Ris's Julia Child Birthday Menu - D.C.

Julia Child would have wanted excellent food to celebrate her 100th birthday today. So her longtime friend Ris Lacoste is hosting a party.

Lacoste, who cooked dinner for Child on her 90th birthday, has assembled a three-course menu of Child's favorite foods, available at dinner ($35) through Sunday or at lunch ($25) all month.

Start with cool, creamy vichyssoise, which the kitchen augments with thyme and a generous topping of crème fraîche (click here for the recipe). Moules marinière get a Child-approved twist with a dose of vermouth, the Francophile's favorite nip.

As a main, Lacoste is serving sole meunière with parsley potatoes and spinach. To show off Child's home-style cooking, Lacoste is also making dueling meatloaves–her recipe against Julia's–and classic roast chicken with French fries.

Instead of cake, the kitchen is serving a turtle sundae with salted peanuts, chocolate and caramel sauces, and a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. As an ultra-French alternative, the chef is also preparing a vacherin of almond meringue with peaches and cream.

Start the meal with Child's favorite apéritif, a "Reverse Martini" ($13) of dry vermouth on the rocks with a tiny splash of gin.

Ris, 2275 L St. NW (at 23rd St.); 202-730-2500 or risdc.com