Anisette vs. Balthazar: Separated at Birth?

Because everyone who's been to Santa Monica's Anisette and New York's Balthazar says the former is a direct rip-off of the latter, we dug deep into the Eater archives to prove the point. The way the crowds have gone ga-ga over the SM brasserie since day one, you'd think they never saw mirror-covered columns, tiled floors, big mirrors and red awnings before. But obviously someone has---it's almost identical to the New York brasserie. Of course, even Balthazar got its inspiration from somewhere else (duh, France), but the decor similarities between the East Coast and West Coast spots are uncanny. And it doesn't end there: Both are full-service from breakfast to late-night; first come-first serve bar; some attitude; chefs congregate at both; and we told our NY cohort that the last time we went to Anisette we had to wait almost an hour after our reservation time to finally get seated. His reply: "Just like Balthazar!"
· Eater Inside: Anisette Brasserie [~ELA~]
· Eater 38: Balthazar [~E~]