/ / / / / NYC — Spring 2012: Balthazar

NYC — Spring 2012: Balthazar

Posted by | on
Wednesday, May 2, 2012

My mom and I had stopped by Balthazar for a late lunch, partly because we were hungry but mostly because it had started raining and it was the closest restaurant to where we were. Since Balthazar has become something of a tourist attraction, it was a packed house even at 4:00 in the afternoon. Seriously, we were seated at the tiniest table in between three other tiny tables, and I swear it was a miracle that the waitress didn't trip over everybody because there was barely any room to move. We had just made it in time to order from their lunch menu (they switch over to their afternoon menu at 4:00), so with three minutes to decide and order, we ended up sharing:

Duck confit with Yukon gold potatoes, cipollini onions, wild mushrooms, and frisée salad

It was the first time either of us had tried duck confit, and we both agreed that it was so ridiculously good, and how the hell had we never tried this before? The duck leg was so tender and juicy and falling off the bone, and the skin was thin and crisp and oozing with fat... It's basically what dreams are made of.

Steak frites with maître d' butter and béarnaise sauce

Steak with béarnaise sauce

The steak frites, one of Balthazar's most popular lunch and dinner choices, was also very tasty (you can't really go wrong with steak and fries, you know?), though I thought the steak could have been a better cut. Don't get me wrong, it was perfectly cooked and was quite juicy for the most part, but it could have been a bit more tender (less... chewy?). But with the steak butter and the béarnaise sauce, all I could think was, "More, more, more." The fries were crisp and perfectly salted and adding any condiments to it would've been blasphemous. An all in all good food experience, though I wish we hadn't been seated next to two obnoxious families (one with screaming children, the other with really, really loud Italians).


Balthazar
80 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 965-1414
7 comments on "NYC — Spring 2012: Balthazar"
  1. JubesMay 2, 2012 at 6:12 PM

    Yum! Whats not to love about duck confit??
    I'd love me some duck cooked slowly in silky duck fat!
    Also, those fries look really, really, good. I can't remember when the last time I had a french fry...wtf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DeniseMay 2, 2012 at 9:41 PM

      I know, right? Duck confit is so damn good, I actually don't know why I'd never had it before. Even when I actually went to France, I never tried it. I feel like if I ever see it on a menu now, I have to get it. Wonder if there's a restaurant in Toronto with good duck confit...

      And those fries were insane. God, I'm so hungry now. :(

      Delete
  2. Liz (Beauty Reductionista)May 3, 2012 at 9:22 PM

    I was never crazy about duck in general but agree, duck confit is good stuff.

    Now I'm going to be dreaming about that steak and THE DAMN GOOD-LOOKING BUTTER.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DeniseMay 3, 2012 at 9:49 PM

      I love duck in the few ways that I've had it -- the roasted duck they have at Chinese restaurants (you know, next to the BBQ pork) and, of course, Peking Duck, and now duck confit. But I really don't like foie gras. I just don't like liver, ya know?

      But yeah, steak butter is like, the best stuff, ever. I could seriously slather that shit on plain toast and just eat that everyday...

      Delete
  3. KCOMay 13, 2012 at 2:15 AM

    This will be my last hey-look-I-was-there-too comment, hopefully lol. You did soooooo much more than I did! (Granted, I was there for a bachelorette, so it wasn't my trip.) However, we DID make it to Balthazar's which I had never been to. We went for breakfast. I highly recommend their bread basket if you ever make it back for an early meal. Amazing assorted pastries, easily shared between 5 people. I heard rumours you couldn't take pictures inside because of the frequent celebrity drop-ins, but I snapped a few myself anyway and nobody said anything. Your bar picture is so much better than mine, I just may steal it. We were at the table on the left, where that group is seated.

    One day, I will try duck confit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KCOMay 13, 2012 at 2:16 AM

      P.S. Loved that all the staff was actually French!

      Delete
    2. DeniseMay 13, 2012 at 2:26 AM

      Haha, I did have four-and-a-half days there, to be fair. ;)

      Ooh, yes, my brother took me there for breakfast a few years ago (we had some breads to start, and I had the Eggs Benedict). Really good breakfast/brunch foods. :) Lol, obviously no one said anything about my picture taking, even though I was SUPER BLATANT about it! I don't think I saw any celebrities when I went, but there are tons of Europeans in there... like, the family with the ridiculously annoying children were Italian (I think) and then the family to our other side was French.

      I didn't know that the staff was French??? At least, I didn't notice it...

      Yes, you need to try the duck confit!!! SO DELICIOUS AND FATTY. :D

      Delete

EMOTICON
Klik the button below to show emoticons and the its code
Hide Emoticon
Show Emoticon
:D
 
:)
 
:h
 
:a
 
:e
 
:f
 
:p
 
:v
 
:i
 
:j
 
:k
 
:(
 
:c
 
:n
 
:z
 
:g
 
:q
 
:r
 
:s
:t
 
:o
 
:x
 
:w
 
:m
 
:y
 
:b
 
:1
 
:2
 
:3
 
:4
 
:5
:6
 
:7
 
:8
 
:9

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)