At some restaurants in Palm Beach on July 14, diners can look for French flags, berets and fare Francophiles favor.
That’s because celebrating Bastille Day — it commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille and the 1790 declaration of the unity of the French people — has been an annual pastime for the island’s French-inflected dining establishments.
“Bastille Day is a celebration of French history, culture and the spirit of liberty,” Mathieu Potelle, general manager at French bistro La Goulue, 288 S. County Road, told the Palm Beach Daily News.
“We love seeing Palm Beach embrace the occasion … to enjoy the timeless traditions of French cuisine, wine and hospitality,” he said. “It’s a day that brings people together to celebrate the best of France.”
Especially with regard to culinary offerings, here are some establishments that do just that:
Mussels and frites will be served at La Goulue for Bastille Day on July 14.
La Goulue
288 S. County Road
French-inspired day and evening specials will be offered on July 14.
For instance, at dinner, you might order moules frites à volonté ($38), an all-you-can-eat mussels offering served with French fries and “country” toast.
Choose from three different preparations of mussels: traditional (white wine, cream, shallots, garlic and herbs), Portuguese (white wine, chorizo, tomato, cilantro and chili), or Oriental (white wine, coconut curry, almond and cilantro).
Fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, shortbread and whipped cream will be spotlighted in a special Bastille Day dessert at La Goulue.
For more information, call 561-284-6292 or visit LaGouluePalmBeach.com.
Bastille Day specials will include steak tartare at Café Boulud.
Café Boulud
301 Australian Ave.
A special prix-fixe Bastille Day dinner offering at this longtime French-American restaurant will start at table with a family-style spread.
Cheese and charcuterie, escargots and steak tartare will be among the offerings.
Guests then can choose a choice of entrees, such as “unlimited” moules frites or perhaps steak frites or duck confit.
The celebration concludes with beloved French desserts including profiteroles, crêpes flambées and Île Flottante.
The Bastille Day dinner is $89 per person.
For more information, call 561-655-6060 or visit CafeBoulud.com/PalmBeach.
Le Bilboquet
245 Worth Ave.
The colors of the French flag — red, white and blue — certainly will be evident in decorations along the courtyard and indoor dining rooms for Bastille Day, the French bistro’s officials said.
For Bastille Day, the staff has been known to wear berets and traditional French garb.
Complimentary canapés will be offered and a special cocktail will be available for purchase.
Chefs at the French bistro are still finalizing what complimentary canapes will be served. In the past, they have featured foie gras with blueberry compote along with heirloom tomato gazpacho and gougère with mornay.
For more information, call 561-812-2363 or visit LeBilboquetPB.com.
Café ĽEurope
331 S. County Road
Bastille Day is considered a one-day celebration, but at Café L’Europe, a special menu honoring it will be served for several days.
In addition to its regular summertime prix-fixe menu, the longtime restaurant is featuring a Bastille Day menu from July 14 through July 31.
Dishes on the Bastille Day menu include such appetizers as escargots with portobello mushrooms and chive-garlic butter; French onion soup gratinee; and a Provencale-style vegetable tarte.
Steak tartare with pommes fries, chicken cordon bleu, and branzino in phyllo with carrot puree and haricots verts are among the entrée specials.
For dessert, try raspberry crème brûlée or mousse au chocolate with almond tuille or lemon tarte with pistachio meringue.
For more information, call 561-655-4020 or visit CafeLEurope.com.
For more than 20 years, M.M. Cloutier has written about restaurants, wine, the hospitality industry and island history for the Palm Beach Daily News.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: The Dish: Palm Beach restaurants focus on French fare for Bastille Day
Dining and Cooking