I'm trying to decide between Balthazar and Brassiere 8 1/2 for brunch on Sunday in July in New York City

Can anyone provide some insight on these two restaurants.

Brasserie 8 1/2 is one of the few buffet brunches in Manhattan. It's midtown so good location for spending time in Central Park before or after or midtown shopping. The space is elegant and dramatic. Here's the menu
http://www.rapatina.com/cgi-bin/menu...erie%208%20%bd

Blathazar is in Soho which is a totally different area. Food is very good. They have their own bakery so breads and pastries are very good. Really depends on what else you plan for the day and how you feel about buffets.

If you choose Balthazar, make sure you book reservations way in advance. It's incredibly popular, especially for brunch.

Both are nice but completely different. Brasserie 8 1/2 is spacious and gives you a buffet with many, many options. Think white, crisp tablecloths and jazz music in the background--sometimes they have live music there as well. Balthazar is a bit more hectic. You'll definitely need a reservation in advance and still may have to wait. It's a bistro so expect that kind of food. The area is very busy around there but nice if you want to walk around Soho before or after. Balthazar has more of a scene I guess you could say but you'll definitely feel more rushed as well. Guess it depends on what experience you're looking to have at brunch! Good luck and I hope this helped....

Are these better options than Norma's?

Norma's is more a huge, fancy (and very pricey) breakfast than brunch.

For a really good Sunday breakfast, we love Rue 57 or the Round Table Room at the Algonquin. Also Gaby's at the Sofitel.

For us, anyway, breakfast on Sunday (most places serve later) is preferable to brunch, as the brunch prices are much higher and we just can't consume that much food anyway.

If the weather is splendid, Maison is another good spot for Sunday breakfast/brunch. The huge terrace is terrific.

There's also a wonderful brunch menu at Chez Josephine on Sundays.