Se reposer sur ses lauriers

Lately, I’ve been writing about our late summer trip to Québec City. You can’t think of Québec without also thinking of the Château Frontenac, the huge hotel that dominates the skyline. It was designed by American architect Bruce Price at the end of the 19th century. It was one of a series of hotels built to look like European châteaux by the Canadian Pacific Railway in order to encourage rail tourism by the wealthy. It has been expanded on over the years. The hotel was named after Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, a 17th century governor of New France. It was the site of a 1943 war conference between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. A decade later, it was used as the location for a Hitchcock film, I Confess.

The hotel was sold to the Fairmont group in 2001 and the hotel was re-baptized Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. The iconic hotel was sold again in 2011 and a multi-million dollar roof replacement project got underway. The work was still in progress when we visited.

Over the years, going out for afternoon tea has been a special treat for our family and we thought that tea at the Château Frontenac would be a great way to mark our time in Québec. I must confess to being a little disappointed. The Café de la Terrace had a wonderful view overlooking the Terrace de Dufferin. It was, however, in need of restoration, although probably not as much as the roof. The banquettes were a little shabby and worn. I couldn’t fault the quality of the service, however.

Our waiter was most attentive throughout our tea time. He started off by having us inhale the fragrance of a dozen canisters of tea and talked about the attributes of each. The weather was cool and damp while we were in Québec, so opted for hot chocolate to warm myself up. That was my mistake. The chocolate wasn’t very good and it wasn’t hot, but my husband and daughter were pleased with their tea selections.

The tiered plate was layered with sandwiches below and then scones and tiny cakes and other sweet morsels above. The presentation was very attractive, but the flavor and freshness wasn’t always of the highest quality. The paté reminded me of Underwood’s Deviled Ham (yuck!) from lunch boxes of old. I felt like that the sandwiches had been prepared well in advance and left to dry out. The scones were quite delicious, but mascarpone cheese is not clotted cream! The bite-sized cakes were prettier than they were flavorful.

Frankly, I just didn’t think this high tea was worth $37 CDN a person. I’ve had far nicer teas for a much more reasonable price. It may be one of the most beautiful hotels out there, but I think they’re resting on their laurels a bit. This expression in French is “se reposer sur ses lauriers” (suh rep-o-zay soor say lor-e-ay). I had been really looking forward to a special event at this landmark property, and I’m sorry to give it such a tepid review.

Frommer’s Montreal and Quebec City

Le flétan poêlé (onequalitythefinest.com)

Le Cochon Dingue

Le Cochon Dingue (luh koshohn dahnge), or “The Crazy Pig.” deservedly has the reputation as the best breakfast place in Québec City. I ate there with students a few years ago and almost all of us left with pots of their jam to take home as souvenirs. The restaurant is located within sight of the St. Lawrence River, in the quaint Petit Champlain neighborhood of the old city. Appropriately enough, this French-style bistro opened on Bastille Day on 1979. It’s been such a success that there are several other bistros of the same name dotted about the capital city of la belle province.

This time, we indulged in their abundant platters. Le bon départ (the good start) is a hearty mixture of fruit, English muffins (called grillettes) topped with a poached egg, accompanied by cheese and their delicious apple butter. (It’s pale and tastes like a fresh apple, not at all like the dark cinnamon-y spread we were used to.) Another day I tried la brioche dorée de l’Île et fraises fraîches. This was a new item on the menu, composed of French toast made of cinnamon brioche served with maple syrup or chocolate sauce served with heaps of fresh strawberries. The beverage to choose to go with either is le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne. It’s thick, rich, and flavorful. I’m dingue de toi, Cochon Dingue!

 

Fodor’s Montreal and Quebec City

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Le flétan poêlé

I visited Québec City about four years ago with students and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance. The buildings and stone wall seemed to have been transported straight from Saint Malo in Brittany. I kept trying to get my husband and daughter there. Finally, everything came together in late August. The weather was unseasonably cool and damp, but we all enjoyed our French mini-vacation with no jetlag.

We stayed at the Marriott in the Place d’Youville, right next to the old city. We left the car in the parking garage and walked everywhere. The first evening that we were there, the concierge recommended the Hobbit bistro to us as a casual place with traditional food made with quality ingredients and a modern twist. Rue St.-Jean was just a couple of blocks from our hotel and the bistro was surrounded by lots of little boutiques that warranted a closer look another day.

T

he interior is divided into two main rooms and there are also some tables for outdoor dining. Due to that chilly weather I mentioned, however, we opted for an inside table. The menu had lots of interesting options.  I chose the filet de flétan poêlé, salade de fenouil, huile verte et purée de betteraves rôties au miel, or halibut with fennel salad and honey roasted beets (top photo). My more adventurous daughter ordered the tartare de truite à l’orange et coriandre, or trout tartar with orange and coriander. It was served with thinly sliced grilled bread and frites (second photo). She let me try some, and while it was delicious, I personally thought it would have made a better appetizer than a main course. My husband had the confit de canard (above), which he pronounced OK, but he’s given to understatement. Nonetheless, I clearly won the dinner ordering round.

 

Next, we tried three desserts. We have a theory about desserts. Not unless you’re in Europe should restaurant desserts pass your lips. They should definitely be eliminated if they have photos on the menu. Since Laurien and I had really enjoyed our main courses, we decided to risk it. After all, there were no photos. Laurien ordered the cake with white chocolate and berries, Cliff ordered the apple pie, and I ordered the crème brulée topped with maple syrup. Well, it’s a good rule. And as much as Québec City feels like Europe, it’s not when it comes to desserts. They were just OK. And I’m given to exaggeration. We should have stuck with the rule.

Still, the Hobbit bistro was an enjoyable experience. A- main courses balanced B- desserts. We’d recommend the Hobbit to other visitors to Québec City.  

 Frommer’s Montreal and Quebec City

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