Winter dining in Quebec City
By Chris Johns

Even when the snow is blowing and the winter sun is setting, it can be difficult to tear yourself away from the outdoor charms of Quebec City. Few places embrace winter with as much zeal and joie de vivre. The famous Carnaval (January 28 to February 13) is the largest winter fair in the world, while the Hôtel de Glace is a study in sub-zero fortitude. There’s no shortage of winter activities to keep you entertained, but all that celebrating does work up an appetite.

Fortunately, the culinary delights of this remarkable city are every bit as appealing as its rich history, warm hospitality and romantic charm. A complete list of great restaurants in Quebec would fill a book, so we’ll concentrate on three terrific places that opened in the last year.

Restaurant L’Utopie
Located in the trendy St-Roch neighbourhood, this ambitious new restaurant brings the outdoors inside with tall birch trunks lining the room like an orderly forest. The cooking, best described as haute comfort food, draws on influences from classical French techniques combined with the adventurous spirit of the new Basque cuisine and a soupçon of retro Quebecois cooking. Dishes like confit of foie gras with balsamic jelly, peppered slaw and orange flower brioche are warming and delicious, while lamb cooked in hay tastes familiar and yet utterly new. And just when you think the meal is finished, the bill arrives, flanked by homemade caramels.
226 1/2, rue Saint-Joseph E., 418-523-7878

Panache
Much of Quebec City’s most celebrated cooking these days is happening in hotel restaurants. Over at Auberge Saint-Antoine, Panache has already been awarded the Prix de Public for its inspired blend of traditional Quebec cuisine prepared with the most exquisite local ingredients. Chef Francois Blais pan roasts sweetbreads in frothy butter with an Isle aux Grue aged cheddar cream in a mushroom broth. Slow-braised beef is served with goat cheese-spiked mashed potatoes and bacon gravy. Typical of the chef’s playful approach to cuisine is his dessert: bread pudding with an almond milkshake.
10, rue Saint-Antoine, 418-692-1022, www.saint-antoine.com

Toast!
Getting to Toast! in the Hôtel Le Priori involves a romantic stroll along narrow cobblestone streets through Quebec City’s Old Port area. Once inside, however, the anachronistic ambience of the Old City is replaced by an equally cinematic, if considerably more modern, setting. Designed in shades of red and featuring a wall of elegantly framed mirrors, the room looks like a chic, intimate lounge or the living room of a fashionable friend. Amid these cozy confines shine dishes like rack of lamb in a mustard citrus crust and Cornish hen stuffed with truffles. Sure to warm even the most chilled out diner, a banana tartlet comes with almond cocoa cream, seared bananas and homemade rum caramel ice cream.
17, rue du Sault-au-Matelot, 418-692-1334, www.restauranttoast.com

Getting There
Let us take you to La Belle Province. We have an extensive schedule of flights to Quebec City from all over the country – plus low one-way fares! Book now.