Retail Roundup

Hungry yet? Go get a baguette

In celebrating Bastille Day, as most everyone does in Newport-Mesa,

Cafe Pascal is giving away fresh French baguettes to customers who either

stop in for dinner or shop at Christian Dior, Hermes, Lalique or Agnes b.

between now and Saturday. Or you can just go buy a baguette somewhere.

On Bastille Day, which is Saturday, the restaurant will serve

traditional specialties that honor the day from 5 to 8 p.m. at $30 per

person. The meals include an onion tart with mixed greens, salt-cured

pork with bratwurst and sauerkraut, and a plum tart. Sounding a bit more

delish, however, would be a few crepes and a croque-monsieur.

Who the heck is Elvis Schmiedekamp?

The wait is over. For those who really want to know who that Cal Fed

representative on all those billboards is, you may want to stop into the

Costa Mesa branch Saturday.

Apparently, the now famous Elvis Schmiedekamp -- say that 10 times

fast -- will show up to promote Customer is King Day, which marks,

according to Cal Fed’s press release, one of the largest “customer

appreciation days ever undertaken by a major financial institution.”

And because everyone’s curiosity gets the best of them, the ad

pitchman is actually the bank’s head of customer service. So, yes, he’s

real.