Balthazar, New York

Balthazar is a classic New York restaurant - an institution I suppose. It's trendy, it's busy, it's hard to get into and if you look hard enough you may spot a celebrity or two chowing down.

I hadn't actually this put legendary NY French Bistro on my wishlist (an entire A4 page of placs to eat) although it had been on my "mental wishlist" for years.  I guess I thought there was no way two daggy gals from Sydney would get a table here (I was wearing Crocs {yes I know what you're thinking but they are comfortable for walking in}, jeans from Target and a top from god knows where) so why bother. Miss M and I literally stumbled across the restaurant whilst out strolling around SoHo one morning.  As it was a weekday the place was busy, but not as packed as it would be for weekend brunch so we managed to get a table in the corner of this vast and beautifully shabby dining room.

The dining room of Balthaza is HUGE  - a vast gold painted room that is a bit shabby and a bit "distressed". There is loads of dark wood, an old style bar at one end and tables for as far as the eye can see. Downstairs in the lady's loo there is a bathroom attendant who hands you a handtowel, offers you some handcream (or whatever else you'd like - some perfume perhaps or dental floss). To return the favour you put a dollar or two in her tip jar.  I've never been to a "real" French bistro in France, but I imagine this is what it would be like. I'm in LOVE!

As this is our second breakfast for the morning we keep things light. I'm really here just to experience the place and Miss M has her eyes peeled for any celebrites that might be hiding (there were none).  The food we ordered was really pretty straight forward and simple, afterall we weren't hear to eat our own body weight in French food.

I start off with a glass of Pink Grapefruit Juice.  It's a pretty standard glass of juice, but it's juice that I'm drinking in Balthazar in NEW YORK BABY so that automatically makes it the best juice I've ever had. EVER!

I'm quite smitten with the idea that this established New York restaruant serves a humble Soft Boiled (Organic) Egg with Toast Soilders ($4.00) so I decide this is the breakfast dish for me.

Miss M's eyes had lit up at the sight of the large cabinet overflowing with freshly baked bread so she opts for a basket of bread (un-toasted please) with jam.

We finished things up with a simple bowl of fruit salad, which was acutally really nice considering all the junk food, fried food, fatty food, sweet food, too much food I'd been eating thus far.

I really enjoyed our simple breakfast at Balthazar. It felt "so New York" eating there - watching the regulars catch up over coffee and a newspaper was one of the (eating) highlights of my trip.