Balthazar (restaurant)

Balthazar

Balthazar's SoHo location
Restaurant information
Established 1997
Current owner(s) Keith McNally
Food type French brasserie
Dress code Chic[1]
Street address 80 Spring Street (between Broadway and Crosby Street) in SoHo in Manhattan
City New York
County New York
State New York
Postal code/ZIP 10012
Country United States
Coordinates 40°43′22″N 73°59′53″W / 40.722712°N 73.998159°W
Reservations Recommended[2]
Other locations Balthazar Boulangerie
8 Russell Street (corner of Wellington Street)
Covent Garden
London WC2B 5HZ (planned; February 2013)[3][4]
Website www.balthazarny.com

Balthazar is a French brasserie restaurant located at 80 Spring Street (between Broadway and Crosby Street) in SoHo in Manhattan, in New York City.[5] It opened on April 21, 1997, and is owned by celebrity chef Keith McNally.[5][6][7][8][9] Two years after its opening, it was still reportedly the hottest reservation in the city.[10] McNally joked that the best offer he had received for a reservation was to not break McNally's legs.[11]

McNally also owns Pastis, Cafe Luxembourg, Lucky Strike, the Russian-themed bar and restaurant Pravda, Odeon in Tribeca, and Schiller's Liquor Bar on the Lower East Side.[12][13][14] Balthazar Bakery was later opened, at 80 Spring Street.[10]

McNally is opening a Balthazar in the theater district in Covent Garden in London, in February 2013.[15] Balthazar London will reside within a building known as The Flower Cellars, sharing the space with The London Film Museum. General manager will be Byron Lang.[16]

Description

The French onion soup at Balthazar

Among its dishes are steak au poivre, steak frites, short ribs, beef stroganoff, duck confit, butternut squash, skate, and French onion soup (of which the brasserie serves 15 gallons daily).[1][6][17][18][19] Balthazar typically serves around 1,500 guests a day, and by the far the most popular dish is steak frites; the restaurant can sell 200 per day, and out of the 200-odd employees, two full-time prep cooks are required just to handle potatoes for frying.[20] It is also known for its raw bar.[21][22][23] The head chef is Shane McBride,[20] who was preceded by Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr.[24]

The SoHo building that houses Balthazar formerly was occupied by a tannery.[20] Today, Balthazar is designed to imitate traditional brasserie atmosphere. It has high-backed red leather banquettes, scarred and peeling brass oversize mirrors, high tin ceiling, scuffed tiled floor, faded saffron yellow walls, large windows, and antique lighting.[1][2][8][19][21][23][25][26][27] One reviewer wrote that two-thirds of the restaurant's appeal is atmospheric.[22] The restaurant is loud and bustling,[23] and seats 180 people. [20] Balthazar is also known for celebrity-watching; in 2012, Fodor's ranked it # 1 in New York City in that category.[28][29]

In 1997, restaurant critic Gael Greene wrote that Balthazar was still stellar, but had come down to earth.[30] In 2013, Zagat's gave Balthazar a food rating of 24, a decor rating of 24, and ranked it the second best French brasserie restaurant in New York City.[5] That year, the New York Daily News rated its French onion soup the second-best in the city.[31]

