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Canada Wrap-Up – Beer, Shawarma, Bagels, and Sugar Pie

Thursday, July 11th, 2013 by virginia

In addition to imbibing on some great wines over the weekend, we tasted a few local brews in both Quebec City and Montreal. At Le Sacrilege in Quebec City, we tried the blonde, red, and white beers. Josh loved the refreshing crispness of the blonde, while I thought the finish on the red was a bit too bland. It did have an interesting coffee flavor component to it that I didn’t expect. The white beer was a hefeweizen with a strong wheat flavor. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it was freezing outside and I typically associate hefeweizens with summertime. It was served with both a lemon and a lime wedge.

In Montreal, our bar of choice, Brutopia on Crescent Street, was way too crowded for us to bring J in, so we settled for Les 3 Brasseurs, which is much bigger and had space for us and J’s stroller at the front of the bar. Les 3 Brasseurs looks like a chain restaurant, but they do brew their own beer (the name translates to The 3 Brewers). We tried the brown and the amber. The amber packed a decent punch, but the brown was slightly disappointing. It had won a few awards so we were expecting a bit more complexity in flavor.

After leaving Les 3 Brasseurs, we walked up Crescent Street towards Amir for a late night snack of shawarma and shish taouk. It was always our post-drinking destination back in college when we would visit Montreal. We got one of each on pita and took it back to our hotel room, where we ate it with the leftover pied de cochon. Sadly, the sandwiches were not as good as I remembered. The beef shawarma was a bit too spiced for my liking, but Josh enjoyed it. The shish taouk (chicken shawarma) was always my favorite, but this time I found it exceedingly dry and under seasoned. The garlic mayo was bland, and the pickled vegetables were sparse. I was disappointed, but I’m sure there are other places to get better shawarma and shish taouk in the city. Amir was just a nostalgic place for us to visit.

Shish taouk and shawarma pitas from Amir

We finished up our Canadian adventure with a few Montreal-style bagels from two famed locations: St-Viateur Bagel Shop and Fairmount Bagel. The Fairmount Bagel shop had a fairly long line when we were there, though it moved quickly. We were in and out of the store in just a few minutes (even though Josh had to run out and find an ATM since it’s cash only). We picked up an everything, a chocolate chip, and a caraway seed bagel to eat in the car on our way home.

The St-Viateur Bagel Shop, on the other hand, was mostly empty. The production is a bit more impressive there though, as it is easier to watch the bagels being made in the back. Josh ran in and picked up an everything and a rosemary bagel for us to share.

So which bagels did we prefer? Fairmount, hands down. They seemed fresher and chewier, with a better crust. The dough also tasted more seasoned, with good flavor throughout. While I liked the everything bagel the best (it’s our baseline bagel), I was particularly intrigued by the chocolate chip bagel. The chocolate chips added a slight sweetness to the savory dough but it was far from being a dessert. I haven’t seen chocolate chip bagels here in NYC/NJ, and I wish there were some around so I could eat them more frequently! Josh loved the caraway bagel, as he is into anything caraway (particularly caraway-flavored spirits, ie., Brennivin).

Everything bagel, chocolate chip bagel, and caraway seed bagel from Fairmount Bagels

The St-Viateur bagels were blander, with a drier texture that gave it a stale quality. Even the everything bagel was lacking in taste, as the toppings didn’t do much to help the flavorless dough. The rosemary bagel at least had rosemary running throughout the dough, so I preferred that one. But these bagels were a disappointment compared to Fairmount (although neither place stacked up to our favorite bagel shop in NJ).

Everything bagel and rosemary bagel from St-Viateur Bagel

The last item we picked up for our car ride home was sugar pie. I had read about it when researching Quebecois specialties, and I had wanted to try it at Au Pied de Cochon but we ran out of time and stomach room. I googled a place to buy it and came up with La Foumagerie, a specialty cheese shop/cafe in Westmount, just outside the city. Josh ran in to pick some up for us, and came back with two individually wrapped slices. He said the woman behind the counter was reluctant to sell it to him by the slice because it was the last pie left (I guess they mostly sell whole pies), but luckily for us, she eventually acquiesced.

I unwrapped one and dug in immediately. It was sweet and maple-y, just as I expected. It’s basically a pie filled with soft, crumbly, maple sugar candy. The fresh slice was slightly gooey, dripping out sticky streams of maple syrup. We saved the second slice for later, and by that point, the syrup was more incorporated in the filling and no longer drippy. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed both slices. It was not cloyingly sweet, but had more of a caramelized maple sugar flavor.

Slice of sugar pie

The drive home went by quickly, and thus ended our little Canadian adventure. The trip was a success overall, as we got to try a lot of great food and we handled Baby J pretty well on our own. Hopefully there will be a lot more travel in our future!

