Balans

• Cuisine(s): Armenian, Contemporary, Fusion
  Hours: Sun-Thu 8am-12am, Fri-Sat 8am-1am
  Price: $$$ $$, $$$
• Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards, Diners Club
  Attire: Casual
  Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Accessible
• Serving: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Late Night, Lunch
  Reservations: Accepted, Recommended on Weekends
  Parking: Free, Garage, Lot Available, Meters, Street

Description

Just how many branches of a restaurant does it take before the place becomes impersonal? Hard to say, but Balans has passed it. Which isn't to say the establishment doesn't have its appeal: a relaxed ambiance, accessible food (including a very agreeable brunch), hip cocktails, and a final bill that won't break the bank. That last point is particularly pertinent, with most plates under $20. Starters include fried calamari, pot stickers, and popcorn shrimp. It isn't so much the formulaic nature of the selections that leaves us cold, but rather how 1990s they are (one of only two seafood entrées is Chilean sea bass, which is not only a dated notion, but also an ecologically insensitive one). Still, you can get a solid burger with tasty char-grilled flavor on a toasted bun; steaks assertively flamed and appropriately juicy; and properly cooked spaghetti laced with moist morsels of lobster meat in a mellow lobster-cream sauce.