 |
| Bastille Days photo by Dan Bishop. |
Weekend in Paris
Are you planning to Storm the Bastille this Thursday night? The annual 5K run starts at 9 p.m., the first night of Bastille Days (Cathedral Square Park, July 14-17). Before you start your warm-up stretches, the festival is offering something a little different. At 6:50 p.m., festival goers will take part in a toast. Not just any toast, though. A French Toast Toast. After some 3,000 French toast sticks are distributed to the masses, there will be a group toast to Bastille Days’ 30th anniversary. One of the major draws of Bastille is to eat as the French do. The choices for fare are vast, and go well beyond French inspired. New restaurants offering food on the festival grounds are Coquette Cafe and Burke’s Lakeside (from Summit, Wis.). Other restaurants and food vendors to look for: Lagniappe Brasserie, Beignets Français, Fishbone’s Cajun & Creole Restaurant, Cream & Crepe Cafe and others. Continuing with the food theme, the Beaux Arts Stage will host cooking demos all weekend. On Thursday at noon, for instance, executive chef Mike Wolf (of NSB Bar and Grill and The Knick) will make French/Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. At 12:50 p.m. on the same day, Sanford chef de cuisine Justin Aprahamian will prepare a chilled pea soup with basil. Also, if you’re an oenophile (and Francophile, for that matter), the fest is hosting wine tasting events on Friday and Saturday. Check out the website for details. Festival hours: Thurs-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Lo-Down
Down South, there’s a slang term used to mean something is cool but not expensive. It’s “LoCash.” This is what I’m told anyway. It’s the word chosen by Milwaukeean Jay “JC” Carter for his new business, Lo-Cash Live, set to open July 21 in a location briefly occupied by The Dubliner (124 W. National Ave.). The three major themes of the place are beer, barbecue and bands. Of the menu, I know only that plans call for ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork with vinegar slaw, po’ boys and Cajun shrimp. Carter plans to have live music seven nights a week with no cover charge. As for the other “low cash” component, it’s the obligatory Wisconsin beer.
Furtive Food
The cat is out of the bag. Adam Lucks and his crew at Bay View’s Honeypie Cafe are doing their next installment of the Secret Supper Club. What this is is five courses and fives beers on one night – Tuesday, July 26. Lucks is keeping the beer menu under wraps, but for food courses, he’s planning a chilled cucumber soup with radishes, pickled heirloom watermelon salad with fresh goat cheese and a caramel mousse-stuffed doughnut with chocolate frosting and bacon sprinkles. All else will be revealed the night of the event. Cost: $75 per person. Call 414-489-7437 now to make a reservation. (2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.)
Wait! Don’t stop reading. I’m on Twitter! Follow me @ann_christenson
If you spot a restaurant opening or closing, post it on the comments section of my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com
