The Experienced Travelers will try most anything once — and some things twice. When Melinda and I visited Paris this past April, I knew I had to revisit the Brasserie Balzar near the Sorbonne. Fans of Balzar are numerous and steadfast. But after my lackluster visit in 2009, I was mystified as to why Balzar commanded such fierce fidelity. (Read about my 2009 visit here)
Online reviews cite Balzar as “the best brasserie in Paris offering hearty traditional cuisine” and “THE single meal a first-timer in Paris should experience”. So, dear Readership, what did I miss? Are Balzar believers entranced by the potted palms and mirrored walls behind the banquettes? Are they loyal to a favourite waiter who knows their preferences by heart? Or is it the homey decor that utilizes spare surfaces for storing cutlery, straws, cheeses, bread knives, petit-fours, salad bowls and spare linens.
Melinda was the perfect unbiased dining companion with whom to unravel the mystery of Balzar. We ordered a light lunch and inaugurated our exploration with a chilled rosé and a basket of french bread which was, I must say, just superlative. Perhaps my star and Balzar’s were about to have a happy collision at last.
Melinda’s soupe gratinée à l‘oignon Balzar was the subject of an ET controlled comparison to see how it stood up to the onion soup from Au Pied de Cochon, which we devoured earlier in the trip. Well, dear Readership, Balzar’s soup was hearty and gooey with cheese, but it wasn’t as flavorful as its competitor across the Seine.
And just to be perfectly clear – there was no bias based on our consumption of rosé . We were very careful to drink just as much at Balzar as we enjoyed at Au Pied de Cochon. The ETs are completely scientific in our methods.
My salade gourmande au foie gras de canard et magret fumé, figues séchées was actually spectacular, with generous slices of smoked duck, plenty of foie gras, a light dressing and lovely dried figs. I began to warm toward Balzar over this salad and hoped it would elevate me to the brasserie’s holy anointed.
Our meal was satisfactory – actually better than my 2009 excursion – but not truly memorable, or inexpensive by ET standards (about 40 euro for two of us). Again, I am left wondering what makes this brasserie so dear to so many.
I clearly have a secret desire – nay, an obsession – to belong to the select group of Balzar fanatics. But it is not to be. The ETs must find their own Alsatian hideaway – a Parisian brasserie that inspires loyalty and devotion. It could take years to accomplish, which is all the better for the Readership who so loves to read about food!