally.  

Here we are at The River Cafe on the beautiful first day of summer weather. The sun is shining, the chefs are cooking and the garden is flowering. Cate and I are going to talk about our shared love of food, family and art. As a special treat, I even asked her to bring a bottle of Toku, the saké brand for whom she is creative director, and get to sample what makes it so special. A dream come true indeed. 

Made in partnership with Moncler.

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Dana Strong, CEO of Sky Group, is one of the busiest people I know. One of the most powerful people in global media, she leads a team of thousands across news, sport, film, and television. But somehow, Dana always makes time for talking, friendship, her family, and for me. One of the most special things for me is breakfast with Dana at my home, at the kitchen table, sharing toast, coffee and stories.

Our mutual friend Tim Davies, Director General of the BBC, told me this morning that she's a rare American who truly gets the Brits. He says she has a European soul. Today we're together at the River Cafe. I'm sure it's a busy day for her, and it is kind of busy for me too. But for now, I have all the time in the world to spend with this woman I adore, I respect, and I love.

Made in partnership with Moncler.

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When I think of Richard E. Grant,  of course I think of his brilliant films and him as a great actor. But what I really think of is Richard and his wife Joan in the early days of The River Cafe. They were married a year before the restaurant opened and lived right across the river, coming in for lunch, always sitting at the same table, warm, lovely and absorbed in each other. 

I remember their daughter Olivia being born a few years later and them bringing her in as a baby, when the restaurant was still small and starting up, just like her. Now, over thirty years later, Richard and I share something else in common: the loss of the partner we loved. We are in The River Cafe again to talk about the joy of family, food, friendship, and most of all, the joy of love. 

Made in partnership with Moncler.

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