View of Quebec City at sunset

Notre Dame in Montreal

Le Sacrilege
447 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada

Les 3 Brasseurs
1356 St-Catherine St. W.
Montreal, Canada

Amir
1333 Boulevard De Maisonneuve Ouest
Montreal, Canada

Fairmount Bagel
74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest
Montreal, Canada

St-Viateur Bagel
263 Rue Saint Viateur Ouest
Montreal, Canada

La Foumagerie
4906 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Westmount, Canada

Tags: Bagels, Bars, Canada, Desserts, Montreal, Quebec City
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Au Pied de Cochon – Montreal

Monday, July 8th, 2013 by virginia

When Josh and I first discussed going to Montreal and Quebec City, I immediately said that we would have to eat at Au Pied de Cochon, a restaurant famous for its decadent stuffed pig’s foot and foie gras poutine. Fortunately, we were able to get a somewhat last minute reservation on Saturday night, our only night in Montreal. The downside was that the only reservation we could get was at 5 pm, when the restaurant first opens. Nevertheless, we prepared for our meal by eating a lighter lunch and taking a long walk from our hotel near Crescent Street to the Old City, and then up through the Latin Quarter to the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood where the restaurant is located.

We weren’t quite sure how long the walk would take in total, as we wanted to take a few pics around the Old City first, plus we knew we would have to push J’s stroller up quite a long hill to get to restaurant. We actually timed it pretty well and arrived at about 4:45. By this point, however, J was hungry, slightly chilly (it was a windy day), and just wanted to be out of her stroller. We attempted to enter the restaurant but were immediately rebuffed. The hostess told us they didn’t open until 5, and then shut and locked the door. I guess they are sticklers for punctuality, but we were hoping they would take pity on a 6 month old baby and let us wait in the narrow entry way so that we wouldn’t have to stand out in the cold for 15 minutes. No such luck.

Instead, we walked to the street corner where there was a little patch of sun and a place where Josh could sort of sit on a giant planter while he held J on his lap. She was definitely happy to be out of her stroller, and I fed her some banana while we waited, which appeased her even more. Finally the 15 minutes were up, the door was unlocked, and we headed back inside. Our initial irritation at the hostess’ seemingly lack of sympathy for our situation soon dissipated, as she was very accommodating in helping us store J’s stroller behind her stand (there really isn’t much room to maneuver in the restaurant, as the tables are packed tightly together), and then helping us carry J’s car seat to our table (Josh was still holding J while I was laden down with the diaper bag and other assorted baby-related items that I pulled from the stroller). They had given us a four top near the bar, so we had plenty of room for J’s car seat and to spread out our stuff.

I had studied the menu extensively and read lots of reviews prior to our trip, so I knew which entrees I wanted us to try – the namesake stuffed pied de cochon with foie gras, and the duck in a can. Based on my research, I knew this would already be way more food than either of us could eat, so I was wary of ordering any appetizers or sides (so no foie gras poutine, sadly), but we ended up getting an order of bison temaki to share. Josh ordered a bottle of red wine, and we sipped on that while snacking on the fabulous baguette they brought us, which had a crispy, crackly crust and a chewy interior. It was the best baguette we had on our trip.

Bread and wine

The bison temaki is a pretty ingenious dish – it’s bison tartare served in a sushi hand roll style. The raw bison meat is chopped up and rolled in nori (seaweed) with some rice, lettuce, and fried root vegetable strips. The roll is topped with a quail egg sauce that you pour over the meat. It was fresh, well seasoned, and a great mix of interesting flavors and textures. The bison was not super gamey, and quail egg added a lovely richness to the meat. Two hand rolls came in our order, and while one was beautifully presented, the other was falling apart. The nori had snapped in that one, and it was a bit sloppily assembled. I was kind of surprised by the haphazard presentation but nevertheless, the bison temaki was a great dish, and definitely whetted our appetites for the rest of the meal.

Bison temaki

Of the dishes I read about, the duck in a can definitely was one of the more debated entrees. Some loved it, others hated it. I couldn’t help but want to find out for myself. It’s basically half a duck breast, foie gras, balsamic sauce, cabbage, roasted garlic, and thyme, all cooked together inside an actual sealed can. The waiter brings the can to the table, opens it with a can opener, and pours out the contents onto a plate for you.

The waiter opening up the can of duck

The duck itself was perfectly pink on the inside, but I found the meat to be tough. The skin also doesn’t have an opportunity to render, so it’s thick with fat, which some people love. I’m not averse to eating fat, especially when it melts in my mouth, but I thought this fat was unpleasantly tough and congealed. The foie gras was a bit lost in the dish, which was also disappointing. The cabbage and sauce were ok, but nothing spectacular, in my opinion. Overall I was on the side that thinks this dish is more of a gimmick, while Josh said it wasn’t that bad.

Duck in a can out of the can

The stuffed pied de cochon was a HUGE platter of food. I knew the portion would be large, but I was surprised by just how big it was. As we’re still New Yorkers at heart, we had to compare it to the size of a Metrocard.

The stuffed pied de cochon vs. a Metrocard

I mistakenly thought the pig’s foot was stuffed with foie gras, but that wasn’t the case. There was a big piece of seared foie gras on top though, which I was happy to see. The pig’s foot was really more of a pig’s leg, as there was more shank meat than gelatinous cartilage under the fried outer layer. Those of you who are averse to eating foot would be happy to know that! However, I absolutely adore pig’s foot, so I was pretty sad to only find bits of cartilage here and there. The pied de cochon was served on top of a mountain of mashed potatoes and tons of mushrooms and veggies. I barely made a dent in the dish, though I did manage to finish off all the foie gras (of course). It was a hearty, homey dish, but not refined or composed. Still, it was pretty delicious, especially if I got a piece of foie gras, some crispy skin, and both shank and foot meat all in one bite.

