It’s 14 Juillet — July 14th to you non-Francophones, the day when the French commemorate the storming of the Bastille with fireworks, dances, and (naturally, they’re French) food. Though we may not have some of the culinary options our friends at Parisist enjoy, some of the District’s French restaurants are getting into the act. One popular destination is the annual Waiters’ Race at Les Halles, where waiters will run with full trays from the Pennsylvania Ave. bistro to the Capitol and back. Get there early as the event gets packed.

If you’re in more of a food mood, Bistro Lepic in Upper Georgetown has a $32 prix fixe menu that looks tasty, and though their site looks a bit outdated, Cafe Laruche also promises a Republic Day Celebration. Lavandou in Cleveland Park has a $35 prix fixe menu this year — a bit of a disappointment in comparison with their all-you-can-eat musselfest of last year, though word is the latter featured extremely slow service.

But if you want to really get into the Bastille Day mood, we’re told that Bistro du Coin is the place to go. The traditional French bistro is apparently full of revelers celebrating the beginnings of the French Republic. We’re not sure if they spontaneously break into choruses of La Marsaillaise, but we do enjoy the snails. Be careful: BdC gets extremely crowded, so go early — or be more traditionally French and go fashionably late, as the bistro serves food until 1 A.M.

So go out today and drink, celebrating liberté, egalité, et fraternité at your favorite French spot. We suggest, however, avoiding Café Bonaparte today for historic reasons. After all, it was the Café’s namesake that ended the period of the first French Republic in 1804.