Ooo la la! The month-long marriage between New York’s very own celebrity hot-spot/iconic French brasserie Balthazar and the street wear everywhere brand Ami Paris is every francophone’s dream. 

Going until March 11, this courtship can be tasted at 80 Spring Street —just three blocks away from Ami Paris Greene Street. The activation represents the deep-rooted devotion to French ease, culture, and joie de vivre. 

Celebrating the nuances that shape the soul of Parisian life, as well as Balthazar’s cult New York influence. The collaboration has enlarged the restaurant’s central purpose – be a place to eat and a place to love, where hustle and bustle dine with elegance. What both brands have always done well is capture real life. Keith McNally’s Balthazar evokes classic French allure while Ami Paris’s collections remind us of the beauty in unscriptedness. 

Balthazar, as brick and mortar, has always had a reputation for its foremost beauty. Ian McPheely, Balthazar’s Co-Designer, says, “People walk in there, and I think they’re blown away, right away, but don’t know why. Detail has a lot to do with it — it’s all handmade. It’s all dimensional materials. There are no veneers. All of the millwork, for example, is dimensional and, in this case, mahogany. And, what happens, then, is that the place just looks better over time.”

So it is no shock that the French kiss collaboration is brought to life through an immersive brasserie experience that spans every detail — quintessentially Balthazar with co-branded elements that blend Ami Paris’ aesthetic. Alongside your order of Steak Frites, one will find paper placements begging to be sketched on while savoring each bite. 

In hopes of further engaging the neighborhood, an Ami-Paris shopping cart will be parked in front of their store, offering a delicious curated selection of Balthazaar bakery goods. This warm invitation to experience the pulse of the Parisian art de vivre in the heart of New York bridges the space between the arrondissements of Paris and the stylish bustle of SoHo.