The French Connection

is located on Sangamore Road in Bethesda, an area where there’s little competition for diners. Unlike the downtown Bethesda restaurants that have to fight for customers and parking spots, Praline is situated in a shopping center with abundant parking, a grocery store, bank, several shops, and one Chinese restaurant. The neighborhood consists of well-appointed homes and a giant government facility.

But even without ideal real estate, Praline is likely to command a devoted customer base—perhaps the same folks they serve now—seniors, ladies and small children. Currently, Praline offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, coffee, pastries and desserts to go. This weekday was busy with many pairs and groups meeting for lunch.

The restaurant has three distinct parts. The lower level is a cheerful bakery/coffee shop and bar with cozy, intimate tables near a working fireplace. Up the stairs, you'll enjoy full service dining from a team who seem predominantly French-speaking. On the upper level, there’s a terrace for outdoor dining, with umbrellas and window boxes full of blooms.

Praline proudly displays its many accolades and awards, increasing expectations. There was a short wait upstairs for a table, but my friend and I were happy to hang around and chat with the tres charmant French maitre d' who oversees the restaurant. After checking the menu—pricey for lunch—we opted to dine in the bakery instead.

The bakery staff is friendly, helpful and fairly efficient. Praline produces an abundance of gourmet treats made in-house, and whatever is not prepared here, they source from local vendors and farms. Their quiches and soups are authentic French creations that don’t skimp on the cream. I was impressed with the vegetable quiche, made of leeks, goat cheese and sundried tomatoes; it’s delicate crust perfectly integrated into the creamy, rich interior. It was molten heaven on a plate (and I should know after ).

What’s a French bistro without Salade Nicoise? Despite being topped with overly fishy tuna meat, the spring mix of lettuce, tomatoes, haricots verts, hardboiled egg and boiled potatoes mixed with sharp Dijon vinaigrette made a hearty, healthy meal. We also ordered the corn soup special which tasted like the sweet white corn was freshly shucked, and the accompanying vegetables—red pepper, onion, pea—were gently cooked to retain their integrity and crispness.

The broth was light, not overly salty and dotted with caraway seeds. The soup came with a small slice of baguette, which had a yeasty, airy inside and resilient crunch on the outside. They didn’t provide any bread with the salad; you had to pay minimally for that.

At last we arrived at one of the highlights of a meal here—the dessert course. I was indecisive for a full five minutes over which dessert to order. We landed on cookies—French macaroons, of which they have more than a dozen types. We tried the hazelnut macaroon and were shocked by how delicate and powerfully nutty the cookie itself was (there was no need to add the chocolate mousse in between). We also ordered a lemon shortbread cookie, which was more sweet than lemony. The coffee was rich and dark as a French Roast coffee should be--enhancing your enjoyment of all those luscious pastries, candies and cookies.  

Since we didn’t dine in the upstairs bistro, I missed the escargot, seared salmon, Croque Madame and Monsieur, and the vegetable Napoleon, but, maybe another day. For now, I recommend Praline Bakery as an airy haven in which to sample pastries, undisturbed by noise, servers or computer squatters, and without outrageous expense.