Events for July 14, 2012

La Fête Nationale

Bastille Day at Bastille—where else?

Le Quatorze Juillet is French for the “fourteenth of July” and it commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, which was held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.  Here in Virginia the local motto for fabulous French inspired fare is “Bastille” restaurant, the acclaimed Old Town bistro featuring the cuisine of chef/owners Christophe & Michelle Poteaux.

Where better to dine as the modern-day French than at Bastille?  On Saturday, July 14, the chefs Poteaux will present a daylong $29-prix fixe three-course culinary celebration showcasing the diverse culinary traditions that have taken root in the France of today.  Pricing does not include taxes or gratuities, but it does include all the accoutrements such as berets, celebratory décor, traditional music and all the revelry the celebration so deserves.

The three course meal blends traditional and contemporary dishes such as: Spanish inspired Gazpacho, Melon salad with Port gelee; Local tomato, cucumber salad and feta cheese with oregano, chives and basil; Salade du marché or Bastille’s market salad with summer berries; Mousse de foie de poulet (chicken liver mousse) with blackberry gelee, baguette and petite salad to start.

Entrees featured are Grilled whole sardines with lemon olive oil and Provencale ratatouille; chicken Basquaise with chorizo and Basmati rice; lamb loin chops & Merguez, harissa jus; Moules saffran et fenouil with pommes frites; Entrecote maitre d’hotel with pommes frites, and summer vegetable tajine with couscous.

A French meal is not complete without a beautiful dessert and Chef Michelle will delight guests’ palates luscious offerings.  Choose from temptations, such as, Chocolate Liegeois--Valrhona Manjari chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge; Coupe Chambord-- raspberry Sorbet, vanilla bean ice cream, Chambord raspberries and candied almonds; Tarte au citron--lemon curd tartelette, summer berries and lavender sorbet and Pèche Melba--peach tatin, raspberry sauce and vanilla bean ice cream end the meal on a sweet note.
Bastille, named to Washingtonian’s top 100 restaurants in 2008-2011, winner of the Wine Spectator’s award of excellence since their opening 5 years ago and RAMMY nominated for ‘Best Neighborhood Gathering Place” in 2012 for is located at 1201 N. Royal Street in Old Town Alexandria, VA.  Bastille is open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch and dinner.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling 703-519-3776; or online at Open Table: http://www.opentable.com/bastille. For more information, log onto www.bastillerestaurant.com

French Maids + Baguettes = Good Times!  Last year, after only being open for 2 months, famed French bakery PAUL created a new Bastille Day tradition on Pennsylvania Ave.  Throngs of patrons showed up – even dressed in chef’s outfits and as French Maids in stilettos! – to “quick-walk” laps around the US Navy Memorial Plaza for a July 14^th “Bastille Day Baguette Relay Race”. The winning team won $25 gift cards to PAUL, and all had a good time!

We invite the public to join in the fun and participate in our 2^nd Annual Baguette Relay Race on Saturday July 14^th at 10:30am (Kids Race) and 11am (Adult Race). NOTE: Great photo-op! We have confirmation that there will be French Maids in stilettos participating in this year’s race as well!

What: BASTILLE DAY BAGUETTE RELAY RACE at PAUL Bakery and Café in Penn Quarter

To commemorate France’s National Holiday, PAUL – France’s leading bakery – invites the public to come have some fun and participate in our 2^nd Annual “Baguette Relay Race” which will take place in front of PAUL in Penn Quarter, where relay team members will take turns fast-walking a lap around the plaza of the US Navy Memorial with a baguette in hand, in lieu of a traditional baton.

We'll divide up racers into four teams of six people. (And this year, we’ll even have a Kids race!) Each team will be led by a PAUL employee. Each racer will quick-walk one lap around the circle of the US Navy Memorial and then hand off his/her baguette (baton) to the next teammate.   All members of each winning team will get a $25 gift card to PAUL. We'll be encouraging relay racers to sign up in advance on our FB page: Facebook.com/Paul1889.usa

When: Saturday, July 14, 2001 at 10:30am (Kids Race), and 11am (Adult Race)

Where:
PAUL Bakery and Café in Penn Qtr. (at the US Navy Memorial)
801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Tel: 202-524-4500/01


Additional Info:

About Bastille Day
Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

About PAUL
www.Paul-USA.com
Twitter: @Paul_USA
Facebook: www.facebook.com/paul1889.usa
· PAUL was founded in 1889 by the Holder family and has continued baking bread in the traditional manner for over 120 years
· We are artisanal bakers, passionate about the craft of baking
· PAUL is France’s leading bakery
· PAUL is now present in over 25 countries
· There are nearly 500 PAUL bakery-cafés worldwide.
· PAUL opened its US Flagship bakery-café in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, DC on May 2, 2011. A second bakery opened in Georgetown on November 21, 2011. The third PAUL opened in the heart of DC at 1000 Connecticut Ave NW (Farragut North) on June 4, 2012.
· PAUL hopes to open two more bakery cafés in the DMV area this year, with more locations on the horizon in 2013.

For additional information, contact:
Lisa Amore for PAUL USA
Work: 202-506-3056; Mobile: 206-954-8006; lisa@amorepr.com

Free Tasting This Weekend

Saturday July 14, 2012 (2:00 pm - 5:00 pm)

Cicchitti
Primmo
Red
(Argentina)

Picco del Sole
Vermentino
White
(Italy)

Saint Roch
Les Vigne
Rose
(France)

Vina Alarba
Red
(Spain)

We Know You Had A Choice.
Thank You For Choosing
Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits.