Balthazar

If you ask just about any New Yorker what's on their brunch bucket list, the name Balthazar will likely pop up.  On any given weekend, the line is out the door.  Even on a freezing Sunday like we just had, the wait was over an hour.  This French bistro is as close to Paris as you can get in SoHo.  I loved the charm but needed the food to be good to make it worth it.  And it was.

We started with the bread basket - a must since Balthazar runs a stellar take-out bakery at the front of the restaurant.  I'm not a sticky bun gal, but I'll make an exception for this one.  For my entree I went with the eggs meurette, two poached eggs in a red wine sauce with mushrooms and bacon lardons.  I took a risk with this one.  I had no idea how red wine sauce would work with eggs, but it did.  The whole thing was on top of a piece of bread that was crusty enough to resist complete sogginess just enough.

All my concerns that Balthazar was for newbies and tourists, with the hype overshadowing the food were put to bed after this meal.  Next time the weather's nice you just might find me on a bench outside, serving my time in the hour long line.