Get your French on during Bastille Day in Los Angeles

Your ears might still be ringing and your eyes burning from the sounds and sights of exploding fireworks, but big national holidays aren't behind us yet. Next up: Bastille Day on Tuesday, July 14. Here are a few fun happenings for the Francophile around le quatorze juillet.

Maison 140: The not-so-discreet charm of the bourgeoisie.

L.A.'s big Bastille Day bash happens on Sunday, July 12 at Elysian Park's Monticello Old Lodge. Entrance is only $5, and the stormingly good times -- including the Provencal Petanque tournament and Parisian waiters' race -- rage on from noon to 10:00 p.m.

L.A. and Las Vegas chef Josette Leblond is organizing another pre-Bastille Day gathering on Monday, July 13 at her Normandie Country Bakery at Cochran and Jefferson. Chef Josette says the bakery will open its doors to the street, offering "quiche Lorraine, pates, cheeses, croissants ... everything you can eat from France," from 4-8:00 p.m. at this free event.

Please call the bakery to give them a heads-up if you plan to come. Got issues with a French visa? This might your best opportunity to delicately approach the local French Consul General himself.

Normandie Country Bakery: 3022 Cochran Ave. (at Jefferson), West Adams, (323) 939-5528.

Maison 140 and Bar Noir in Beverly Hills' Bastille Day party consists of a DJ spinning French music, with Champagne, French wines, cheeses, and other edibles on Tuesday, July 14 in the Left Bank-inspired inn. Enjoy the irony of spending the anti-aristocratic holiday in a spot that evokes royalty, what with the Louis XVI-inspired décor and whatnot. The evening from 6-11:00 p.m. is co-sponsored by Club Culinaire of French Cuisine, and $20 from each $85 ticket will be donated to HOPE Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Maison 140: 140 S. Lasky Dr., Beverly Hills, (310) 281-4000.