On the very successful heels of his Middletown bakery, Le Bec Sucré, Barnaby Quinn opened its savory sister, Le Bec Salé, just 50 feet away in March 2024. Now with two establishments, you could grab pastries at the former, then stop by neighboring Le Bec Salé to pick up sandwiches, quiche, soup or salad.

Quinn physically built both eateries and now he builds the new business with his culinary creations in the same captivating way that the bread and pastries at Le Bec Sucré have been selling out since its opening in March 2020.

Most sandwiches at Salé use Sucré’s unusual charcoal-infused baguette (a smoother crumb for re-baking, according to Quinn). And their toppings are all house-made, from sauces and pickles to roasted eggplant and herbs de Provence–marinated roast beef.

Quinn is an enthusiastic and self-taught chef, with fond food memories from a Scottish grandmother and a French grandmother.

He notes that Le Bec Salé’s sandwiches are the most popular because “if you marry great ingredients with outstanding bread, you can’t go wrong.” But the daily classic French potage parmentier—a cream-based, garlic-infused potato-leek soup—as well as the quiche, croque monsieur and focaccia pizza variations, are also quite tempting. You could even top off a savory lunch with a sweet such as tiramisu or pot au chocolat. (And to note, baguettes and viennoiseries from next door are also available at Salé.)

700 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown. 401.662.0448; LeBecSucreRI.com

Johnette Rodriguez is a food, travel and arts writer published in Yankee, Saveur, The Boston Globe, SO Rhode Island and The Westerly Sun.