Stuffed pied de cochon with foie gras

After we were finished eating, I asked for the rest of my dish to be packed up. The waiter seemed a bit surprised but he still complied with my request. The round foil container was packed to the brim and must have weighed about three pounds! Since we were eating so early, I knew I would want a snack later that evening, especially after we had a few drinks. I was definitely happy with my decision to take the rest back to our hotel, and it tasted even better later after all of the ingredients had time to meld together (even though it was cold, as there was no microwave in our room).

When Josh made the reservation, they told him that each seating is for two hours. At this point, it was almost 7 pm, meaning our time was up. The hostess had already walked by our table several times to check up on our status. I was sort of interested in ordering sugar pie for dessert, having never tasted it before, but I was pretty full and also didn’t want to go over our allotted time as I knew people would be waiting. The restaurant was packed (it filled up almost immediately after they opened), and there were lots of people standing in the entryway. Plus J had already taken a nap during our meal and was starting to get fussy. So we quickly got our check, gathered our belongings, and headed out. One of the people waiting for our table actually helped us carry our stuff out, as there really wasn’t much room to walk. J’s hat got lost in the shuffle, and the hostess helped us track it down under our table while we waited.

Overall I thought Au Pied de Cochon was an interesting experience. There is a lot of hype surrounding the restaurant, and maybe I expected more from it because of that. The food wasn’t bad, but it didn’t knock my socks off. The bison temaki was definitely a high point – it was a well composed, interesting dish, despite the sloppy plating. The stuffed pied de cochon was tasty, but in a rustic way. I was not impressed with the duck in a can, but Josh thinks I’m overreacting. The restaurant is also pretty expensive, though dishes are big enough to share. However, we weren’t able to take advantage of that with just the two of us. I would have liked to try more items, but the cost was prohibitive and I didn’t want to waste food by ordering more than we could conceivably eat. Dinner for the two of us, with just one appetizer, two entrees, and a bottle of wine, was about $265. To be fair, our entrees were some of the most expensive items ($40+) on the menu, and there are plenty of things in the $25 range. Josh also picked an expensive bottle of wine, but beer and cheaper wines are available.

In terms of service, we were pretty annoyed initially when they wouldn’t let us into the restaurant 15 minutes early to wait with the baby. However, the hostess did seem much nicer after the doors opened at 5 pm, and she was very helpful when it came to managing all of our belongings. Our waiter took a pretty casual approach when dealing with us, but he wasn’t rude or unfriendly. Our water and wine glasses were always filled, and someone promptly brought us hot water to heat up J’s bottle when we asked. The atmosphere of the restaurant is pretty bustling. It’s loud and chaotic, but everyone seems to be having a great time while eating and drinking. I was worried that it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to bring a baby, but most people didn’t notice when J cried due to the inherent noisiness of the restaurant.

So what’s my final verdict? I’m not sure. I was a bit disappointed when we left, especially since we had some great food the previous night at Le Moine Echanson in Quebec City (and the seared foie gras there was much better), but I also wished that we had been able to taste more of the menu. I’d like to go back with a big group so that we could share lots of dishes, and maybe I’ll have a different impression of the restaurant. I’ll have to hold off on whether or not I’d recommend the restaurant until then.

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Avenue Duluth Est
Montreal, Canada

Tags: Canada, Duck, Foie Gras, French, Montreal, Pork, Tartare
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Schwartz’s – Montreal

Thursday, June 13th, 2013 by virginia

After spending two nights in Quebec City, we headed to Montreal to finish up our little Canadian adventure. We didn’t leave quite as early in morning as we would have liked, plus we ended up hitting some traffic on the highway, so we got to the city a bit later than we intended, around 1 pm. Since we had a 5 pm reservation at Au Pied de Cochon later that day, we were hungry but didn’t want to fill up too much before our highly anticipated dinner. Instead of going to our hotel first, we headed straight for Schwartz’s, a famed Montreal deli, and picked up some smoked meat sandwiches to go.

There was a line of people waiting to be seated in the restaurant, but we found a parking spot and Josh was able to run in to the takeout counter and get two sandwiches right away. They were already prepared and wrapped up in wax paper, so I hoped they were still fresh. We took them to our hotel and ate them immediately after we got to our room.

Smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz’s

The sandwiches were a decent size – not overstuffed like the crazy big sandwiches at Carnegie Deli, but still piled high with a good amount of meat. There was mustard on the bread already, so I guess it comes standard, since no one asked Josh if he wanted any. That suited us fine, as we both like mustard on our deli sandwiches, but I’m not sure what happens if you don’t want mustard. The bread was still soft but not soggy, which is a good sign that the sandwiches were recently made at least. However, the small size of the bread was pretty laughable compared to the amount of meat. It did a pretty bad job containing the sandwich, and I ended up with basically a fistful of meat with no bread about halfway through.

It didn’t really matter in the end, as the smoked meat was the star of the sandwich anyway. It was tender and had a good amount of fattiness to it, which prevented it from getting too dry. It tasted like a cross between pastrami and corned beef, with lots of spices crusted on the outside and a subtle smokey/cured flavor on the inside. It wasn’t overly salty, as I sometimes find deli meats to be, and I especially enjoyed the pop of the crushed peppercorns in the seasoning.

