Someone recommended a French restaurant, Balthazar, to us and that was on my trusty list. Danny and I had gone to Greenwich village and went to some amazing hole-in-the-wall record and clothing shops. We found ourselves on Spring Street and had no idea where to go. A light clicked in my head and I remembered Balthazar was on Spring Street, but we couldn't find any addresses on the buildings to find out where we were. We ended up taking a cab up Spring Street and it dropped us in this area in Soho where we would have never found on our own. And there in all it's glory stood the huge restaurant Balthazar.
Yes it was extremely expensive for an impromptu lunch, the waiters were snobby and I think the iced tea was about 5 bucks, but I ordered one of the best salads I've ever had, the grilled brook trout over a warm spinach, walnut and lentil salad.
Danny had a beef stroganoff.
After our lunch I felt like I had truly visited a New York restaurant! I just got my hands on the Balthazar cookbook, and after reading it cover to cover I feel like I had just eaten there again. The intro is a very well written description of the bustling restaurant from open to close and well as bios of the executive chef and managers. The food pictures are beautiful even though you know you're not going to make any of the highly difficult recipes in the book. Blurbs about technique and explanations of French cooking terms are interesting and at least the sauces and desserts look doable.
