Quebec City Restaurants Recommendations

[Daniel]

Is Hotel 71 where Toast is.. I love that place.. The soup that has the brick bread baked over the top.. Oh baby.. It was an exact copy, as told by the chef, of some famous French Chefs recipe.. I would love to know whose it was..

There isnt plenty of room at S. Antoine if you want a fireplace.. The breakfast there was good last year.. Rabbit terrine for breakfast. good stuff.

[identifiler]

Toast is below hotel A Priori, which has a really nice terrasse in the summer. Hotel 71 is new, really new. Is owned by the same folks as Auberge St-Pierre.

Toast is really nice, although last time I went there, I had butter overdose.

[adegiulio]

Daniel, what a coincidence, we too will be staying at Auberge St. Antoine for New Years. We are heading up that way tomorrow and will be there till the third. My wife has all the details of our trip, so I am not sure where we are eating each night, but I am looking forward to it.

One annoying little sidenote is that the Winter Festival has been called off this year for lack of interest. My first time to Quebec and they cancel the festival...

[jfl91]

I will be at Utopie also for the 31st with Moose. I didn't look at the menu, I hope they are making something crazy!

[Daniel]

Daniel, what a coincidence, we too will be staying at Auberge St. Antoine for New Years. We are heading up that way tomorrow and will be there till the third. My wife has all the details of our trip, so I am not sure where we are eating each night, but I am looking forward to it.

One annoying little sidenote is that the Winter Festival has been called off this year for lack of interest. My first time to Quebec and they cancel the festival...

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Have a great time.. Not food related some of my favorite things to do there we dog sledding and they have this park where you can go inner tubing down a snowy slopes.. Our favorite Bar is right in walking distance to the hotel.. Walk up torwards Toast, make a left and walk down a half a block.. There is this little stone house that has a fire going.. Its really just so cute.. Unfortunately, I am still unable to fly due to ear problems.. I had to exchange Quebec for Philly..

Edited December 29, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[jfl91]

We canceled our dinner at L'Utopie because the menu was not interesting for us and we dicided to go at Laurie Raphael.

The food was really good at Laurie but the service and the wine pairing was desapointing.

[Lesley C]

You cancelled L'Utopie! where the service and wine pairings are brilliant!

[Daniel]

That is upsetting.. Laurie Raphael was such a wonderful New Years experience.. I was sad I missed it this year.. I am sorry that the service and wine was off.. I hope the food was at least impressive.

[jfl91]

The food was really good but deserts were just ok.

There was a really bad Riesling from Canada, a bad wine from Chili and who care about a LBV with a strawberry tart!

There was only 1 kinda of flat water (Naya) but our server poured Montpellier in our glasses and didn't say anything. The sommelier didn't say anything to us about the wines that were supposed to pair well with the menu.

I think the service is a general problem in Quebec while you don't see these kinda problems in the best restaurants in France and USA. Just little things like serving the plates to every people at the table at the same time is a minimum. Asking if we were interested for bread at our 4th service only, no towells to wash your hands in the toilets, Champagne was way too hot etc... I think Daniel is a great chef but his staff need a little training. Don't get me wrong, most of the people would not care about these little things but I think the best restaurant in Quebec city should be more class than this.

[jfl91]

Lesley, I love Utopie but for the 31st the menu was not interesting for me and my friends.

LA MISE EN BOUCHE :

une huître de Gaetan Dugas, vieille de 12 ans dite ‘Acadie royale’,

tartine de corail d’oursin à l’aquavit, gelée de pomme verte

Bourgogne, Chablis, Bel Air et Clardy, Alice et Olivier De Moor, 2003

PIGEON DE LA FERME TURLO,

boudin blanc truffé, trompettes de la mort, topinambours en chips,

maïs croquant éclaté

Languedoc, Collioure, La Goudie, Domaine de la Rectorie, 2004

LE SERVICE DE FOIE GRAS,

en supplément pour ceux qui le désir…

Languedoc, Rivesaltes Ambré, 4 ans, Domaine Rancy 8 $

LONGE D’AGNEAU DU KAMOURASKA,

crépine à l’orientale, armillaires à l’huile d’argane, rissole de tomates

séchées à la livèche, jus à l’ail confit

Rioja, Campillo, 1996

TOMME DE CHÈVRE DES JOYEUX FROMAGERS,

sirop de liège, feuilles de Bruxelles à l’huile de noix

Sud-Ouest, Jurançon sec, Cuvée Marie, Charles Hours, 2002

POIRE POCHÉE AU BEURRE CLARIFIÉ,

sorbet fraise des champs de la ferme du bon temps, tuile froissée au cacao

Loire, Ratafia de Pinot Noir, Les cailloux du Paradis

THÉ OU CAFÉ, MIGNARDISES

[Graphix]

hey everyone, i will be headed up to quebec city in the next two weeks, just looking for some good food and drink. On the college kid budget. doesnt have to be super cheap, but anything on the cheap eat/good value side would be great.

thanks

Brendan

[fireweed]

Ditto this request. We're there St-Jean weekend. Looking for great, affordable food in the Old City.

Thanks

[iharrison]

I really want to recommend L'Utopie and Laurie Raphael but they don't fall into your budget ranges.

Dommage.

[Csaville]

For excellent micro-brew beer and these weird but WONDERFUL hot dogs (excellent late night snack), go to L'Inox

http://www.inox.qc.ca/eng/eng_accueil.html

[Maltoni]

If you are still in Quebec City in a couple of weeks...

Keep an eye on this amazing and beautiful concept that will be opening soon on St .Jean street! it is called Boulangerie Paillard. This fellow invested tremendous amount of research,and has imported equipment from Germany,Belgium,Italy etc... he has gone as far as recruiting pastry chefs from France.

I had the opportunity in getting a sneak peak of his set up... I was impressed!! It gave me the impression of being at a Dean and Deluca.

[identifiler]

Thank you Maltoni, great info ! I am there next week, do you know in what area on St-Jean. Definitely some room for a boulangerie downtown, although I do not go on St-Jean too much during high season.

Reguarding food, good bets in Quebec city are not easy. In the evening, prices are fairly high. The challenge is to actually find a spot that will serve you decent food for the price. Stay away from anything in the old town, anything that has a front door pushers...

Best deals are offered at lunch time, the price difference is incredible. It is financed in part by...dinners.

For example, Utopie is a killer value for lunch.

By far the best deal in town for lunch and brunch is at Cafe du Clocher Penché, just beside Utopie.

Good street joint that just opened a few weeks ago, take out but they sit about 15 people (like a counter, but a sexy one), is Daruma 805 Cartier Street. It's a good Thai.

For drinking, I like to hang out at the terrasse of Inox, as mentionned above and also the bar Sacrilege for the musique.

The food and coffee and cafe Kriegof is decent, they also rent rooms there.

If you hang out in areas such as St-Roch or the Cartier Street area, you will likely get better than in the old town. For a bit pricier, I suggest going to Echaudé in the petit Champlain, just across Inox bar.

Pool tables, local beer and couscous with good music and potentially tango lessons are available at Les Salons d'Edgar on St-Vallier street. Go check out the market on week ends by the Port Marina, the market is small but has more growers and less distributors than in Montreal. Strawberry time.

Finally, hang over day is not secured before a trip at Pat Retro Hot Dog joint, the very original, in Sillery on Maguire street, just abover the terrible "cote de l'eglise". Be aware that next Saturday, le Tour de Beauce cycling cup will take over town with a criterium going around the city and the infamous hills between up town and down town. Best viewing spot should be above Gilmor Hill, just when the guys cough out their lungs.

[identifiler]

Forgot to mention that saddly, one of the coolest terrasse Quebec offered has closed after 20 more years. Bastille chez Bahaud closed it's door recently. That is a fine spot. I hope someone has the courage and ability to turn this place into something greater (and not one of those anonymous franchise bistro disaster).

[Brasco66]

Meals in Atlantic Canada recently....

"Rouge" in Moncton, NB-New place opened in November. Young, cocky chef, cooking , relatively uninspired, but well executed contempary cuisine. Good wine list and "nice" servers. Something new in Mocton which is a bit of a wasteland for cuisine...

