Where to celebrate Bastille Day in Menlo Park

Out for a morning walk, we snapped this photo of a French flag on Sharon Rd. in west Menlo Park, undoubtedly on display for Bastille Day.

We’re lucky to have a number of options downtown to celebrate the French revolution. As he’s been doing on Saturday nights, Ali El Safy, owner of Bistro Vida, will be offering music to dance to from 8:00 to 10:00 pm this evening. “We’ll start with 30 minutes of French music,” he says, “and then open it for more dance music.”

Ali’s Saturday nights have been a success. Emailed InMenlo reader Marty Dreher: “On Saturday evening, 04 July 2020, I was able to sit outdoors at Bistro Vida and have a delicious meal followed by fantastic music…People of so many ethnicities and different parts of the world came together, danced outside, happy with each other, loving the music, and feeling refreshed by the atmosphere. Given the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to spread through communities around the world, I was so incredibly happy to see people maintaining physical distances from one another and wearing masks when they were no longer eating at their tables and when dancing.”

At Left Bank Brasserie there will be live music plus blue, blanc and rouge decorations. Special menu items include Fried Confit Chicken with vinegar slaw, mustard potato salad and roasted corn; Grilled Sausage with heirloom tomato and cucumber salad, basil vinaigrette and French fries; Steak Au Poivre with a 10 oz. pepper crusted prime sirloin steak, brandy green peppercorn sauce, truffle potato gratin and broccolini; and a fresh Berry Tartelette with Cointreau cream. Celebratory cocktails will be a French Spritz with St. Germain, Suze and sparkling wine; Kir Royale with Champagne and crème de cassis; Old Cuban with Islander Rum, lime, sparkling wine and mint; and French 75with Clocktower Gin, lemon and sparkling wine. All regular menu items will also be served throughout the celebration.

Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2020