No special occasion coming up? A meal at Lallande will turn any evening into a fine-dining event.

Just make your reservation far enough ahead. I tried to book a table for three a week in advance to celebrate a friend’s birthday on a Thursday night and could only get a 4:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. slot, and picked the earlier time.

There was one other party in the intimate, elegant restaurant then, and our engaging server took a lot of time explaining Lallande’s menu and concept.

Our meal started with an unusual amuse bouche, large round slices of raw kohlrabi with an interesting miso chili sauce on the side.

The tarte flambée ($18) was a generous starter, but was quickly upstaged by stronger subsequent dishes. The rectangular, whole wheat flatbread, was topped with fabulous roasted squash, kale, goat cheese, pepitas and sumac. The flatbread glistened from homemade crème frâiche.

The leeks in vinaigrette ($12) showcased that vegetable by honoring a French dish, and it was delicious in an understated way, topped with parsley and chives.

Maria’s Brussels sprouts ($13) also got a subtle treatment with a hot bacon dressing that was lighter than it sounds. The sprouts were small enough to be left whole, and cooked perfectly al dente. The dish is named for Maria N. Vue of Xiong’s Tasty Produce, a Dane County Farmers’ Market vendor, and it will come off the menu soon, when Maria stops harvesting Brussels.

The scallops Coquille St. Jacques ($42) were fabulous, the highlight of the meal. Instead of being served with mashed potatoes like they are elsewhere, here they were buried in a creamy brandy-infused mushroom sauce, with parsley, gruyere and breadcrumbs. A chopped kale salad came on the side.

The croque monsieur ($18) was stuffed with ham and Grand Cru cheese, which is like gruyere, and topped with a layer of broiled Grand Cru and Mornay sauce. A lot of effort goes into this sandwich. Maitri said they toast the bread on a flat top, smear it with the Mornay sauce, grill the meat, put it together, warm it in the oven, then put it in the broiler to crisp the top. “So, it hits three heat sources,” she said. It was served with fantastic, thin, homemade potato chips.

The French martini ($13) with vodka, Chambord and pineapple had a plump raspberry suspended in the center of a dainty martini glass. The cocktail was strong and crisp.

While we were finishing dinner, Maitri stepped away from the dramatic open kitchen and told us a little bit about herself. The restaurant is named for her grandmother, Lorraine Lallande deGravelle.

Maitri, the daughter of a military fighter pilot, was born in Japan and grew up all over the place. She moved to Madison from Baltimore because her children’s father was from Wisconsin. Maitri said she came here “kicking and screaming,” and now can’t imagine living anywhere else.

When she reflects on her childhood, she pictures her mother and father together in the kitchen. She said it’s where she saw them shine, “and they gave that to me.”

They took care of people, whether it was family or guests, and that’s what she’s trying to do at the restaurant, Maitri said.

Lallande will be closed Jan. 1-10 while Maitri, Pavlovich and her three children, two in college and one at West High School, are in France. Last year they were in Paris, and this time they’ll be in Marseille and Leon. Maitri called the trip “work and pleasure.”

The restaurant, with floor-to-ceiling windows, opened in August in the former Crescendo Espresso Bar + Music Cafe, and shares a wall with Bloom. The room was packed and buzzing by 6:30 p.m., as my friends and I were looking over the dessert menu.

We were interrupted by our server, who brought over a thick, complimentary slice of Bloom’s chocolate mocha layer cake for my friend’s birthday, and it was big enough for all of us to share. That cake was not on the dessert menu, but for comparison, a chocolate ganache tart with raspberry coulis was $12. 

With our bill we were given a wax paper bag of French sable cookies made with almond flour that were sealed with a Bloom sticker. We appreciated that both the cake and the cookies weren’t overly sweet.

Maitri said it was important to her that the bakery staff feel Lallande is their sister restaurant. She loves the synergy the restaurant has with Bloom’s bakers, who make the bread, crackers, cookies and cakes for Lallande.

We were also given a postcard with Lallande’s logo that our server said restaurant staff would send anywhere in the world, an unusual, charming offer.

Maitri said postcards go all over Wisconsin and Illinois, but they’ve also been sent to India, Australia, Paris and London. “I just feel like we’re sending joy, like when we go down on the corner to the mailbox right by Neuhauser (Pharmacy), where we drop them in every night.”

Once you eat at Lallande, you’ll want to spread the word, too.