"Restaurant 21" St. Johns, NF. Nice spot near the harbour serving contempoary Cuisine with lots of seafood with a regional flair. Although not on the menu the Chef was able to pull together Cod tongues and scrunchions with out any hassle. Standard wine list, good service.

"Talay Thai" Halifax-Amazing Thai food being offered here. Simple decor, but not tacky, decent service....but amazing authentic tastes at very reasonable prices. Good portion sizes.

The Thirsty Duck-Halifax-Under new ownership(again!) Decor has been up scaled to a very comfortable high end pub. Great apetizers...Calypso Wings, Duck Spring Rolls. Enjoyed it very much! Great new private room for parties etc.

Not the "Duck" of old, but definetly worth trying. What's old is new again!

BTW...in case you havn't heard....Tempest(featured in Opening Soon) in Wolfville NS had a devasting fire about a month ago. Chef Michael Howell has vowed to rebuild and reopen in the spring of 07.

Also..The acclaimed Dayboat in PEI, also featured on Opening Soon will be losing Chef Gordon Baily....yikes!

[Spiro]

A few more, just so people realise there's more around here than just Halifax .

The Inn at Bay Fortune in PEI, where Michael Smith filmed his first TV series. We were there this past summer, and the food is fabulous.

Caribbean Flavas in Fredericton was recently recognised as the best restaurant in New Brunswick. Definitely the best-done fish around, but beware that they don't serve alcohol.

The Palate in Fredericton is just plain good food done right. Sandwiches, soup, salad at lunch, and more upscale dishes at dinner. They know their wine, too.

I'm Fredericton-biased, so won't go on about the restaurants here. I'll just say that the situation has dramatically improved in the last few years.

[Brasco66]

Thanks Spiro....I'll have to get to Fredericton soon....What do you know about Racine's...I've heard the desserts are good?

[Spiro]

Thanks Spiro....I'll have to get to Fredericton soon....What do you know about Racine's...I've heard the desserts are good?

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I've yet to give Racine's a fair chance. Went there once, but my wife was too sick to stay (nothing related to the restaurant; she just tries to hide the fact that she has the flu sometimes). We've never had occasion to go back. I do hear that their lunch is good (soup, sandwiches, etc.), but haven't heard anything about their desserts.

[Overlordofpastry]

Has anyone tried the desserts at the Crowne Plaza Fredericton? I am the pastry chef and I have been there for about 6 months now. Everyone tells me I am the only pastry chef in Fredericton and I have been getting alot of great response to my desserts so far.

[Brasco66]

Has anyone tried the desserts at the Crowne Plaza Fredericton? I am the pastry chef and I have been there for about 6 months now. Everyone tells me I am the only pastry chef in Fredericton and I have been getting alot of great response to my desserts so far.

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Sorry haven't been to the CP in freddy....but it's nice to know that they have a Pastry Chef...so many Hotels no longer have on edue to the preponderance of ready to serve IQF desserts and sauces.

Where were you before? Where did you train/go to school?

Good luck.

[Spiro]

Has anyone tried the desserts at the Crowne Plaza Fredericton? I am the pastry chef and I have been there for about 6 months now. Everyone tells me I am the only pastry chef in Fredericton and I have been getting alot of great response to my desserts so far.

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We ate in the Maverick Room two Sundays ago, and will be there again this Thursday. We did have dessert, and everyone was very impressed. Sorry I don't remember the details, but this is after pre-dinner cocktails, a couple of bottles of wine, and port.

I'll probably have more of my wits about me this Thursday, so I'll try to take more notice.

BTW, I'm so glad that Crowne Plaza are taking the dining experience seriously. I met the chef at More than Martinis, and he had a really optimistic and receptive attitude. You guys are definitely filling a void in Fredericton's scene, IMO.

[Overlordofpastry]

I am from Toronto but I worked in Montreal for about 5 years before I came here to Fredericton. I worked in several places, alot of restaurants and I was the opening pastry chef for the W hotel in Montreal.

I was at the More than Martinis event, I think I had just started a month earlier. I was the one making cotton candy and the raspberry s'mores. It was alot of work, I think I had made over 1000 mini pastries for that day and they all were gone in a few hours.