Bastille Day Storms New York City

by Alex Van Buren, Posted Jul 13th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Classic French drinks at Brooklyn's Bastille Day. Photo: Alex Van Buren

Bastille Day is tomorrow, but in New York City the party started as it so often does -- early. From an uptown street fair in Manhattan featuring the decadent pastries of Francois Payard to a boozy, New Orleans-like outdoor fete on Smith Street (often called Brooklyn's Restaurant Row), the city was awash in stripes of red, white and blue.

Those wondering how to pay homage to that long-ago storming of the Bastille prison via gastronomical decisions tomorrow, not to worry: We've got a classic Provençal recipe and a few Francophilic cocktail ideas coming your way tomorrow.

Meantime, after the jump, a recap of the Brooklyn event (more pictures here) from moules frites to the peculiar triumph of anise-tinged Ricard.

Guillotines made a cameo. Photo: Alex Van Buren

It's not every street fair that boasts a guillotine. Suffice it to say that we were intimidated enough by this one that we gave it a wide berth.

The Brooklyn streets were packed with revelers yesterday, and stray glasses of rosé, Ricard, Lillet and good old American beer lined tables, sidewalks, stoops -- really anything that was standing still.

Bands played loudly, prominent French restaurant Bar Tabac boasted tables full of diners chowing down on fries and mussels -- moules frites, s'il vous plaît -- and petanque was the game du jour.

The tournament of the bocce-like sport, supposedly the largest in North America, occupies most of the spare terrain, which was fine by most revelers.

Petanque in full swing. Photo: Alex Van Buren.

We inquired with a fellow manning the Bar Tabac booth about the tastes of our fellow tipplers, and were informed that Ricard was outselling everything else (rosé, Perrier, Lillet) by a mile. Was he surprised? "No! Two thirds of the people here are French."

Moules frites at Bar Tabac. Photo: Alex Van Buren.

We didn't hear many French accents, but we did hear a variety of others, including Australian. And as two bare-chested, possibly European gentlemen made their way to the party on bicycles -- this look is rarely seen in this part of Brooklyn -- a woman with a very American accent behind us said starchily, "They should put on shirts. It is not a good look."

The bronzed cyclists pedaled towards their petanque, seemingly without a care in the world.

Filed Under: Food News
Tags: america, bastille day, BastilleDay, brooklyn, event, france, french food, FrenchFood, moules frites, MoulesFrites, mussels, recap, ricard, smith street, SmithStreet

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-14-2009 @1:43PM sdlt said... This looks great! If your in Boston looking to celebrate Bastille day come to Sel de la Terre on Boylston st. Starting at 5 we have a prix fixe menu for $45. After that head to the downstairs bar and enjoy cheap drinks and cocktails...and free pomme frites!!
www.seldelaterre.wordpress.com Check us out!
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