I have a confession—I have never been able to stomach hot dogs. Even as a small child I would pinch my nostrils shut in disgust on days when pigs-in-a-blanket were being served at the school cafeteria for lunch. Call me a snob, disinvite me from the cookout, but the only kind of weiner I’ll be enjoying this Fourth of July is a thinly-sliced knob of French saucisson.
Luckily, this weekend has a lot more to feed the body and spirit than the usual Oscar Mayer fare, as it marks both America’s semiquincentennial, as well as 250 years of Franco-American friendship. Just as last week’s French heatwave has now come for us here on the East Coast, there always seems to be a ripple effect between the two countries. Yesterday I published a piece on an exhibit about Lafayette—“America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” as Lin-Manuel Miranda dubbed him in Hamilton—at the National Archives in Paris, and why it’s worth taking another look at this “hero of two worlds.”
And, just as Knicks fever has begun to calm down here in New York, the World Cup has arrived to take its place, bringing soccer fans from all over the world to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Just yesterday French fans took over the Brooklyn Bridge as Les Bleus dominated Sweden, and if you’d like to get in on the action, our sister publication French Morning has recommendations for where to cheer on the French team in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Texas, and Boston.
We haven’t even gotten to this year’s Bastille Day celebrations, so stay tuned for recommendations on where to celebrate le quatorze juillet in France and across the U.S.
But the most exciting thing, in my opinion, is the arrival of French Restaurant Week in New York, which begins on the Fourth of July, and offers a slate of affordable prix fixe lunch and dinner options at some of the city’s best French restaurants. While I wish I could say I’ll be going to every spot on the list, I did have the chance to visit the newest addition, Le Sixth, at its recent opening. The new West Village bistro is helmed by Chef Philippe Orrico, the award-winning veteran of Hôtel Barrière Fouquet’s New York and Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental, who has brought some creative twists to French classics at his new solo project. There are some more traditional options, like dainty Comté- and herb-filled Ravioles de Royan and Steak-frites dressed in a Champs-Elysees sauce, along with some Asian-inflected dishes, like fatty tuna bites on crisp crackers and a spicy king salmon and avocado cone. Certainly the most interesting thing I ate there was the foie gras crème brûlée, which was a fascinating mix of sweet and savory, with an unusual but delicious interplay of rich, nutty interior and crunchy topping.
So, maybe I’ll skip the hot dogs and go back for another bite of foie. After all, if I’m going to get a talking-to from my doctor either way, I’d rather get in trouble for the good stuff.