Smoked meat up close

Overall Josh and I both liked the smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz’s, although I do wish that the bread to meat ratio was a bit better. Maybe if we get take out next time, we should order the meat by the pound and get bread separately, so that we could construct our own sandwiches. That would also allow us to tailor the amount of mustard to our preferences. Nevertheless, the sandwich was satisfying and the smoked meat itself was a treat. At about $7 per sandwich, it wasn’t a bad deal either. I’d definitely recommend stopping by to taste one of Montreal’s most famous smoked meat destinations.

Schwartz’s
3895 St Laurent Blvd
Montreal, Canada

Tags: Canada, Deli, Montreal, Smoked Meat
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Le Moine Echanson – Quebec City

Sunday, May 26th, 2013 by virginia

After having a few pre-dinner beers at Bar Le Sacrilege on Rue Saint-Jean (yes, we brought the baby to a bar), we walked down the street to our dinner destination, Le Moine Echanson. The restaurant looks small from the outside, and it being a Friday night, we were worried about not being able to get in. Fortunately, there was a table available right by the door with a nook on one side that allowed us to keep J’s stroller pulled up next to us. The restaurant itself is broken up into smaller rooms, so there are actually more seats/tables than we originally thought.

There is no physical menu at Le Moine Echanson – what’s available is written on a board posted in the restaurant, and it changes seasonally. The menu was entirely in French, however, which posed a bit of a problem for us. Luckily we had a really great waiter who explained every dish to us and answered any questions we had about the preparation.

The wine list is also written on a huge board on the wall. Josh and I were planning to split a bottle but our waiter recommended that we order by the glass, and that he could pair a wine with each of our dishes. All the wines were reasonably priced by the glass, ranging mostly from $9-$12 each, so that seemed like a great option. All of the wines at the restaurant are “natural”, something that we don’t have a lot of experience with. I’m not sure I could distinguish the difference between a natural or unnatural wine, but nevertheless, the wines our waiter paired for us were mostly pretty good.

Our meal got off to a good start with half a loaf of some rustic bread that had a crispy crust and a soft, fluffy interior. The butter on the side was rich and creamy, a perfect complement.

Good bread and butter

This was a rare meal where Josh and I did not go halfsies, although we did taste each other’s dishes. I started off with creme brulee de foie gras, something right up my alley, if my Valentine’s Day present is any indication. The base of the dish was a smooth foie gras custard that was thick and creamy. It had a subtle liver flavor and was very rich and savory. The brulee aspect of the dish was actually a maple caramel on top of the custard that had crunchy sugar crystals in it. There was a whipped cream on top, though I wasn’t sure what it was flavored with; it mostly tasted like whipped butter and was a bit much on its own, but digging my spoon through all three layers yielded a fantastic mix of salty and sweet. I also liked all the different textures, and I found the dish to be incredibly creative, turning a dessert into a savory appetizer but still keeping some of the sweet elements. Our waiter paired the creme brulee with a sweet pinot gris that was like a dessert wine – very rich and sweet. I thought the pairing was great, as the sweetness of the wine was a good counterpart to the savoriness of the foie gras.

Foie gras creme brulee

Josh ordered sausage on toasted bread, which was served with arugula, citrus marmalade, nuts, and a soft cheese. It was an interesting dish with lots of different textures, flavors, and hidden layers, although there wasn’t a lot of sausage on the board. Each bite yielded something different. This dish was paired with a chardonnay that was pretty traditional in taste, buttery, but still light.

Sausage on toasted bread

For my main course, I had even more foie gras. The dish was goose three ways – breast, confit, and foie gras. It was awesome, probably the best dish we had all weekend. The foie gras was out of this world. Perfectly seared, lightly seasoned, it was crispy on the outside and literally melted in my mouth. I don’t know if goose foie gras is superior to duck foie gras, but whatever the case, this was some of the best foie gras I’ve ever eaten. The breast was also seared nicely with browned skin, a melty layer of fat, and juicy, tender meat. It was still slightly pink, which I prefer. The dark meat confit was mixed around underneath with the scalloped potatoes in a pool of glorious goose fat. There was an arugula salad on top that provided a shot of acidity to cut through all the fat. It was definitely a rich dish, but not greasy or too heavy, and I had no trouble finishing most of the dish. It was paired with a syrah that was full bodied enough to stand up to the richness of the goose, and had an interesting “funky” flavor to it. By funky, I don’t mean bad. It was earthy, tasting almost unfiltered. Maybe that’s what natural wines are supposed to be like?

Goose three ways – breast, confit, foie gras

Josh had pork shank for his entree. It was crusted with lots of different seasonings, and the meat was tender and juicy on the inside, falling apart easily with just the pull of his fork. The shank was served with a potato tart and some arugula on the side. It was paired with a gamay wine that was very different from the syrah, much lighter and fruitier in flavor.

Crusted pork shank

We were pretty full after our appetizers and entrees so we passed on dessert. Josh got a glass of dessert wine that was actually chardonnay. It was really interesting, as neither of us ever knew chardonnay could be a dessert wine. It was sweet but not cloying, and had an intense raisin flavor to it. Josh liked it a lot and took a picture of the bottle with his phone; hopefully we can find it here in the US, or something similar.

