I made the best Red Velvet Cupcakes ever

…well, almost. The very first Red Velvet cupcake I ever had was from the historic Reeve’s Bakery when it was located on G Street, near my old office building. Sadly, after serving the community for over 200 years, Reeve’s closed its doors on June 8, 2007. It was a sad day. I remember walking over to the bakery from across the street to purchase my last dozen Reeve’s cupcakes and a couple orders of their awesome home fries (they served breakfast and lunch too!). The lines for their cupcakes and pies were nearly out the door on that last day.

Reeve’s popularity extended beyond the District lines and well into the mouthwatering circles of suburbia. There were some days when my old next door neighbor used to come home from work with chocolate cupcakes and crispy fried chicken for his kids. On those days, I became one of his kids too.

I had a craving for some Red Velvet cupcakes this week, and although I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to replicate the tasty goodness of Reeve’s cupcakes, I figured it’d be fun to bake them myself anyway. I was a little worried that they would turn out too dry and dense, which is what happened the last time I made cupcakes (they were vanilla cupcakes). But these turned out amazingly good! Seriously. So good! So good that they’re pretty much gone now (I had 28 yesterday).

Here’s the recipe… you try eating just one… Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Au Bon Pain’s Jalapeno and Cheddar Bagel

What I’m Eating…

There is an Au Bon Pain a few feet away from my office building. A few times a week, I’ll go in before work to get myself breakfast. Normally I’ll have oatmeal, but if I feel like treating myself, I’ll have a Jalapeno and Cheddar bagel. I treat myself pretty often. It is by far my favorite bagel. I’m more into savory tastes, so the combination of the cheesy cheddar and slight kick from the jalapeno is just an amazingly satisfying combination.

food, Au Bon Pain, breakfast, bagels, Tasting Journal

Praline Bakery and Restaurant
4611 Sangamore Rd.
Bethesda, MD 20816
Tel: 301.229.8180

Open for lunch Monday through Friday,
11:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.;
Dinner, Monday through Thursday,
5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and
Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

There’s a delicious new kid on the Bethesda block. Praline Bakery and Restaurant opened its doors not too long ago in a cozy little spot in the Shoppes at Sumner Place on Sangamore Road. To celebrate Nick’s birthday, he and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at the two-story French restaurant with his family during his short stay in town.

“The bread is very good, and they have a nice selection of pastries,” said Nick’s mother. “If you don’t get there early enough though, there won’t be anymore left!” The scoop on the downstairs bakery is that everything is made in-house except for the bread, which comes from Baguette Republic in Falls Church, Virginia. Praline bakery offers an assortment of croissants, Danishes, cookies, cakes, and brownies.

Owners, Patrick Musel and Susan Limb, first met at the White House while doing contract work under former executive pastry chef, Roland Mesnier. They were also long-time co-workers at Filomena Restaurant in Georgetown. Musel heads the bakery at Praline, while his good friend, Jean-Pierre Petit, runs the show in the upper-level kitchen.

The menu offers some classic French-style dishes, such as duck confit, steak au poivre, and seafood fricasee. In addition to its Parisian fare, Praline also presents less pretentious, but by no means at all any less appetizing entrées, including the bacon cheeseburger with fries (which is what I ordered); the spinach salad, with sliced pairs, crumbled blue cheese, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries; and the braised short ribs, served with red wine sauce and vegetables.

No French restaurant is complete without mouth-watering desserts to choose from. The selections includes the opera cake, pastries, brioche pudding, and crème brulee, all garnished deliciously with macaroons of various flavors.

Praline’s full bar and bakery is open seven days a week, and offers brunch on Sundays.

restaurants, Bethesda, MD, bakery, French food, bread, Tasting Journal