A Taste of France to Celebrate the Paris Olympics
Venues across the United States are poised to 'go for the gold' with cocktails, menus and more
When Executive Chef Mignano, who oversees the iconic Pierre Hotel's upscale Perrine restaurant, was presented with the idea of creating a special menu to celebrate the Paris Olympics this summer at his Upper East Side restaurant in New York City, he dove right in and did some heavy research.
The chef scored, eventually sourcing the Official Dinner Menu served to the official Olympic Committee in Paris in 1924, which was the exact menu served 100 years ago — the last time the Summer Games were held in Paris.
I'm a history buff," says Mignano. He's also a talented chef, bien sur, and has designed a special menu that will continue to run through the games into August. The prix-fixe menu replicates the 1924 menu, starring soupe de champignons marathon (wild mushroom soup, garlic sour rye croutons, chervil), poulet rôti au Miel en Saint-Denis (honey-lavender roasted chicken, fingerling potatoes, Romesco, chicken jus) and Paris Gateau au Chocolat with crème brûlée ice cream, among other winning contenders.
Then and Now
Of course, so much has changed since those Olympic Summer Games in Paris a century ago—although the significance of the Olympic Games remains timeless and is still the biggest stage for the best athletes in the world to come together to compete for their country.
The Paris 1924 Olympics was the inspiration behind the making of the movie "Chariots of Fire,"a true story of two British runners that competed in those games.
According to Olympics.com, the 1924 Games summer games that were held in Paris spanned about three months, from May to July, with 17 sports and 126 medal events. Paris 2024 has almost double the number of sports — 32, and 329 medal events — and takes place over a much shorter two-and-a-half-week timeframe.
Also, in 1924, 3,089 athletes participated (135 women and 2,954 men) and this year, 10,500 competitors will compete - an equal number of men and women.
And not all of the Olympic events this year will take place in France. The surfing competitions will be held at Teahupo'o in Tahiti. Other events will be held outside Paris in Bordeaux, Marseille and Nice, which will feature competitions in soccer and sailing.
Interestingly, the Paris 1924 Olympics was the inspiration behind the making of the movie, "Chariots of Fire," a true story of two British runners that competed in those games.
Podium Cocktails, Dishes and Celebrations
Like the Pierre Hotel's Perrine, chefs and bartenders are adding whimsical touches and sips to menus around the country to show off the best of France during the Olympics.
Chefs and bartenders are adding whimsical touches and sips to menus around the country to show off the best of France this summer during the Olympics.
In Washington, DC, Primrose, a French bistro and wine bar, will celebrate with the Green Torch cocktail — tequila blanco, green chartreuse, fresh honeydew, pineapple lime juice and orange bitters made with locally-sourced produce to pay homage to the "green" aspect of the Games. Also, dishes like Trout Sauce Grenobloise and Steak au Poivre will compete for attention from some of the other French standouts on the menu.
In Chicago at La Grande Boucherie in the Windy City's Belle Époque building, a L'Eté en France Dinner Prix-Fixe will be served throughout the Games and will include classics like Steak Tartare and Basque Cheesecake.
L'Avenue at Saks in midtown Manhattan salutes France with a special cocktail menu. Head bartender Tom Máthé's podium sips include the Gold, made with a champagne liqueur, golden in color, and edible gold "for the perfect victorious cup." The Paris '24, built around Paris' environmentally friendly focus, is a green drink made with Chareau, an aloe liqueur so it "actually tastes like being out in nature." He has also created the Liberty Cap, a pour of gin, violets, tarragon and pomegranate, and named after the Phrygian Cap — a symbol of the French Revolution and the mascot for the Paris games.
Lavender season in Carmel Valley, California, coincides with the Olympics (typically June through August.) Bernardus Lodge and Spa is all about celebrating lavender season this summer with a harvest festival. Visitors can enjoy the 1,000-plus lavender plants on property, with a glass of vino in hand.
"We hope this event will not only celebrate the Olympic spirit but also bring together our community and highlight the joy of learning French."
New Orleans, of course, is all about joie de vivre and its world-renowned French culinary scene will be accentuated during the games. And France knows a thing or two about champagne. The iconic Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans' French Quarter is where gold medal winners will be toasted by patrons with bubbles at Brennan's Champagne Happy Hour held daily in the courtyard.
'Little Paris Olympics'
New York has a French Quarter, too. Little Paris, located in Lower Manhattan on Centre Street, between Broome and Grand Street, is home to a collection of French businesses and is the same location as NYC's French Quarter 160 years ago. The neighborhood was officially inaugurated as Little Paris on Bastille Day in 2021. Léa and Marianne Perret, founders of Coucou French Classes located here, installed Parisian street signs, hand-painted in France, reading "Little Paris NYC."
"We're excited to host the 'Little Paris Olympics' open house event at Coucou," says Victoire Lester, chief executive officer. "We hope this event will not only celebrate the Olympic spirit but also bring together our community and highlight the joy of learning French."
According to Lester, "the French connection to the neighborhood was apparent to us from the moment we moved into our headquarters on Centre Street as there were already several established French businesses on our block. After doing further research, we discovered just how deep these French roots ran, from the history of the area called 'Bayard's Mount' back in the 17th-century to the architectural inspiration of the former police building located across the street from us (which was modeled after the Paris City Hall)."