Overall we really, really enjoyed our meal at Le Moine Echanson. In retrospect, it was the best meal of our trip, and we would go back there in a heartbeat. The food was fabulous, the vibe was casual and intimate, and service was great. Our waiter was extremely friendly and helpful, as was the rest of the staff. The waitress who took over at the end of the waiter’s shift let Josh taste several dessert wines before he settled on the chardonnay. It’s the type of place that lets you feel at home, letting you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the good food and wine. Prices were pretty reasonable for the quality of food that we received. It wasn’t cheap, but not overly expensive either. Our meals plus five glasses of wine came out to about $155 after tax and tip, and it was definitely worth it. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in Quebec City.

Le Moine Echanson
585 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada

Tags: Canada, Foie Gras, Goose, Pork, Quebec City
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Chez Ashton – Quebec City

Thursday, May 16th, 2013 by virginia

One food that I really enjoy every time we’re in Montreal is poutine, or french fries with gravy and cheese curds. I knew going into our trip that we probably wouldn’t have time for any poutine in Montreal, since we were only spending one night there, so I looked up places to eat it in Quebec City. Overwhelmingly, all my research pointed us to Chez Ashton.

I was a bit hesitant since Chez Ashton is a fast food chain, but the reviews of the poutine were mostly positive. Plus there was a branch just down the street from our hotel, so on our way back after touring the Old City, we stopped in to pick up a poutine snack. We ordered the “regular” size, which is actually the largest size. Medium is “mini”, and small is “baby”. At just under $10 for the regular, it’s a bit pricier than what you would expect from a fast food chain, but it was a pretty hefty pile of food. We took it to go, and it was served in a large round foil container, absolutely packed to the brim with fries, gravy, and curds.

The “regular” size poutine

Fortunately, since it was such a short walk back to our hotel, the poutine was still piping hot when we opened it up, and it hadn’t steamed in the container for too long. The fries were still crispy on the outside, and the curds were warm and soft but still squeaky, which meant they were fresh. And boy, were there a lot of curds in the dish, more than I’ve ever seen before on any poutine. They were huge too, with most pieces thicker than the french fries. Josh and I actually aren’t really fans of the squeaky curds- we prefer the cheese on our poutine to be more melted and gooey, but the curds do add an interesting textural and flavor component to the dish.

Tons of squeaky curds on the poutine

The gravy on the poutine was actually really delicious – just the right amount of saltiness and a meaty, savory flavor. I wished there was more of it, because it eventually all got soaked into the french fries, which made the dish a bit dry. The fries did end up losing their crispiness midway through, but they were never really soggy. We managed to eat about two-thirds of the container before calling it quits – it was definitely a huge portion. Perhaps next time we’ll go with the mini size instead.

Overall, I really liked the poutine from Chez Ashton. The website boasts that everything is made fresh, and it really seemed to be as such. The fries were the right size to stand up to the gravy and curds, not too thick or thin, and tasted like real potatoes, not the frozen variety. There were plenty of fresh cheese curds on top, and the gravy was really flavorful. Maybe next time I’ll ask for some extra gravy on the side, to help avoid the dryness issue once the fries soak up all the gravy in the container. I would definitely recommend the poutine here, and it’s probably even better after a few drinks!

Chez Ashton (multiple locations)
640 Grande Allée E
Quebec City, Canada

Tags: Canada, Fries, Poutine, Quebec City
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Cafe de la Paix – Quebec City

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 by virginia

Cafe de la Paix was not one of the restaurants I had researched prior to our trip – we sort of stumbled upon it when we were looking for a place to eat a late lunch and get out of the rain. We had finished up most of the Old City and had wound our way down the hill to the port area, near Rue Saint-Paul, when the sky just opened up and started pouring heavy rain and wet snow. We had already been looking for a lunch spot at that point, but there wasn’t much in that particular part of the city. We even tried to duck into a sandwich shop only to discover they had literally just one sandwich remaining, and it was pre-packaged in the refrigerator.

J was obviously not a happy camper, especially because in addition to the rain and snow, the wind was blowing like crazy (she hates wind). I even had to close my umbrella for fear that it would be ripped out of my hands and fly away due to the force of the wind. Fortunately, we had a plastic rain cover for her car seat, bought specifically for this trip with the weather in mind. It wasn’t the greatest cover but definitely served its purpose in keeping her dry. So with the rain pouring down on us, we booked it back up the hill to the main part of the Old City, hoping to find a French-style cafe or pub. Josh really wanted a croque monsieur, and I didn’t want to settle for just any old restaurant.

The rain slowed down a bit so we bypassed a hamburger joint (called the Chic Shack – haha!), a Chinese restaurant, and a “European” bar that served pub food (but no croque monsieurs). Unfortunately, J was getting hungry herself and was starting to get even more upset so we ended up entering the next restaurant we saw. It was a French restaurant, which is what I preferred given where we were, and I was really hoping to get a good meal out of the ordeal. It was late but they were still serving lunch so we settled in at a large round table near the door.

The restaurant looked fancier than somewhere I would normally pick, with white table cloths and ornate decor, but it also seemed a little dated to me. There was only one other couple eating in the restaurant, and they finished up well before we did, which was fortunate because J ended up causing a ruckus for basically our entire meal. As soon as we sat down, we asked the waiter for some hot water to heat up J’s bottle, and he obliged with a teapot full of water. She grabbed at the bottle once it was warmed up, but then refused to drink any milk for some unknown reason. She also refused to eat any cereal. And after that, it was pretty much over for her.

