Brasserie Balzar

Please be aware that in France a plate for bread is considered rude. You put your bread on the table as a sign of acknowledging that the table is clean. Two year ago we had an amazing night at Balzar. We were squeezed in without a reservation, sat between two tables of native Parisians. Where else but in Paris would you get to see two 70 something women, enjoying an evening together, starting each with a dozen fresh oysters, sharing a cassoulet, then each enjoying huge desserts. They know how to live over there.
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jeff
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 04, 2011

Thumbs down! This was much recommended in our travel guides, and it was close at hand to our hotel. The good: the food was quite good--not "died and gone to heaven" good, but quite acceptable.

The service, however, was beyond indifferent. Bread was slapped onto our table in a basket, but without bread plates, knives or butter. When our server deigned to appear, he was so quick to leave that it took three attempts to get his attention long enough to ask for butter. This was served wrapped in foil slapped into the middle of my plate of smoked salmon. The main course arrived in pieces over the course of five minutes, delivered without comment or ceremony. After the first pour, we were left on our own to serve ourselves to our euro38 bottle of Sancerre.

Without good food, it doesn't matter how good the service might be. However, hostile service can sour the flavour of even superlative food, and the food here isn't by any means superlative. Give the Balzar a pass. There are many restaurants in the area that are as good or better with staff that won't treat you as if it was beneath them to give you adequate service.
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SAK
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Thursday, May 28, 2009