It's day fourteen (for me) in the A-Z blog challenge! This month I'm sharing all about my Christmas/New Year's travels to Canada – providing insight into the places I went, reviewing the hotels I stayed at, and telling my story. Today's letter is R for restaurants in Québec City and some of the best things to eat there. Feel free to follow along as I make my way through the alphabet this month! :)
As I mentioned yesterday, one of the first things we did after disembarking the Via Canada Rail train was to search out good food. We went through the tunnel linking our hotel to the convention center and eventually made our way to the…
As I mentioned yesterday, one of the first things we did after disembarking the Via Canada Rail train was to search out good food. We went through the tunnel linking our hotel to the convention center and eventually made our way to the…
Grande Allée
The Grande Allée sounded and looked more interesting than it actually was, but it turned out to be a great street to find a snack on.
First, we tried Tire Sur La Neige (maple taffy on snow). You can see my husband's initial reaction in the video above. In case it's not clear, we were given no instructions and were simply guessing. I also have no idea what they said to us in French, so if anyone wants to fill me in? ;)
and exploring our restaurant options…
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| Chez Ashton, a Canadian fast food chain known for their poutine |
With the numerous options we had on Grand Allée, we had a difficult time making a decision.
Eventually, we decided to try Grand Allée Taverne.
585 Grande Allée E,
Ville de Québec, QC G1R 2K4
Hours –
Mon-Tues: 3pm-3am
Wed-Fri: 11am-3am
Sat-Sun: 1pm-3am
For "snack" Justin and I ordered the Bitterballen (Beef and pork meatballs stuffed with sharp cheese, fresh herbs and white wine, breaded and served with Dijonnaise sauce) and poutine (fries with cheese curds, meat, and gravy).
Gotta be honest. My first poutine experience was definitely not 'love at first taste'. The cheese curds squeaked between my teeth giving the poutine an altogether odd eating experience. The Bitterballen were good, but I just wasn't feeling any of the food we had ordered. I don't want to dissuade my blog audience from visiting the Grand Allée Taverne though, because the staff was phenomenal. I think it was just one of those experiences where if you aren't used to the food, it just doesn't taste right to you. This doesn't mean it wasn't cooked right or isn't good.
And, to be fair, we cleaned both plates. (Do you see how much poutine is on that plate?!) Even without loving our snack, we were certainly full after our mid-afternoon snack.
Right outside Grand Allée Taverne was an ice bar that Justin and I didn't venture into…
It looked interesting and very decorative, but we just weren't feeling the idea of sitting outside in the cold with a drink in hand. We saved that experience for our trip to the Hôtel de Glace the next day (not that we knew we were going or even that they would have an ice bar!)
Instead, we opted to go indoors for our drink at Ciel, a rotating bar at the top of Hotel Le Concorde Québec.
Québec City, QC G1R 4W6
Hours –
Mon-Wed: 11:30am-10pm
Thurs-Fri: 11:30am-11pm
Sat: 9am-10pm
Sun: 9am-10pm
I tried a Québec champagne and Justin had one of the bar's signature drinks the Kir, crème de cassis topped with white wine. We sipped and enjoyed for the full hour that it took for the restaurant to make a complete 360º.
At the end of the hour, the sun had set and it was time to move on…
But where to? Everything was closed or closing! Lines for restaurants were long…
Except at Au Petit Coin Breton.
1029 Rue Saint-Jean,
Ville de Québec, QC G1R 1R6
Hours –
Mon-Wed: 7am-9pm
Thurs: 7am-10pm
Fri: 7am-11pm
Sat: 8am-10pm
Sun: 8am-9pm
We had first considered a stop at Le Casse-Crêpe Breton enjoying the prospect of delicious French food in the lovely French culture of Québec City, but when we saw the line, we moved on. Even though I can't say for certain which restaurant was better, we definitely enjoyed our experience at Au Petit Coin Breton.
As we waited in line behind one other couple, we watched the kitchen staff make crêpe after crêpe after crêpe. My husband, the chef in the household, got very jealous of how quickly and smoothly the crêpes came together for this small restaurant. I guess this shows how far practice can get you, right?
For dinner, Justin ordered the Benodet, a ham and asparagus crêpe with bechamel sauce while I had the Les Gratins with asparagus and a side of fries.
Dessert consisted of a crêpe covered in sugar filled with ice cream, strawberries, and maple butter. Yum!!!
Servers at Au Petit Coin Breton provide quite the experience running around in traditional uniforms (like this) from old-time Brittany, France. We especially enjoyed seeing them light a sparkler (served in a crêpe, of course) for a child's birthday. How fun is that!! :) It should be noted, however, that the people at Au Petit Coin Breton do not all speak English. If you go, you should have a decent understanding of French food words and not be too particular about adding or removing items from your meal.
The very last meal we ate at a restaurant in Québec City was at Lapin Sauté on our second and last day in the city.
52 Rue du Petit Champlain,
Ville de Québec, QC G1K 4H4
Hours –
Mon-Thurs: 11am-10pm
Fri: 11am-10:30pm
Sat-Sun: 11am-10pm
I had been looking forward to eating at this restaurant from the moment I booked our plane tickets to Montréal and Québec City. My plan was to split a French three-course meal with my husband. Only, as it turns out he had other ideas in mind…
Instead of splitting one three course meal, we split two!
Justin got the homemade maple-wood smoked duck breast, rabbit poutine, and two truffles with port wine.
I got the fondue (cheese with potatoes), a salad, and maple crème brûlée.
As good as the food here was, I ultimately decided that I didn't like it near as much as Au Petit Coin Breton. I think I'm just not into eating all of the animals…
Even though this is only a small selection of restaurants available in Québec City, I learned enough in our two days visiting Québec to realize that it would be a fantastic place for a foodie to go. There are so many choices available whether you are looking for traditional French cooking, Canadian poutine, or even considering a fancy restaurant with a beautiful view. I really don't think you can go wrong with any place you decide to eat at in Québec City!
Do any of these restaurants appeal to you? What types of foods would you seek out in a Canadian city with French roots?
