“The first thing I do whenever I plan a visit to New York is make a reservation at Balthazar; this is quite the best room in Manhattan.”
—Nigella Lawson
“I went for breakfast; I stayed till supper.”
—Bono
“The brandade. The bouillabaisse. The frites. These are a few of the things I would want to cook every week from Balthazar, were it not infinitely more cheerful to eat them on site.”
—Joan Didion
“Keith McNally and his exceptional team have managed to consistently satisfy every American’s dream of spending an evening or lunch or even breakfast somewhere in Paris without ever leaving the U.S.A.”
—Martha Stewart
“From the first moment, Balthazar felt like a place that had been part of the New York landscape for a hundred years.”
—Anna Wintour
“The talent and spirit of chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr are at the heart of this wonderful transported brasserie, which happens to be my favorite downtown restaurant.”
—Daniel Boulud
“The enchanting atmosphere of Balthazar combined with the rightness of the food and service together create an extraordinary restaurant.”
—Alice Waters
“If Balthazar did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it.”
—Salman Rushdie
“Keith McNally is an old friend of mine and even I’m not treated that well.”
—Lorne Michaels
