Bastille Day Menus Here in L.A.? Oui, Oui

Monday is the 207th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, when peasants rushed the Paris fortress housing political prisoners (they were really after a bunch of gunpowder stored there, and there were only a handful of prisoners), kicking off the French Revolution and giving us memorable phrases like “Let them eat cake” and “Heads on pikes!”

The French celebrate this occasion with parades, music and dancing in the streets. In America, French restaurants usually feature a special menu and lots of wine. Here are some L.A. spots you can go to if you want to commemorate the fall of Louis XVI yourself.

Most of the Pinot group are celebrating with special Bastille Day menus (Cafe Pinot in L.A. on 5th Street opted out this year). Pinot Bistro, Pinot Hollywood and Pinot at the Chronicle are offering three- to four-course meals at $35 per person.

At Pinot Bistro in Studio City, you can have roasted suckling pig, pot au feu a la Provencale or pancetta-wrapped chicken breast stuffed with foie gras. Chef Octavio Becerra adds a cheese course: Basque Roccinate, a sharp sheep’s milk cheese served with pears, apples and caramelized walnuts. Pinot Bistro, 12989 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 990-0500.

Pinot Hollywood is serving oxtails with baby beets, braised veal cheek and duck a l’orange. Chef John Fernow also throws in a soup course; you can have bouillabaisse or vichyssoise. Pinot Hollywood, 1448 N. Gower, Hollywood; (213) 461-8800.

Chef Christian Shaffer at Pinot at the Chronicle dishes up duck liver parfait, mussels with white wine sauce, coulibiac of salmon, tournedos Rossini and poached pears with Poire Williams ice cream and chocolate sauce, among other goodies. Pinot at the Chronicle, 897 Granite Drive, Pasadena; (818) 792-1179.

La Cachette makes its waiters dress up in berets and fake mustaches for the Bastille Day fun. An accordionist will serenade you while you wend your way through chestnut and morel mushroom soup, lobster salad, filet of beef with Roquefort and black peppercorn sauce and La Bastille hazelnut and vanilla ice cream tower. Price is $58 per person. La Cachette, 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (310) 470-4992.

Hal’s Bar & Grill in Venice is celebrating with a menu that includes bouillabaisse, coq au vin, and entreco^te with pommes frites. Hal’s Bar & Grill, 1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; (310) 396-3105.

Bistro 45 in Pasadena gets a little more friendly on Bastille Day. They seat you at long tables with people you’ve not met yet and plunk down the food in large serving bowls. For $35 per person, you get all you can eat of escargot, quiche, flageolet beans, leg of lamb, grilled sausages, chicken Provencale, rillettes, cold fruit soup and a dessert buffet. Beer and wine, all you can drink, and gratuity are included in the price. If you’re not discreet, you could become known around town as the person who ate 12 pounds of escargots in under an hour. Bistro 45, 45 S. Mentor Ave., Pasadena; (626) 795-2478.

Les Freres Taix is raising its glass to the French Revolution by offering glasses of wine for 70 cents when you order lunch or dinner from their already French menu. They also have an accordionist on the premises. (What’s with accordions, already? They were invented in Vienna, not France.) Les Freres Taix, 1911 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A.;(213) 484-1265.

The Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach is having a “Storm the Bastille” poolside party on the Calypso pool deck. Only one catch: It happens on Wednesday, so it’s really a day-after-the-post-Bastille Day-hangover-day party. The happy hour munchies, available from 5 to 8 p.m., include chicken brochettes, pa^te en crou^te, duck rillettes, quiches, Provence-style pizzas and French cheeses and pastries. Food and wine is $2 to $5 per serving. The Sutton Place Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach; (714) 476-2001.

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Other News: On Monday, Larry King wrote in his USA Today column that Eclipse in West Hollywood had been sold to a New York financier and that it would be turned into an Italian restaurant. Eclipse’s employees emphatically deny the King story. General Manager E.J. Celmer calls it “completely, totally unfounded and inaccurate.” Larry King, however, is standing by his story: “I got it from the buyer--the money is in escrow.”

After reaching Eclipse owner Bernard Erpicum, who is out of town, on Tuesday, Celmer sent a statement to King that said in part: “The reporting of the demise of Eclipse in last Monday’s column was premature in that the famed West Hollywood location is not closing its doors and continues to do a great business with new chef J.P. Amateau, and a new summertime menu. It is true that the owners have been approached by some buyers, but the nature and extent of any involvement has not yet been determined.”

Celmer did, however, confirm that the restaurant, which opened in 1994 with celebrities Steven Seagal and Whoopi Goldberg as investors, is in Chapter 11 reorganization. Word on the street is that it is definitely for sale.