Best of the Day: Bastille Day Celebrations – July 14, 2015

Celebrate La Fête Nationale and enjoy wine, cheese, and foie gras with these French dining specials.

Welcome to Best of the Day, our daily recommendation for what to check out around town. If you do one thing in Boston today, consider this.


Break out your bonnet rouge: It’s time to eat, drink, and dance the Carmagnole, as we celebrate Bastille Day—the 226th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, the event that was the flashpoint of the French Revolution. If you didn’t get your fill of Gallic antics at the French Cultural Center’s annual Bastille Day blowout, ne t’inquiète pas: There are still plenty of ways to get your tricolour kicks between now and Thermidor.

714 Menu at Bistro du Midi

Today’s the last day to sample this Back Bay restaurant’s special holiday menu, named for its seven options (including pork terrine and chilled corn soup) in four courses, all for one prix fixe price. And don’t forget the wine, lest you miss out on their top-notch sommelier program.

$49 four-course prix fixe, through July 14, Bistro du Midi, 272 Boylston St., Boston, 617-426-7878, bistrodumidi.com.

La Fête Nationale Class at Formaggio

Let them eat cheese! Today, our favorite fromagerie is giving you the chance to soak up French cuisine with Formaggio owner Ihsan Gurdal (recipient of Ordre du Mérite Agricole) and head cheese buyer Tripp Nichols for a night devoted to such French nibbles as artisan cheese, wine, duck confit, and charcuterie.

$55 per person, July 14, 6:30 p.m., Formaggio Classroom Annex, 67 Smith Place, Cambridge, 617-354-4750, formaggiokitchen.com.

Tour de France at Brasserie Jo

No bike? No problem. The only feat of endurance required for this Tour de France is having a waistband sturdy enough to accommodate the gluttony you’ll be tempted into at Brasserie Jo this month. Through July 26, chef Nick Calias’s race-inspired menu is following the path of Tour de France cyclists, wending from Brittany to Paris with culinary nods to each locale. This week (July 14-18), they’re in the Midi-Pyrénées, with dishes like foie gras, pan-seared scallops and piperade, and Basque Torte.

A la carte Tour de Frace menu offered through July 26, Brasserie Jo at The Colonnade Boston Hotel, 120 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-425-3240, colonnadehotel.com/brasserie-jo.

Bastille Day Celebration at the Beehive

Join this South End boîte for their eighth annual Bastille Day celebration, where they’re serving up French-inspired food, drinks, and tunes. Chef Greg Torrech has put together a menu featuring steak frites, moules marinières, and fresh-grilled niçoise. Sip champagne while band C’est Si Bon perform French jazz and bossa nova classics.

A la carte menu available July 14, 5 p.m.-12 a.m., The Beehive, 541 Tremont St., Boston, 617-423-0069, beehiveboston.com.