Bastille Days, root beer float giveaway and more to know in Milwaukee food and drink news
Bastille Days — c'est délicieux
French and Cajun cuisines return to Cathedral Square Park during Bastille Days from July 14 to 17.
The French street festival promises the return of popular food booths such as Beignets Francais and other authentic treats from Lagniappe Brasserie, Crawdaddy’s on Greenfield and Crème & Crepe Café. Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro will have a booth offering croque monsieur, beef bourguignon, beet salad, French baguette avec beurre, and crème brulée.
Alliance Française’s Beignet Français stand, located on Jackson Street off Cathedral Square, will sell beignets (served two per order) for $6, and a New Orleans-style coffee, Café chicoré, served café au lait, café noir, ou café glacé for $4. The Lake Park Bistro menu offers Croque Monsieur ($9), a ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich; Beef Bourguignon ($12), beef in red wine with mushrooms, onions and potatoes; Beet Salad ($9), roasted Beets with goat cheese, arugula and a sherry vinaigrette; French baguette avec beurre ($5); and Crème Brûlée ($6).
New this year are menu items from Milwaukee Pretzel Company and Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ. The Door Peninsula Winery will sponsor tastings throughout the weekend. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. July 14 to 16, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 17. Visit bastilledaysMKE.com
And Bastille Day West
On the west side of town, the first Bastille Day West will have music, entertainment, food and shopping. It takes place from 4 to 10 p.m. July 14 on Vliet Street from North 57th Street to 60th Street.
Alliance Francaise will have a French cafe serving beignets, French wine will be poured and more will be available.
Chanteuse Robin Pluer, Mrs. Fun and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra violinist Glen Asch will perform at 7 p.m. on the Charles E. Fromage rooftop stage, where the Milwaukee Hot Club performs from 4 to 6. French Immersion School students will sing at 5 at the festival, and Professor Pinkerton's Irrelevant Orchestra will be on the 1840 Brewing stage.
Spruced 57 will hold a French fashion show at 7 p.m., the Times Cinema will show director Jean Cocteau's "La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast)" at 9:30 p.m., a "Madeleine in Paris" lookalike contest is at 6:30.
The Wisconsin Bike Federation is coordinating a beret ride through the Washington Heights neighborhood that starts at 4:30 at the pocket park at North Avenue and 56th Street. There also will be bike races and relays on Vliet starting at 8:30.
Wine bar Charles E. Fromage and other West Vliet Street businesses and additional vendors will be open for the evening. More information is at bastilledaywest.com.
Root Beer Bash at Bayshore
Get a free Sprecher root beer float on National Root Beer Float Day Aug. 6.
Sprecher Brewing Company is attempting to set a Guinness World Record for the most root beer floats given away during Glendale’s Root Beer Bash, to be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in The Yard at Bayshore, 5800 N. Bayshore Drive. With custard from Culver’s of Bayshore, Sprecher will be able to serve up to 20,000 root beer floats.
For every float given away, Sprecher is donating a meal to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. And while the floats are free, Sprecher is encouraging people to text FLOAT to 41444 to donate to Feeding America.
The festival location at Bayshore will include a food truck alley featuring Oxtail Noodle House, Shorty’s Grilled Cheese and Meat on the Street's Tatay’s Truck, with additional restaurant dining options in the shopping center. More information: welcometoglendale.com/root-beer-bash-2022/
'MasterChef Junior' live
The TV show "MasterChef Junior is coming to the Marcus Performing Arts Center on Sept. 17 as a live stage production featuring contestants from the recently completed Season 8.
The cooking competition involves children ages 8 to 13, and it is based on the format of the British series Junior MasterChef, with skills and pressure tests, and a mystery box challenge. For the live tour, winner Liya Chu, runner-up Grayson Price and other fan favorites will compete in head-to-head cooking demonstrations and challenges.
Tickets range from $25 to $52.50 and can be purchased online at mastercheflivetour.com.
Lupi and Iris is open for lunch
Lupi and Iris, the new upscale French-Italian Riviera restaurant at 777 N. Van Buren St., now serves lunch on weekdays.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The menu includes a selection of appetizers, soups, salads and entrees also on the dinner menu, and it adds sandwiches such as grilled zucchini and eggplant with roasted peppers and house ricotta ($21) and pounded, breaded beef tenderloin with olives and peppers, and chickpea salad ($36). It also has entree salads, such as wood-fire roasted chicken over lettuce and ratatouille ($27) or grilled swordfish over salad of asparagus, frisee and fingerlings ($27).
To contact: (414) 293-9090. Reservations can be made online at lupiandiris.com.
Deep dish pizza coming to Oak Creek
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria will open its fifth Milwaukee area location in Oak Creek this summer, near Drexel Town Square at 8171 S. Howell Ave. The new store will offer carryout, curbside pickup and delivery. The new location joins carryout and delivery stores in Fox Point, Greenfield and Waukesha, and a dine-in restaurant and bar in Brookfield. Visit: www.loumalnatis.com/wisconsin
Old World Wisconsin beer dinners
The historical site in Eagle is celebrating the opening of its new Brewhouse with a series of four-course beer dinners from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on these Saturdays: July 23, featuring beer from Raised Grain Brewery; Aug. 27, with Explorium Brewpub; and Sept. 24, Lakefront Brewery. Seating will be communal, at large tables.
Dinners will start with a look at the Brewhouse, which demonstrates how beer was brewed historically and depicts beer in state culture through the years. A sample of the beers created at Old World Wisconsin will be available.
Afterward, four courses including local meats and vegetables will be served with beer pairings in Clausing Barn. At dinner, diners will learn more about the creation of the Brewhouse and Old World’s plans to open a brewer’s garden, biergarten and a 1930s tavern moved from Old Ashippun in the next two years.
The dinners are $99 a person; Old World members receive a 10% discount. Diners must be 21 or older.
Reservations and payment in advance are required and can be made at oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org. For more information: (608) 264-4848 or boxoffice@wisconsinhistory.org.
Old World Wisconsin is at W372- S9727 Highway 67 in Eagle.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bastille Days, root beer festival, and Milwaukee food and drink events
