11 Things To Do in Dallas if You Want To Feel Like You’re in France
1. Buy your baguette at Village Baking & Co
Their bread and viennoiseries are among the best I have ever eaten, even in France! Let yourself be tempted: take a few croissants (I strongly recommend their ham & cheese croissant!) to eat right away and buy a baguette.
Then buy President butter and “real” ham at Whole Foods, make yourself a Jambon-beurre, take a blanket and go for a picnic in your local park.
2. Eat a soufflé at Rise n1
Just one bite of one of their delicious soufflés and you will travel back directly to your childhood’s kitchen and remember the good old days, when your mother used to call “A table, vite, le soufflé va retomber”! The decoration of the room, too, will make you feel like you are in a cute little French restaurant. Even the trip to the bathroom is worth it: they have the old-fashioned toilet flush and doors and even the soap dispenser looks like what you found in your school’s bathrooms when you were a kid!
3. Enjoy diner at Toulouse or the Mercat Bistro
At the Mercat Bistro, you and your friends will go back to your childhood when you used to read the number at the bottom of your water glass to figure out which of you is the oldest…just like we all did at our school cantine!
4. Watch a French movie at the Magnolia Theatre
Very often, this independent theatre in West Village screens French movies, so just check their program regularly and enjoy watching your favorite French actors instead of the latest American blockbuster.
The Alliance Française of Dallas also offers screenings of French movies a few times a year, make sure to visit their website once in a while.
5. Play pétanque at Klyde Warren Park
Yes, they have all you need there to play pétanque! So, tu tires ou tu pointes?
6. Admire French artists at the DMA
The Eiffel Tower is in Dallas…at least Delaunay’s bright and colorful version of it! When you feel homesick, just go to the museum and enjoy the beauty of French paintings: Renoir, Monet, Manet, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Braque, they’re all there. The sculpture garden is worth a little balade as well!
7. Celebrate Bastille Day in Bishop Arts District
On July 14th, Oak Cliff celebrates the French National Day with a street festival offering crêpes, mussels, accordion music, pétanque competitions, French dance, and much more. Grab your bérêt and go have fun in bleu-blanc-rouge!
8. Attend the Beaujolais Festival
French food, French wine, French music, and French people everywhere! A total immersion in French culture… perfect to virtually take you back to your country. It’s just once a year, so don’t miss it!
9. Stop at La Madeleine
This nationwide French country café is famous among French expats in Dallas for…the French lesson in the restrooms! That’s actually the funniest part. For the rest, grab a quiche Lorraine and enjoy your meal with a background of popular French music.
10. Take a weekend road trip to Paris, Texas
Ok, there might not be much to do there, but you will get to see the Eiffel Tower with a cowboy hat, and that alone is worth the trip!
11. Go hunting for French products at your local supermarkets
Almost all supermarkets offer a variety of French products those days, from brie to mousse de canard. But you will have to keep looking and try several stores to find everything you need for your French menu. A few good locations to try: World Market, Kuby’s, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s… Then invite your friends over for a French themed dîner! 