While Mr. Frank waits for Morandi to become review-eligible, he's turned his attention to Keith McNally's showpiece (and -- yes, we're going to say it -- Eater 38 listee) Balthazar. And by turned his attention to it, we mean absolutely pummeled it. The pan comes in the form of a dispatch from the Bruniblog, not from his Restaurants column, so the blow is less severe. Nevertheless:
Inexcusable risotto. I mean bad. Really bad. It was listed among the appetizers, and it was the one non-classic, non-obvious choice of dish we made. We figured: the restaurant has it on the menu; it obviously stands by the stuff. It was called a saffron risotto, and it was going for some sort of paella-esque thing, but it had so little flavor, apart from a generic saltiness, that my sister rightly said it reminded her of something you’d make at home with a packet of supermarket soup mix. Worse yet, the shrimp in it were hard as pebbles. I feared for my teeth.The oddsmakers have taken note: Frank Bruni is not in a McNally state of mind. Those pictures of the Bruni hanging in the Morandi kitchen that we've seen with our own eyes? Not going to help.
· Back to Balthazar [Bruniblog]
