Salade Nicoise. Photos by Kim Upton/Metro

Sunday is Bastille Day and even if Les Miserables wasn’t your pick for best picture (too much singing), with July 4 just behind us we can certainly appreciate the celebration of freedom. Then, too, it’s a holiday for parades and eating. Nothing wrong with that.

So the question is, where can we go to celebrate? What French restaurants are near Metro (not the Paris Metro). Are they good? Are they expensive?

Here’s a quick list of a few in downtown L.A. near transit: Chaya Downtown (Red and Purples lines Pershing Square Station), Café Pinot at the library (Red and Purples lines Pershing Square Station), Patina at Disney Hall (Red and Purple lines Civic Center Station). These places are on the pricey side, although worth it if you have the money.

But if you want a crepe filled with Nutella (Paris street food) or an American salade nicoise with tuna salad rather than tuna and no nicoise olives and (importantly) if you want your lunch to cost less than $10, there’s a sweet little place called Groundfloor Café at 433 S. Spring … two blocks east of the Pershing Square Station. They have good baguettes filled with such things as brie and apples, pate and traditional ham and cheese. They serve a variety of coffees and espressos. Don’t forget the Nutella peanut butter smoothie. It’s not French but who cares?

Other French suggestions? Email us at sourcemetro@gmail.com and we’ll put them on our Ride & Dine map. Add Ride & Dine to the subject field so we know it’s you.

Groundfloor Cafe