Our waiter was also nice enough to give us the wifi password so Josh could play some Elmo on youtube for J. That appeased her for a bit, but she was still bursting into random crying fits. Somehow in between all the mayhem we managed to place our order, though only one of us could eat at a time while the other held J and walked her around or pushed her back and forth in her stroller. So how was the food? (This is supposed to be a food blog after all!)

The basket of bread we received held some decent slices of baguette that had good flavor and an ok crust. It also included pieces of toasted baguette that were super crunchy, bordering crouton territory, but still good, especially slathered with butter.

Bread basket

The lunch menu was sort of a “menu of the day” option. You picked the entree and it came with the soup of the day and dessert. The price was based on the entree you selected. Josh picked mussels and I chose coq au vin. The soup of the day that we both received was cream of broccoli, which was perfectly fine. It was pureed to a nice thick texture, and was more broccoli than cream. It warmed us up after our bout with the weather.

Cream of broccoli soup

The mussels were served mariniere style, in a white wine and garlic sauce. The mussels were plump and tender, not fishy tasting, but the sauce lacked pizazz. It could have used more garlic, more wine, and more salt. It wasn’t a bad dish, it just needed more punch. The fries on the side were a disappointment. They were the thin shoestring variety I prefer, but they seemed to be made from frozen fries and were soggy and oily.

Mussels mariniere with french fries

I didn’t get to eat the coq au vin right away since it was my turn to walk J around, so it was a bit cold by the time I got to it. The chicken was still tender and came off the bone easily, but I thought it tasted more like roast chicken, not a chicken braised in wine. There was no wine flavor to speak of, just plain chicken taste. It was fine, just not what I think of when I hear coq au vin. It came with roasted potatoes and vegetables on the side.

Coq au vin with assorted vegetables

Per the menu, our lunch came with dessert, but with J making such a fuss, we really didn’t feel like sticking around for another course. Our waiter, while accommodating to our requests, seemed a tad annoyed with all the crying (not that we blame him), and we just wanted to get her on the road again so that she could calm down on the walk back to our hotel. By that point, the storm had passed and it was sunny and blue skies all around. We quickly settled our bill (~$45 after tax and tip) and went on our way. It was pretty reasonable for a 3-course lunch (even though we passed on dessert), but the food was just ok. The dishes were mostly classic French, but nothing exciting or super flavorful. I saw the regular menu and it seemed pretty expensive, so I don’t think it’s somewhere I would have gone voluntarily if I had a choice. We were sort of stuck with it due to the weather, and while it served its purpose, I wouldn’t recommend it or go back. Fortunately for us, that was the only time on our trip where J had a major meltdown in a restaurant, and we got through it somehow. It definitely wasn’t fun, but I hope with every restaurant experience, she’ll get better and better.

Cafe de la Paix
44 Rue des Jardins
Quebec City, Canada

Tags: Canada, Chicken, French, Mussels, Quebec City
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Paillard – Quebec City

Sunday, May 5th, 2013 by virginia

We had one full day to explore Quebec City so we made sure to get a somewhat early start. We entered the Old City on Rue Saint-Jean, passing through a gate and out onto a busy street lined with restaurants and shops. There was definitely more of a European feel in the Old City, and I liked it immediately.

It was drizzling a bit so we quickly walked to our breakfast destination, Paillard, a cafe-boulangerie. It was a huge space with tall ceilings and lots of seating. The were little round tables in the front, as well as several long communal tables in the main area next to the bakery cases and coffee station. Josh went to the bakery line to order some food while I settled at the end of a communal table with J’s stroller, where there was more room for us to maneuver. Since it was mid-morning on a weekday, the cafe wasn’t too full and it didn’t take Josh too long to pick up our food.

The bakery cases and lots of seating

We decided to share a few pastries and half a baguette. First was the croissant, which was flaky on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. One bite and the crust shattered delightfully in our mouths. Flavor-wise, it was buttery without being greasy, and had just the slightest hint of sweetness.

Buttery and flaky croissant shell

Next was the pain au chocolat, which was not as flaky on the outside as the croissant, but who can resist any kind of chocolate-stuffed pastry? Perhaps it was just not as freshly made, as the edges were a bit tough. Nevertheless, it was still devoured.

Pain au chocolat and croissant

The baguette was a bit of a disappointment, as it had been sliced in half lengthwise and toasted. I would have preferred to try a freshly baked baguette in its natural state, and the toasting left the bread soggy rather than crunchy. Texture-wise it seemed a bit dense and flat, and the crust lacked any crispness, but that was due to the toasting. It must have sat in some sort of warming tray afterward and steamed itself. As a result, I don’t think I could fairly judge the qualities of the baguette, but it had good flavor and was a nice vehicle for butter and a pear-vanilla jam they gave us on the side.

Baguette/jam and cappuccino combo

I also got a regular coffee while Josh had a cappuccino. The coffee was good – not too burnt-tasting or bitter. The cappuccino was a lot stronger, and I saw people with giant bowls of it, but Josh settled for just a cup and seemed pretty content.

