Happy Bastille Day!

"On this date, 320 years ago, the French proletariat liberated the Bastille prison from the hated monarchy; then they all went and ate escargot. Or something like that."

If you missed our local celebrations around town on Sunday (Barbette, Brits), you still have options to celebrate in true French-style tonight.

Vincent, A Restaurant offers a Daily Happy Hour from 4:30 - 6:30 with:

Small Plates to Share for $4.00
Selected Champagne Cocktails & Martinis $5.00
All Beer & Selected Glasses of Wine only $3.00
And the Vincent Burger is only $8.00!

Vincent also offers a 3 Course Prix Fixe Dinner Menu for $30, Mon-Thurs from 5:00-9:00 pm.


Who is Vincent? Vincent Francoual was born in Puy-L'Eveque, in the Cahors region of France. He began culinary school in Souillac at the age of fifteen. Four years later, Vincent earned his diploma C.A.P. of Cuisine and C.A.P. in Pastry. Vincent spent a summer working in a French resort town on the Atlantic Ocean where he began his love for seafood preparations.


Today, at Meritage in St Paul, the staff returns from their all-staff 2-week holiday - which ran from the "American independence to the French Resistance". Chef and Owner, Russell Klein's menu is a combination of New American with French influences.


Meritage offers 5, 7 and 9 course tasting meals nightly from $65 - $95. My personal favorite way to experience Meritage is sitting at the sweet, 4-stool bar and enjoying several of Russell's "Amusements":

If you're in the mood for dining "l'extérieur", it's a beautiful setting in St Paul.


Feeling even more Frenchie? Did you know, we have the Alliance Française in Minnesota, which was was started in the 1920s by a small group interested in the language and culture of France. Led by University of Minnesota Professor Jacques Fermand, the group became a member of the Federation of French Alliances, and the AFMSP (Alliance Française de Minneapolis-St. Paul) pays annual dues to them. By the 1950s, the chapter had approximately 100 members. Currently, the AFMSP has approximately 975 members.

Alliance Française offers language classes, free French movie nights for the whole family, a library of books, journals and magazines, as well as social events.

And heck, July 6 - July 12, 2009 is "Minnesota French Heritage week" as declared by Governor Tim Pawlenty at the request of the Alliance Française!



Feeling less Frenchie? Here are Radar's recommendations for dialing it down:

Blue Door Pub, offers a "Frenchie" hamburger - stuffed with Swiss cheese and caramelized onion on a toasted, buttered, super fresh bun and served with a side of au jus.

For the best French Fries in town:

Burger Jones' "Try-Fry Tasting Tower" - hand-cut russet fries, maple-bacon sweet potato fries and parmesan waffle fries

Convention Grill and Fountain, 3912 Sunnyside Rd. Edina, MN

Edina Grill's sweet-potato fries!

Lurcat

The Nook

Or please submit your favorite fries!

Get out and be "Frenchy" today, if not in what you eat, then in what you wear - put a scarf around your neck or a beret atop your head!

Célébrer!