Photo: Cercle Rouge
For some reason or another — be it the active French community in New York or the American fascination with Gaulois culture and its inherent chicness — Bastille Day is cause to celebrate every July 14. The key to celebrating French independence is figuring out how to imbibe as much rosé (perhaps the Fat Jew’s new line?) and consume as many pastries as possible without losing that air of French cool. So go buy a Breton shirt and head to one of these spots in New York tomorrow (or all week) to take part in their Bastille Day 2015 deals and festivities.
Le Philosophe
Surround yourself with photos of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir at this NoHo bistro during French Restaurant Week. You have three options: sit at the bar, get cocktail and foie gras or tomato salad for $17.89; go for the sit-down prix fixe menu for $35.78; or get the multi-course dinner for two, complete with a bottle of wine for $179.80. 55 Bond St. at Bowery
When: July 13-19
What to order: For the prix fixe dinner, choose between green salad or soup of the day to start, then coq au vin or steak frites for your main. See the full special menu here.
Montmartre
Though Montmartre used to have a ticketed Bastille Day party in its back garden, this year the kitchen, helmed by chef Patrick McGrath, will celebrating with dinner specials that are takes on classic summertime French dishes like tomato salad Niçoise, salade Lyonaise, and roast chicken Piperade. Get a glass of rosé and sit out back. 158 8th Ave. at 18th St.
When: July 14
What to order: The regular dinner menu will be served per usual, so get a glass of rosé, the salad Niçoise special, coconut yellow curry mussels, and pâté.
Photo: Montmartre (credit: Nicole Franzen)
Achilles Heel
If the G is your train of choice, make this Greenpoint bar café your Bastille Day destination. They’ll be roasting lamb, grilling sardines and serving baguette sandwiches, paired with wine and various cassis cocktails. Join in on their sidewalk pétanque game while getting down to French music. 180 West St. at Green St.
When: July 14, 7-midnight
What to order: Aperatifs like a Gran Classico and a Vallet-Fernet
Juliette
This French bistro has a perennially busy feel and a greenhouse-like dining room that makes it the home of the best year-round garden in Williamsburg. Celebrate Bastille Day on its rooftop terrace with a DJ and cocktail specials. The dinner menu and daily specials will be served per usual. 135 N 5th St. at Bedford Ave.
When: July 14, 6-11 PM
What to order: Steak tartare, pan-roasted diver scallops, Juliette’s grassfed burger
Photo: Juliette
Cercle Rouge
Stop by this West Broadway Francophile haven for a little Pétanque on Bastille Day. There will be “highly competitive rounds” of the French sport, can can dancers, cocktails (including plenty of rosé), and Provençal dishes. 241 W. Broadway at N. Moore St.
When: July 14, noon-6 PM
What to order: There will be a prix fixe menu available — get the traditional aioli and escargot ($35.78).
Mile End Deli
Think French Restaurant Week would overlook its French Canadian compatriots? Of course not. Noah Bernamoff, who represents the Canadian half of Mile End Deli, is responsible for bringing Montreal-style bagels and Québecoise specialities to the lunch destination. This week, both the NoHo and Boerum Hill locations are doing a Poutine Week, where every day brings a surprise combo of the saucy french fry and cheese curd dish. 53 Bond St. at Bowery and 97 Hoyt St. between Atlantic and Pacific St
When: July 13-20
What to order: Get the classic poutine with roasted chicken gravy or brisket, or the daily surprise. Up first is the “Motherland:” za’atar fries, lamb merguez, sumac honey, and tahini.
Photo: Smoked meat poutine at Mile End (credit: Matt Biddulph)
Maison Kayser
The quintessential French bakery chain from master breadman Eric Kayser has exploded since its first US store opened on the Upper East Side in 2012. Every location of the boulangerie patisserie will be celebrating Bastille Day with a special “Baguette Frenchie” for $4.95. Sounds like a bang-for-your-buck lunch deal. Plus, the TriBeCa location opens on July 15 at 344 Greenwich St. 1294 Third Ave. at 74th St, among other locations.
When: July 14
What to order: The Baguette Frenchie: prosciutto, shredded Gruyere cheese, and caramelized onions on a baguette
For more places to eat and drink right now, check out the BlackBook City Guides.
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