Overall we thought Paillard was a good breakfast option for some quick coffee and pastries. We weren’t in the mood for something heavy or overly complicated, and this fit the bill. The croissant was top notch, and there were some beautiful-looking desserts in the bakery case, though we didn’t have a chance to try any. While the baguette that came with our breakfast was disappointing, the assortment of breads seemed pretty impressive, and I would have liked to try a regular baguette since this boulangerie is so highly rated. I’ve also read rave reviews about their sandwiches, so it might be a good lunch destination if you’re looking for something fast and casual. Prices are cheap, especially compared to a nice bakery in NYC. Croissants are under $2 and most of the dessert items were less than $4. Breakfast for the two of us cost under $15 in total, and it provided us with enough energy to walk the entire Old City while pushing J’s stroller up and down many steep hills. I would recommend Paillard for its simple breakfast options and central location in the Old City.

Paillard
1097 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada

Tags: Bread, Breakfast, Canada, Coffee, Croissant, Pastries, Quebec City
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Le Hobbit Bistro – Quebec City, Canada

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 by virginia

I had done some research on restaurants in Quebec City prior to our trip but I wasn’t set on exactly where I wanted to eat, and I wasn’t really sure where the restaurants were located relative to our hotel. I wrote down a bunch of names and addresses, and so when we finally arrived in Quebec City late on Thursday night, we zeroed in on the restaurants closest to our hotel. There were two restaurants on the same street nearby so we walked past both and settled on Le Hobbit Bistro, which seemed like a slightly brighter, more upbeat and open space than our other option (where we ended up eating the next night).

There restaurant was busy, but not overly crowded, which was fortunate since J’s stroller takes up a lot of space. The waiter was pretty accommodating about shifting the tables around a bit so that we could put her (and all of her stuff) out of people’s way. It was after 9:30 pm by the time we settled in, and the waiter informed us that the kitchen would be closing soon so we quickly placed our order. Josh was in charge of the wine while I picked the dishes that we would share.

He wound up ordering a 1999 Bordeaux from Chateau Les Mangons. It needed a little time to open up a bit but wound up being smooth, medium bodied, not too dry, and very drinkable. The bread basket, on the other hand, was kind of sad with some limp pieces of baguette that had virtually no crust on it.

Bordeaux and baguette

For our appetizers, we got the French onion soup and the sweetbreads with fig and truffle oil. The French onion soup was warm and comforting on a cold night, exactly what you expect, but nothing extraordinary. It was well seasoned, hearty, and had lots of melted cheese on top – there’s not much more you can ask for from a French onion soup.

French onion soup

I was really excited for the sweetbreads but I had started with the soup while Josh had started with this dish, and look on his face after he took one bite was not encouraging. He wouldn’t really explain to me what the issue was so after we made our customary swap midway through, I gingerly dug in to see what the face was all about. Immediately, I noticed that the texture of the sweetbreads was off. It should be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, but this was chewy and gristly. I don’t know if that was intentional or if they didn’t clean the sweetbreads properly, but the texture is what threw Josh off. We both agreed that the plating, however, was gorgeous.

Sweetbreads on top of celery root puree with fig and truffle sauce

Flavor wise, the dish was screaming for salt, which was scattered about the plate in little flakes, but not actually on the sweetbreads themselves. There was also almost no sauce on the plate, and whatever sauce there was didn’t really taste much like figs or truffle oil. That was pretty disappointing, since I love both. The celery root puree underneath the sweetbreads was properly seasoned though, as was the little microgreen salad next to it. When I got a little bit of everything on my fork and dragged it through the salt flakes, the dish was actually pretty tasty, if a bit subtle, but the texture was still bad. I had very mixed feelings about the dish overall, but I didn’t hate it as much as Josh did. If the sweetbreads were the crispy/creamy texture that I’m used to, I would eat it again. But they weren’t, and Josh thought it was just bland and bad in general. Oh well.

The main courses fared much better. We shared the venison skirt steak and the duck confit. The venison was tender and not too gamey, perfectly cooked so that it was pink and juicy on the inside. However, it also wasn’t seasoned enough. A little bit of salt would have really elevated the flavor of the meat. Nevertheless, the pureed sweet potatoes underneath were super creamy and perfectly balanced between sweet and savory, and the melted leeks were buttery and mellow. Except for the lack of salt, we both really enjoyed the dish.

Venison skirt steak with pureed sweet potatoes and melted leeks

The duck confit was served with a port sauce and roasted vegetables. The duck was perfectly prepared, with the meat falling off the bone at the slightest push of the fork. I was amazed that the skin was still super crispy, a great textural contrast to the tender meat. The port sauce was intensely flavorful, slightly sweet, and paired perfectly with the wine. And unlike the venison and the sweetbreads, this dish was perfectly seasoned, which made it our favorite of the evening.

Duck confit with port sauce and sweet potato puree

Duck confit with port sauce and roasted vegetables

We passed on dessert, opting to enjoy the last bit of our wine instead. Overall we really did enjoy our meal at Le Hobbit, despite the few missteps with our dishes. While the texture of the sweetbreads was definitely problematic, everything else was just a seasoning issue and could have been easily fixed with a dash of salt. We liked the vibe of the restaurant, which seemed to be full of locals – most tables were groups of friends chatting in French, eating, and drinking. Our waiter was very accommodating, and we did not feel completely out of place dining with a baby. Prices were pretty reasonable – not cheap, but in line with a nice meal out. With two appetizers, two entrees, and a nice bottle of wine, dinner cost about $165 after tax and tip. It’s definitely a place I would recommend to someone traveling to Quebec City.

