Just Another NYC Power Lunch

So Mrs. Cardinal (a friend/coworker/and fellow foodie) was in NYC yesterday and I was in prime google search mode to find a fun place for us to do lunch.

Note to restaurant search query tools. PLEASE put an "open for lunch" drop down on your site to distinguish between the only dinner spots.

Anyway, I gave up and we hopped in a cab to SoHo because we are TRENDY and COOL and went to Balthazar.

Balthazar

80 Spring Street

On our way over I casually said to Mrs. Cardinal in that nonchalant way, "oh be on the look out for celebs this is their hangout."

And as we are getting led to our seats, Mrs. Cardinal had that smug "I see someone famous" look. Ya know where you are trying to not stare and be cool at the same time. Yeah I can't master that look either.

And then I see her. Good ol'Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade Cooking! from the Food Network. Yes, I know this was no Bob Saget sighting... Sandra Lee, a B-list celebrity at best, however was right across from us.

Mrs. Cardinal did a good job eavesdropping on their conversation (something about magazines, 20 min meals, party ideas) while I had a good look at her the whole time.

And yes. I still took pictures of my food.

Oh right. the FOOD!

Warm Goat Cheese and Carmelized Onion Tartlet

Mrs. Cardinal and I shared this and it was nice and flaky. The tartlet was pretty good, however the real winner I thought was the side salad... mmmmm. grape tomatoes.

Just in case you want to see what it looks like cut open

Linguini with Shrimp and Olives
Mrs. Cardinal went with the special of the day. It looked good with some baby shrimp thrown in there. Her comment was that it was pretty garlicy but in a good way. Mrs. Cardinal also remarked that while it was good, it wasn't a "must have" again. Fair enough.


Roast Lamb Sandwich with Grilled Vegetables and Arugula
This was my order cause I do heart the lamb. The sandwich was served on a OMG I JUST MADE EYE CONTACT WITH SANDRA LEE!!!! Okay. Breathe. Omg. Did she just move that backpack over the baricade because she saw the flash go off and didn't want her picture taken!? Hmmm. Whatever. She's pretty annoying anyways. But at least she had a turtleneck on so her cleavage wasn't as annoying. Yeah I said it.

Oh so the lamb came on a hard roll making the sandwich difficult to eat. There was some zucchini in there and lots of onions. It was aight. The lamb was kind of tough-- hello, did we see Top Chef this past week?? You don't overtenderize lamb. Anyway. It was good, I was just slightly underwhelmed.




Review
I've passed this place many Saturdays and they are constantly packed. The ambiance has that cool NYC vibe with clearly lots of celeb sightings. But honestly? I think the food is overrated. Mr. Broad has been here before and likes some of the breads and they may have okay desserts? I don't know. Regardless, it's in a great location and if you want to put your name down, go shopping for 2 hours, and then grab a bite. This is your place. Who knows maybe next time, you'll see Ina Garten? Ooh, or the Neely's!
Rating: 6.5