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SoHo hotspot Balthazar gets its two stars re-affirmed this week by food critic Amanda Hesser in the NYT. (The original review, by Ruth Reichl, appeared on July 4, 1997.) The New York Times website returns 287 search results for Balthazar. Henry the Obsessive Intern plots these NYT mentions over time, and from his work we can see a couple of things:

1. The NYT mentions Balthazar way too frequently. Hello, it's a restaurant, not a war-torn foreign country.
2. Although Balthazar reached maximum overexposure in late 1997, it continued its reign of terror well through 1999.
3. Balthazar's "over" period was clearly 2000, which, interestingly, puts its NYT un-popularity in line with the dot-com bust, not with the aftermath of "9/11."
4. Reading Amanda Hesser reviews will make you yearn for former critic (and current Gourmet editor) Ruth Reichl.
A SoHo Brasserie, Now Authentically Worn [NYT]
Restaurants [NYT, July 4, 1997]