"Come here to let the wonderfully stylish chaos of downtown Manhattan wash over you. Great for a celebratory meal with friends or a casually impressive date night, Balthazar is a New Yorker's fantasy of a French bistro. It manages to feel old school and contemporary, refined and rowdy all at once; you're just as likely to spot a bona fide celebrity having a quiet meal as you are an out-of-town bachelorette party on their third bottle of champagne. The rest of the menu is defined by hearty, sophisticated bistro favorites (steak tartare, moules frites, duck breast a l'orange) punctuated by the occasional wild card (hamachi crudo, ricotta and swiss chard ravioli). Our advice: stick to the straightforward fare—you can't go wrong with some French onion soup and an order of steak frites." - Andrea Whittle