In popular culture

Balthazar is featured in the 2009 autobiography Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School, by Katherine Darling (Simon and Schuster), in the 2010 novel The Associate, by John Grisham (Random House), in the 2010 novel Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin (Macmillan), in the 2010 novel 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, by Rebecca Goldstein (Random House), in the 2011 juvenile fiction novel Holiday Spirit, by Zoe Evans (Simon and Schuster), in the 2011 autobiography Innocent Spouse: A Memoir, by Carol Ross Joynt (Random House), and in the 2012 novel The Stolen Chalice, by Kitty Pilgrim (Simon and Schuster).[32][33][34][35][36][37][38] In November 1999, comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld proposed to Jessica Sklar at Balthazar.[39]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Eve Zibart (2010). The Unofficial Guide to New York City. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Suzanne Gerber, Paul McCartney (2004). Vegetarian New York City: The Essential Dining, Shopping, and Lodging Guide. Globe Pequot. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ Dalamal, Malika (January 31, 2013). Balthazar Boulangerie to Open Next Week in Covent Garden. zagat.com. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kerstin Kühn (January 14, 2013). "Former Marco Pierre White head chef Robert Reid appointed executive chef of Balthazar". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Balthazar | Manhattan | Restaurant Menus and Reviews. Zagat. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Richard Saul Wurman (2008). Access New York City 13e. HarperCollins. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ Gael Greene (May 19, 1997). "A Kiss-Kiss Before Dining". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nathaniel Lande, Andrew Lande (2008). The 10 Best of Everything, Second Edition: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers. National Geographic Books. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ Frank DiGiacomo (May 19, 1997). "The Kingdom of New York; The Observatory: Bistro of Burden". The New York Observer. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Jeffrey Steingarten (2008). It Must've Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything. Random House. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ Table Talk. New York Magazine. December 22, 1997. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  12. ↑ Frank DiGiacomo (May 19, 1997). The Kingdom of New York; The Observatory: Bistro of Burden. The New York Observer. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  13. ↑ Let's Go Inc. (2008). Let's Go New York City; 17th Edition. Macmillan. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  14. ↑ ".". Los Angeles Magazine. August 2000. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  15. ↑ Yumi Matsuo (September 26, 2012). "Why We Can't Wait For Keith McNally's Balthazar To Open In London". Guestofaguest.com. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Balthazar London". The Handbook. February 14, 2013.
  17. ↑ Jacob E. Osterhout / (January 13, 2013). "Best of New York: French Onion Soup". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ Jeryl Brunner (2011). My City, My New York: Famous New Yorkers Share Their Favorite Places. Globe Pequot. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Ed Levine (1997). New York Eats (More): The Food Shopper's Guide To The Freshest Ingredients, The Best Take-Out & Baked Goods, & The Most Unusual Marketplaces In All Of New York. Macmillan. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Staley, Willy (October 17, 2013), "22 Hours in Balthazar", The New York Times
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Anita Gates (2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to New York City. Penguin. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Nathaniel Lande, Andrew Lande (2008). The 10 Best of Everything, Second Edition: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers. National Geographic Books. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Beth Greenfield, Robert Reid (2004). New York City. Lonely Planet. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  24. ↑ Michael Kaminer (August 29, 2012). "Restaurant review: Balthazar". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  25. ↑ Gael Greene (2006). Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess. Hachette. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  26. ↑ Reid Bramblett (2003). Frommer's Memorable Walks in New York. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  27. ↑ Jesse Angelo (May 30, 1999). "'STRETCHING' THE PARKING; RULES IN SOHO". New York Post. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  28. ↑ Ben Ammar (August 30, 2004). Traveling The Tennis Tour: The Men's Professional Tour. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  29. ↑ Fodor's (2011). Fodor's New York City 2012. Random House. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  30. ↑ Gael Greene (October 27, 1997). "Hot Copy". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  31. ↑ Jacob E. Osterhout (January 13, 2013). "Best of New York: French Onion Soup". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  32. ↑ Katherine Darling (2009). Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  33. ↑ Zoe Evans (2011). Holiday Spirit. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  34. ↑ Kitty Pilgrim (2012). The Stolen Chalice: A Novel. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  35. ↑ Carol Ross Joynt (2011). Innocent Spouse: A Memoir. Random House. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  36. ↑ Rebecca Goldstein (2010). 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction. Random House. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  37. ↑ Emily Giffin (2010). Something Borrowed. Macmillan. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  38. ↑ John Grisham (2010). The Associate: A Novel. Random House. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  39. ↑ Jerry Oppenheimer (2010). Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon. HarperCollins. Retrieved February 6, 2013.

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