Celebrating Bastille Day at Dominique’s Kitchen

July 14 is Bastille Day in France. While this is a national holiday in France, no one says “Happy Bastille Day”. Instead, they may say “Bonne Fete Nationale” which translates to Happy National Holiday. This date marks the start of the Federation of France in 1790, one year after the storming of the Bastille. My wife and I decided to celebrate the holiday at Dominique’s Kitchen. 

Dominique’s Kitchen is located in Redondo Beach and describes itself as having Euro French cuisine. The menu leans heavily towards French cuisine and sometimes includes Italian or Belgian dishes. Despite the restaurant having a small footprint, they manage to have a sizeable menu. 

That day the restaurant was decorated with many miniature French flags. Co-owner Liza Theval was in costume wearing a red and white striped blouse and sported a red beret. That night they featured Bouillabaisse, Beef Bourgignon, and Profiteroles (French cream puffs) as specials. Their regular menu was also available. 

Each customer was served a complimentary glass of pink champagne. I was happy that my wife suggested pate because it makes me remember the time that I ate this in France. Chef Dominique Theval makes a country version of pate and serves it on a tray with cornichons, marinated shallots, and toasted crostini. 

My Bouillabaisse arrived in an enormous bowl. It was topped with a single slice of French bread and covered with a sizeable amount of gruyere. Removing the bread revealed a veritable seafood paradise: baby scallops, Diver scallops, clams, calamari, shrimp and pieces of grouper, branzino and French seabass. The fish almost melted in my mouth and the soup had a delicious buttery seafood taste. 

My wife’s beef bourguignon also looked impressive. It was braised for 6 hours and made with onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, shallots, red wine, bacon, and various herbs. It had a beautiful color and was thick and rich with a pleasant bacon taste. It was served with a side of mashed potatoes. 

We were full but somehow managed to enjoy the profiteroles. The pastry was baked fresh that evening, split and stuffed with ice cream. Finally, it was covered with a rich dark chocolate sauce. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Bastille Day.

Dominique’s Kitchen has a small dedicated parking lot. Free street parking is available on Pacific Coast Highway or on nearby side streets. 

Dominique’s Kitchen, 522 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277; 424.247.0954
Dominiqueskitchen.com