French Bistro Lunch, Happy Bastille Day!

Allard Restaurant has been serving traditional old-time bistro fare on the Left Bank since the 1930’s. Once, one of the greatest gourmet restaurants in Paris, the menu doesn’t change, except for daily specials and it is as good ever. On our trip to Paris, we thoroughly enjoyed eating at some of the modern cutting-edge restaurants, but it was also a treat to dine on the classic bistro foods including escargots, frisée lardons salad, filet de beouf, gratin dauphinois, duck with olives, and roasted Bresse chicken with potatoes at Allard. The place is lively, authentic, well-worn and legendary! The old-fashioned décor, especially the zinc bar once a gathering spot for celebrities, is especially charming.

Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on July 14th. It is called Fête Nationale in official parlance, or more commonly le quatorze juillet. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.










Alas, no room for cheese or dessert, for dinner will be at Pierre Gagnaire.

Owner and pooch leave Allard quite satisfied…
Happy Bastille Day!

19 thoughts on “French Bistro Lunch, Happy Bastille Day!”

  1. Happy Bastille Day to you too…oh…such tastes, if only they could be made through my mouth and not just with my eyes…when I saw the plate of Escargot…my mouth started watering.
    Thanks for posting.
    Char

  2. Mmmm all that delicious food. Perfect for a celebration like today. Happy Bastille day. oh the day i visit France would be one of the happiest moments for me.

  3. Beautiful memories,
    just the right way to celebrate the day far from France!

    I grew up with frisée lardons salad, always thought of it as humble countryside food, but it tastes oh so good! Good to see that it is served even in Paris. 😉

  4. Could they spare the olives? (said sarcastically) I sure would like to sit down at that table. The escargot looks especially appealing to me.

  5. The ambiance of the restaurant is incredible. Would you just look at the intricacy of the bar top, not to mention of course the splendor of the food. You can sure tell there are some loving hands preparing everything.

  6. Allard AND Pierre Gagnaire in the same day….you're killing me! Never had dinner, but did join Patricia Wells for lunch at Gagnaire back when I lived in Paris, you are in for a special treat indeed. Pierre's creativity is unparalleled. I can't wait to read your next post, with (I hope)a dish by dish description of your adventure. Enjoy!

  7. I love this post, and that first pic! Escargot are close to my heart and on my menu coming up…great looking pics to boot…Thanks for this journey…

  8. Happy Bastille Day! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure.

    I am surprised, however, that there was no dessert. Not even "one for the table"?

  9. Happy Bastille Day. I hope you enjoyed it. The food looks so spectacular. My birthday is Bastille Day and I love to visit Paris and pretend the fireworks are for me. I missed it this year but the pics brought it all back home for me. Thanks.

  10. Hah! Good call on skipping cheese and dessert then 😉 I looked at the pics before the text and guessed it would be poulet au olives, but damn, it was canard! That is a TON of olives!

  11. Fantastic! I loved all your images and the food in them. It all looks completely wonderful.

    Happy Bastille Day to you Lori Lynn, thank you for sharing.

  12. Oh la la! des escargots! Cela me fait un creux à l’estomac. Et le poisson, une sole ou de la raie au beurre noire? I have to go back to the kitchen to have something to eat after watching these delicacies!

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