Eat your way through Bastille Day in Columbia
July 14 is Bastille Day, the English name for a French national holiday commemorating the Storming of the Bastille in 1789. The event sparked the French Revolution and the day now celebrates the unity of all French people. Officially known as French National Day, or Fête de la Fédération, Bastille Day is a festive occasion that centers around food, fireworks and a gigantic military parade on the Champs-Elysées Avenue in Paris.
You probably used up all of your fireworks on July Fourth, and there isn’t a Columbia equivalent to the Champs-Elysees roundabout, but you can still celebrate with French inspired foods at restaurants around the Midlands.
Breakfast: Crepes at Crepes & Croissants
Whether you go for sweet or savory, breakfast crepes are a must. You can’t get more French than these thin little pancakes, and they sure are delicious. Do calories count on Bastille Day? (Let’s just say no.)
Lunch: Quiche and croissant at Yummie Creations
Grab take out or sit on the patio for lunch at Yummie Creations in Lexington and enjoy a soup combo served with the quiche of the day and a croissant. Bonus points if you attempt to use the proper French pronunciation of croissant: “krwa-san.” For one day and one day only, you won’t sound like a snob.
109 Old Chapin Road #L, Lexington
Dinner: Duck and foie gras at Hampton Street Vineyard
Enjoy an appetizer of torchon of foie gras or a charcuterie platter, which the French have a great fondness for. Move on to tomato basil soup or the soup du jour, and then tuck in to some duck with braised cinnamon apples, marinated pecans and a raspberry coulis.
1201 Hampton St., Columbia
Dessert: Creme brulee at Cola’s
A classic. Finish the day with vanilla bean custard topped with caramelized sugar. Magnifique!
1215 Assembly St., Columbia
Follow Erin Shaw on Twitter, @GoCoErin