Le Hobbit Bistro
700 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada

Tags: Canada, Duck, French, Quebec City, Soup, Sweetbreads, Venison
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Two Fat Bellies Hit the Road – Canadian Adventure

Sunday, April 21st, 2013 by virginia

Josh and I were experiencing a bout of cabin fever and decided to take a somewhat impromptu road trip to Canada for a long weekend in April, with baby J in tow. She has always been pretty good in the car, usually falling asleep immediately, but we didn’t have much experience driving long distances with her. We also hadn’t been away for a weekend just the three of us before, so we were a bit worried about having to pack up all of her stuff and managing everything on our own for four days.

Since half the fun of traveling is eating well, we decided to go to Quebec City and Montreal for a little sightseeing and a lot of good French-influenced food. While Google maps told us that Quebec City would be a 7.5 hour drive, it ended up taking us almost 10 hours altogether, since we had to make a few stops along the way to feed the baby. Other than that, it was a pretty nice drive through the Adirondack region.

We spent two nights in Quebec City, staying at the Loews Hotel Le Concorde, for which we got a great deal on Priceline. It was in a good location just outside the Old City, and we had beautiful views of the St. Lawrence River from our room. We spent one night at Le Meridian Versailles in Montreal, a boutique hotel that was a bit off the beaten path but still near the hustle and bustle of Crescent Street. The downside was that the room was a bit small, and space was extremely tight especially since we had to set up a pack n’ play next to our bed for J to sleep in.

All in all it was a great trip, one that we would happily do again. It snowed on our way to Quebec City but fortunately it was not too cold during the day, and we we were able to maneuver the steep hills of city fairly easily with J’s City Mini GT stroller. The stroller was also pretty good on the residual snow that we encountered, and we powered our way through the slush and mud. We had several really wonderful meals, and we were pretty proud of ourselves (and her!) for getting through the four-day weekend with only one major meltdown at a restaurant. Our little Canadian experiment proved that we could handle traveling with J on our own, and we’re already looking forward to planning our next adventure.

Tags: Canada, Montreal, Quebec City
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Victoria, BC – Wharfside Eatery

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 by virginia

The last port of call on our cruise before we returned to Seattle was Victoria, British Columbia. We got there in the afternoon and we were leaving only a few hours later so we decided to just explore the city instead of traveling all the way to Butchart Gardens. We ended up seeing the Parliament building, walking around the harbor, exploring the grounds of the Empress hotel, visiting a small night market along the water, and walking through the main shopping district. It’s a cute little city, very clean and pretty, so it was too bad that we didn’t have much time to spend there.

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Wharfside Eatery

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After walking around for a few hours, we decided to get dinner in the city rather than back on the ship. We opted for a restaurant near the water called Wharfside, which obviously served seafood. We got a few pints of local beers and ordered some appetizers to share.

We started out with lobster bruschetta, which was like lobster salad mixed with celery, basil and mayonnaise, and served on top of rounds of toast. These were pretty tasty and not too mayo-y so even Josh enjoyed it.

Lobster bruschetta

We also got an order of fried calamari that was served with tzatziki sauce instead of the standard marinara, which I thought was a nice twist. Unfortunately the calamari weren’t very crispy and were served kind of cold.

Fried calamari with tzatziki sauce

Josh, his dad, and I split half a dozen oysters on the half shell. Though they were kind of small, they tasted fresh and had lots of briney liquid coming out of them, which I liked.

Oysters on the half shell

For my main course, I opted for the fish and chips. I had a choice between pacific cod and alaskan halibut. The waiter told me the alaskan halibut was better, even though the pacific cod was local. He didn’t really give a reason why, but choosing the halibut was an extra charge. It was a pretty good rendition of fish and chips though, as it was super meaty and nicely crispy, but I don’t know if the halibut made such a difference. The chips were seasoned potato wedges and sweet potato fries, which were a bit limp and not crispy enough, but they were still tasty.

Fish and chips

Josh and his mom got a seafood platter for two, which came with mussels, fried oysters, alaska king crab legs, local clams, wild salon, and tempura prawns. They were looking forward to having fresh seafood after being on the boat for so long. They added half a lobster to their order as well. It was a lot of food, but unfortunately not that good. The seafood was overcooked and didn’t seem that fresh to us.

Seafood platter for two

In the end I really wasn’t that impressed with the food at Wharfside. We didn’t really know anything about the restaurant when we walked in but it looked like a nice place. The food just didn’t deliver. Everything was the wrong temperature and not all of the seafood seemed that fresh, which is a bit no-no for a place that touts its seafood. The service was fine, but everything was really overpriced, especially with the exchange rate the way it is now. When we got into a cab to return to the ship, the cabbie mentioned that we probably got the “tourist” menu, which wouldn’t surprise me. It was a disappointing experience overall.

Wharfside Eatery
1208 Wharf St.
Victoria, BC

Tags: Canada, Seafood, Victoria
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