Balthazar

"Keith McNally’s Balthazar is a French bistro that’s not necessarily a seafood restaurant, but when you see the expanse of the raw bar and a few seafood towers as servers twirl them to their tables, it seems silly not to get one, studded with East Coast and West Coast bivalves, crab, lobster, and littlenecks. Mains include seafood spaghetti, halibut, salmon, and trout." - Melissa McCart

"This Keith McNally institution opened in 1997 and has had a considerable impact on the city’s dining landscape. The sprawling space is filled with massive distressed mirrors, dark wood, and red banquettes. It’s a uniformly excellent menu, from expense-account power breakfasts to special-occasion dinners; don’t miss the Balthazar plateaux or chicken for two, and try something from the bakery regardless of the time of day." - Melissa McCart

"Balthazar, restaurateur Keith McNally’s French brasserie, opened in 1997 and changed the tide in what had been an industrial, art-filled downtown Manhattan. Today, the menu still includes mainstays like raw bar seafood towers, French onion soup, steak frites, and profiteroles. It remains relevant as ever, thanks to McNally’s running Instagram commentary, and his insistence on treating solo diners as VIPs with a glass of Champagne. The people-watching is like few places in New York." - Eater Staff

"Balthazar is open regular hours with a la carte menus Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; for the latter, there will be a special brunch menu from 9 am to 4 p.m. as well as a prime rib special." - Eater Staff

"A renowned establishment where Kate Edwards once served as a longtime maître d’. Now a hospitality consultant, Edwards advises handling no-shows and cancellations with a balanced approach to protect business interests while maintaining customer satisfaction." - Andrea Strong