On Tuesday, April 1, Left Bank Brasserie Menlo Park will celebrate the lighthearted French tradition Poisson d’Avril (or April Fish). On that day, the restaurant will present menu additions showcasing sustainably farmed mussels from Saltspring Island, British Columbia sourced from Clean Fish, a eco-conscious company that connects producers to chefs and consumers in a way that helps endangered fishing communities all over the world. For each related menu item ordered, Left Bank will donate 10% of the proceeds to the Watershed Project, a non-profit organization that aims to connect global thinking to local action by empowering communities to be good stewards of their neighboring waterways.
In France, April 1st is called Poisson d’ Avril. To mark the day, children stick a paper fish to the backs of their friends and when the prank is discovered, the prankster yells “Poisson d’ Avril!” The origins of this are said to date back to 1582 when France was the first country to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar which caused the beginning of the year to move from April 1 to January 1. Some people did not hear about or accept the change of date, and they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Lore has it that others then took this opportunity to play tricks on them and this evolved into what is now called Poisson d'Avril.
Left Bank Brasserie Menlo Park
635 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park CA 94025
650.473.6543
https://www.leftbank.com