Balthazar: What a Satisfying Dinner

Posted by Ed Levine, April 12, 2008 at 1:06 PM

I hadn't eaten dinner at Balthazar in years, but after the meal we had last night I plan to return much sooner. I had something I've never had before, chicken Riesling, which turned out to be a pan-roasted half chicken with mushrooms, pearl onions, and homemade spaetzl. It was the best kind of soul-satisfying grandma food, if your grandmother happened to be a great Alsatian home cook. My friends had the steak frites, always delicious at Balthazar, and the duck shepherd's pie, another dish I hadn't tried before and would certainly order when returning. For dessert, the pot de creme, the pavlova, meringue with a creamy center surrounded by stewed fruit, the berry tart, and of course the profiteroles made for an appropriate ending to a pitch-perfect meal.

Balthazar is always crowded, always noisy, but somehow manages to make you feel like a million bucks when you eat there. I'm convinced it's the golden glow that makes us all feel that way, a glow that you may not even find in Paris any more. Lee Hansen and Riad Nasr, co-chefs and partners at Balthazar, may serve a thousand people a day sometimes, and yet the food they turn out is surprisingly personal and shockingly consistent given the volume of covers they're doing at the restaurant.

80 Spring Street (between Broadway and Crosby Sts.
New York, NY 10012
Ph: 212-965-1414

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Tags: Balthazar, chicken Reisling, Lee Hansen, Riad Nasr