RSS FeedBastille Day Celebrations In DC
Photo Credit: Cyril Plapied on Flickr
July is a revolutionary month! Following the celebration of our own nation’s independence, this week you can enjoy some local festivities celebrating France’s national holiday, Bastille Day. Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789, which is considered the uprising of the modern nation and the impetus for the conclusion of the French Revolution. There are many different opportunities to celebrate around town, but here are just a few I think are worth noting.
Bastille Day Around Penn Quarter
Stop by Paul Bakery (801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) at 11:30am on Thursday for their Bastille Day Baguette Relay
Enjoy special food and drink menus, live music by Laissez Foure and complimentary gougere for all diners Thursday evening at Central Michel Richard (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW)
Menu specials and live music on the terrace at Café du Parc (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) on Thursday
All French wines are 50% off all day and a special selection of French desserts will be available for only $5 at BLT Steak (1625 Eye Street, NW)
Make Your Own Party with a Parisian Style Pique-Nique: I’m going to have the knowledgeable and super friendly staff at Cowgirl Creamery (919 F Street) help me select everything I need for a Bastille Day-inspired pique nique on Saturday – a selection of French cheeses, baguettes, charcuterie, olives, and, of course, wine.
Around Town
July 14
L’Enfant Café in Adams Morgan will host their annual Block Party and French Maid Race
French jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel concert at Atlas Theater at 8pm. Stephane’s work was most recently featured in the film Midnight in Paris. Your ticket also gets you two wine tastings in the lobby prior to the concert courtesy of the folks at Pauls Liquors.
Bistrot du Coin in Dupont Circle reigns supreme with their annual celebration and late-night dance party.
July 16
The Embassy of France holds their annual Bastille Day Gala featuring a silent auction, food from some of the area’s best French restaurants and chefs and dancing into the late hours.
The Alliance Francaise of DC will hold a fabulous family friendly festival at Hillwood Museum and an after party at the Alliance.
Join in a traditional French game of petanque with the National Capital Club de Petanque at Virginia Highlands Park
As I said in the beginning, July is a revolutionary month. Here are a random selection of just some of the other countries celebrating independence and national holidays this month: Canada (July 1), Rwanda (July 1), Bahamas (July 10), Colombia (July 20), Belgium (July 21), Liberia (July 26), Maldives (July 26), Peru (July 28). I’d like to specifically acknowledge South Sudan who celebrated their first day as an independent country on Saturday, July 9.
DC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
Photo Above: Market on F Street for the 2011 Kalachakra
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Here’s what we were reading recently about neighborhood news in DC. Have something to add? Leave it in the comments!
Mount Vernon Triangle – The Walker Jones Community Farm produce stand opened yesterday at New Jersey Ave and K St NW. Fresh, urban produce with an educational mission…fantastic! [The Triangle]
Penn Quarter – Is it better to deploy the food truck first and then the brick and mortar restaurant? District of Pi will open a pizza restaurant in the 900 F block of F St NW but they’ve found great success rolling a pizza food truck on DC streets before the fixed base operation is even open. [WaPo]
Shaw – Rogue 24 restaurant is getting closer to opening. [Renew Shaw]
Penn Quarter – Tom Sietsema puts his official stamp on Fiola, Fabio Trabocchi’s restaurant in the old Le Paradou space. We’ve tried most of their desserts but haven’t had dinner there…yet. We do like the bar. (We also note that Fiola has a new website including a sample recipe!) [WaPo] & [Fiola website veal recipes page]
Capitol Hill – A few suggestions on running routes from our neighbors to the east. [The Hill Is Home]
Downtown – A well written article on the impact of shariah law (or lack thereof) on the City Center DC project. [Washington CityPaper]
All Over DC – The 2011 Capital Fringe Festival is up and running. It runs until July 24. [Fringe Festival website]
Penn Quarter – Part deux on Chris Hansen’s dining at Rasika this spring with a companion. [Washington Examiner]
Penn Quarter Living is looking for writers. If you enjoy all that the Penn Quarter and downtown DC offer and like to write, drop us a line at: pqliving [at] gmail.com
Artifactory Closing (641 Indiana Ave NW)
The Artifactory, a quiet neighborhood icon that opened in 1972, is closing in mid-August to make way for The Grand Trunk, a new Pakistani restaurant. A 50% off closing sale of its African & Asian art is in progress. The building is located at 641 Indiana Ave NW and sits between Starbucks and Penn Quarter Sports Tavern.
What may be unusual to some is that The Artifactory’s shop owner, Dominick Cardella, actually owns the historic 1817 building that houses his shop. So, while the Artifactory is closing, Cardella will still remain as a Penn Quarter resident and neighbor.
We agree with the Washington Post when they suggest that Dominick Cardella may be Penn Quarter’s first resident. Most of us know that before the apartments and condos came, Penn Quarter was mostly parking lots and commercial buildings. And, thanks to Cardella’s efforts in 1975 that helped stop the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation from razing his and neighboring buildings, we are still able to enjoy the short row of historic commercial facades in our neighborhood. Cardella also notes that behind one of the wooden panels of the building’s facade is an old sign for one of the prior tenants: Office of the Siemens-Lungren Gas Lamp Co.
Showtunes And Sidecars At Quill Bar
Ed. Note: Today we welcome pqcompass, a new writer to PQ Living. She makes her home in the Penn Quarter and recently visited the bar in one of Washington’s classic downtown hotels. Read on!
After seeing Midnight in Paris this past weekend, I started to think about how amazing and inspiring it would be to sip cocktails, sing Cole Porter tunes by the piano, and dance the Charleston with some of the most iconic figures in the arts. I wondered, is it possible to experience a similar nostalgia for times gone by here in DC?
I recently learned about Quill, the bar in the beautifully renovated Jefferson Hotel (1200 16th St NW). The hotel, restaurants and bar are all inspired by President Jefferson and filled with Jefferson’s books, maps, documents and related items. Quill has an atmosphere of history and modernism, coziness and chic, plus one of the most fascinating glowing amber bars that like moths to a flame draws many a patron to belly up.
On July 11, pianist Glenn Pearson and some special guests from local theaters, will perform a night of show tunes at the Quill Bar. No doubt, a Cole Porter song or two will be sung.
So, I’m going to slip on my best 20s era fringe and order up a fabulous cocktail, like The Master Mind – a drink custom designed for you based on your answers to a series of questions. On my last visit, I requested something refreshing with citrus and at least one unexpected ingredient. The result was a delightful combination of gin, chartreuse vert, lime juice and soda water. If you’re not the adventurous type, one of my friends swears Quill offers the best Sidecar in DC.
Drinks and showtunes aside, you’ll also be doing good for the arts community on July 11 as well with 20% of the proceeds going to supporting the audience-building efforts of the Helen Hayes Awards.
Top photo credit: Jefferson Hotel