Does escargot refer to freshwater snails or saltwater? Or perhaps both?
They eat land snails, so neither. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_pomatia
Is Français plural here?
Correct.
Masculine Singular = Français. Masculine (or Masc+Fem) Plural = Français. Feminine Singular = Française. Feminine Plural = Françaises
Yes. Notice the plural "certains". Other context will also be a clue, i.e., it's not "un certain xxx" (singular) but as a plural determinant before a noun, the noun must be plural as well.