Happy Birthday Julia Child!

Today, August 15th, Julia Child would have been 98 years old.

In celebration of this culinary matriarch, Sur la Table displayed antique European cookware that was discovered on a recent trip to Paris. Some pieces dating back to the 18th century. Checkout the beautiful photos here.

I decided to pay homage to Julia Child by going to Praline, a French restaurant in Bethesda, for brunch. While the intentions were good, the food was not and I am certain Julia Child would have been in tears.

After living across the street from Praline for almost a year, my boyfriend and I decided it was time to try out this French restaurant we walked by almost every day.

We were extremely disappointed. The decor and seating were comfortable and the service was prompt; however, the food was not acceptable. My boyfriend ordered the chicken pot pie. Perhaps I am used to Midwestern cooking because in my mind a chicken pot pie is supposed to have a flaky crust surrounding the contents inside. Praline's version of a chicken pot pie was essentially a bowl of chicken soup with a hard and dry pastry top. The contents of the chicken pot pie were good and the chicken tender but we could not get over the lack of crust that is essential for any pot pie.

I ordered the Belgian waffle, which came with homemade whipped creme and strawberry sauce. The whipped cream lacked flavor and the strawberry sauce tasted old. The waffle was not buttery and was overcooked. I ate only a couple of bites before pushing my plate away because I could not justify eating something that tasted so horrible.

My suspicion is that the food we received was not made to order. Our food came out only five minutes after ordering, making it seem like they merely heated up our dishes in a warming tray.

The pastries are not bad and I would recommend the bakery to anyone looking for a unique dessert.

Praline is located at:
4611 Sangamore Road
Bethesda, MD 20816

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To make up for a severely disappointing meal, I plan on watching Julie & Julia. I'm sure even Meryl Streep could make a better meal than what was served to us today.

"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate."
~Julia Child