Balthazar

Balthazar is commonly regarded as the best brasserie in town. It's a place that's always packed and supposedly has a private reservation number. After shopping at Uniqlo on Saturday, I asked my daughter where she wanted to eat. I gave her three choices, French brasserie, Asian fusion, and Ethiopian. Being the adventurous person she is (note sarcasm), she opted for the place she knows she can get a burger.

There are 2 hosts: one for the dining room and the other for the bar area. The host for the dining room did have a snooty air about him. Looks up in the air like he doesn't notice you unless you address him first. We opted for the bar area since the wait wasn't as long. Our wait ended up being about 45 minutes and we had a nice chat with another father and daughter. The daughter was also half Asian which gave the kids something in common. The dad had been studying Buddhism and had spent the day with the Dalai Lama. That was an interesting conversation.

After being seated in the bar area which was much too crowded, my daughter ordered the cheeseburger. The waiter recommended medium well since medium often comes out too red. I started with the New England clam chowder and had the duck confit for my entree. We asked that the burger come with my chowder and we were assured it wouldn't be a problem.

We waited for what I thought was a significant amount of time before any food arrived. We did have very good bread service though. The servers were attentive and my water glass was always refilled when even half empty

My chowder finally arrived and while it had a nice share of clams and was quite flavorful, it was a bit watery. The burger was just a burger and was a bit overcooked, IMHO. So much for getting it medium well. My daughter did enjoy the fries though. The duck confit was very nice. Tender and moist. The only negative thing I would say is that it could have used some acid to offset the saltiness of the duck. There were 2 frisee leaves that didn't do near enough.

Balthazar is a good restaurant that definitely has the Soho vibe. Probably too many tourists for my taste though. The decor is appropriate and the wait staff was nice. I'd say the food is solid but nothing I'd travel and wait an hour for. The Sunday brunch may be better but I wouldn't know that.