The Balthazar Cookbook captures that energy, that style, and that cuisine, with recipes for the most-loved and most-accessible French dishes: seafood ranging from the ultra-simple Moules à la Marinière to more ambitious Bouillabaisse; chicken and game favorites that include Coq au Vin and Cassoulet; red-meat classics such as Braised Short Ribs and Blanquette de Veau; sides like the perfect French Fries or sublime Macaroni Gratin; and finales that include Crème Brûlée and Chocolate Pot de Crème. This is the best of French cooking, from one of the best-loved French restaurants in the country.
"I’ve not yet cooked one recipe out of this beautiful book, representing the celebrated SoHo brasserie ... But to remember my meals there, I pour a glass of red wine and leaf through the pages that conjure up the time, place, and energy so clearly, I can practically taste it."
"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