Balthazar, Spring Street NY Review

I came here with my girlfriend and her friend about a year ago and we decided to go back. Coincidentally, my girlfriend and I came back again (only this time with a different friend) a few weeks ago. Balthazar was the first restaurant I have been to that served French style cuisine. We actually stumbled upon this place by accident in visiting a friend who worked on Spring Street. The first time we went there we got lucky and were sat at the cramped bar booth. But this time around I was more intelligent and reserved for three a couple of Saturdays ago.

Onto the restaurant..





The floor space has a wonderful ambiance within its walls: a yellow hue, stocked bar and booths reminiscent of Moulin Rouge. Balthazar is a little cramped by the bar area but they do have tables dispersed through out the floor. I had reserved a table this time around so luckily, we had more arm/leg room which made the dining experience a little more enjoyable.

We decided to order all appetizers because on this trip, we did not have the intention of spending a crazy amount for a meal. Plus, it was just fun to share!

Lisa (My girlfriend) and our friend Betty looked through the appetizer section and we all agreed on certain items. Those items were:

1. Chicken Liver / Foie Gras mousse with jam
2. Escargot in butter
3. Steak Tartare
4. Creme Brulee


The first I will talk about is the Mousse. The dish cost about $17.00 US and for what it was worth, I could do with out it. My reasoning? You could get a delicious Foie Gras torchon slice with granola and strawberry at Jean-Georges for lunch for cheaper (well, when you look at the US 50.00 for a three course lunch , its cheaper) and the quality is far better. But this is about Balthazar so i'll save that for another day.

The taste alone with no dressings: the palate picks up hints of blood, iron (the taste you get from drinking out of an old water fountain), and a slight taste of game chicken. Not a lot of salt was incorporated.
Texture: Creamy but not melt in your mouth buttery. Light.
Finish: hints of that iron taste and chicken.

The taste does improve with some added salt and garnishing the mousse with the salad, bread and jam. Still, not blown away.

The mousse (phone cam photo)















Next up was the escargot. The first time Lisa and I went here, we were in love with the escargot. I hadn't had it in a long time and she was feeling adventurous that day. So this time around we were feeling good that we were going to have this again and about breaking Betty's escargot virginity. I also give them props because they serve it in its own shell and in a cast iron pan with escargot tongs. I favor this idea because most places serve escargot already out of its shell. This time around though, I believe they could have used a bit more salt. Still pretty good though. $ 13.00 US for 6

Taste: Butter, earthy with hints of garlic, almost hints at the taste of a garlic clam.
Texture: Buttery, rich and tender.

We agreed that this dish was worth it 

Third was the steak tartare ($26.00 for the large). I've always been a fan so what could make this a little different? Apparently a lot as the taste of this tartare had character. Along with all the dressings, the dish stood out in my mind.

Taste: Beefy, hints of horseradish and garlic, bit of onion and lemon.

Texture: Meaty start, tender finish

Overall, my favorite dish.

Finally we come to desert. Nothing really caught our eyes except for the Creme Brulee. Classically French, we decided this was the way to go. 

It was prepared very well: burned top had a wonderful snap to it as creme brulee should. The custard was sweet but not intense as well as had some texture that held its structure. Served with some ginger snaps, this dish reminded me of what my brother used to make fresh from Pastry school at Johnson & Wales. 

Taste: Sweet caramel, vanilla, light hints of egg, mildly spiced with cinnamon.

Texture: Smooth, creamy, delicate but holds its shape after spooning. Melts when hits the tongue.

 Overall, we spent just about $100.00 US with tax (we had two orders of escargot). Not bad at all. Will be returning to try some entree items.

Food: 17/20
Ambiance: 16/20
Service: 16/20