Balthazar (French / SoHo / $$$)
80 Spring St (between Broadway & Crosby St)
(212) 965-1414
www.balthazarny.com
More juggernaut than restaurant, Keith McNally’s action-packed SoHo beehive offers toothsome French food, deft service and pitch-perfect rendering of Parisian brasserie; expect lots of hub-bub, tough reservations, moderately pricey tabs and a loud crowd that runs the gamut from skeletal models and fat cats to celebs and starstruck tourists; in sum, it’s typical Paris. Located on the corner of Spring and Crosby, Balthazar does not look like much from the outside. However, entering the restaurant, you are overwhelmed by the high ceilings, French architecture and body-jarring volume. Balthazar, as a New York institution more than just a restaurant, offers the type of transportive experience that Manhattanites love: the ability to visit a far away place, if only for a couple hours. Opened in 1997, the building is a converted leather wholesaler warehouse, which can accommodate over 200 people in the dining room and zinc bar. The café is a testament to the work of famed restaurateur Keith McNally and head chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.
Balthazar features a tremendous number of menus in the tradition of French eateries: breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon, dinner, dessert, after hours and wine. Dinner appetizers range in prices from $10 to $15 and entrees from $20 to $40. Notable appetizers include the Onion Soup Gratinee ($11, what Americans would call “French onion soup”), Escargots ($14, snails in garlic butter), and Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousse ($15, with red onion confit and grilled country bread). Significant entrees include the Seared Organic Salmon ($28, over creamy polenta with wild mushrooms and radicchio), Chicken “Paprikash” ($26, with sweet peppers, Hungarian paprika and buttered spätzle), and the Berkshire Pork Porterhouse ($28, with Brussels sprout leaves, bacon and apples). Balhazar also offers an amazing brunch, although it could definitely break the bank. Try the Le Panier ($18, a basket of freshly baked breads and pastries), the Scrambled Eggs in Puff Pastry ($21, with wild mushrooms and asparagus) and the Toasted French Ham and Gruyere Sandwich ($16, on country bread). To accompany any meal, try one of the Balthazar carafes for $18, featured in red and white.
Reservations should be made well in advance (few weeks), even for daytime meals. Walk-ins are almost never accepted. Servers are generally amiable and very professional. As with any French restaurant in the city, be vigilant about other guests who may be pretentious or arrogant. If French is what you are looking for, then look no further than Balthazar.