I made my first foray into Canada. I know, color me shocked too. This time it was for the Women In Travel Summit and it owes me nothing. Quebec City is far larger than you can imagine, and full of amazing architecture and history to boot. While I was attending the summit, I was able to take advantage of three walking tours – which I’ll cover in another post – but my favorite had to be the one that showed us where to eat in Quebec City, Quebec. There’s such rich food, and French-Canadian cuisine is quite filling. You’re going to find yourself eating a lot of what was available when the province was first inhabited. Things like caribou, elk, and lots of maple syrup.
The narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River proximate to the city’s promontory, Cap-Diamant (Cape Diamond), and Lévis, on the opposite bank, provided the name given to the city, Kébec, an Algonquin word meaning “where the river narrows”. Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America. The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico.
While you’re not here for a history lesson, I did find that this particular piece of information given on my History & Heritage Tour was the foundation of everything that I would experience while in the city. We did find time to leave the walls of Old Quebec and venture out to find poutine, maple treats and ice-cream.
During my five day stay, I ate to my
Q-d-Sac
This restaurant was amazing! If only because I had beef cheeks that were so tender and served on top of a mushroom and parmesan risotto. The vegetables were pan-fried and filled me right up! I also shared a plate of calamari and duck wings with some ladies who were with me and we all agreed that they were just as delicious as they looked.
You’ll find that when I travel out of my region – whether it be one city over or even a state, I try not to eat things that I can readily get at home, and now I also need to make sure that I can find beef cheeks here in Chicago to try to recreate this meal.
Quebec Foodie Tours
What can I say? We ate our way through Quebec City, and I tried proper poutine for the first time in my life, and I came back to the hotel and rested well. Food tours are the best way to kill two birds with one stone when you’re in a new city. It helps to be able to navigate the area later in your trip, and it introduces so many restaurants that you may not have stepped into just because of appearance, or location. It’s why I will always be a proponent of booking them, and why I’ve gone on a tour in almost every city that I’ve visited.
This particular tour was also chock full of history and lots of maple syrup. LOTS of maple syrup. I highly suggest you book if you find yourself in Quebec City.
La Pizz
This bistro is mostly known for pizza, given its name, but I had to have the the Carbonara because it was just calling to me. The fresh egg yolk sat nicely on top of my pasta mixed with pancetta and parmesan cheese. We ate outside on the patio even though it was a bit brisk, because the sun had finally decided to come out and play.
Aux Anciens Canadiens
If you want a quintessential game, this is the place for you to go. I had caribou and deer along with beef and it was filling, as it should have been. There are no frills here, and everything is served as if you’re being welcomed into the home of a trapper and given copious amounts of bread, meat and meat pastes to spread on the bread. And they were all good. The prices surprised me because of the family-style feel of the restaurant, but I’m glad that they stand behind what they charge, and a visit is necessary if you’re in town.
1608 Bar – Le Chateau de Frontenac
Duck wings for the win. Duck was a mainstay in the area, and as plentiful as the poutine and caribou. These were especially good with the mustard sauce that was drizzled on top of it, and I almost didn’t finish the order. No worries though – I did finish it all. The bar is full of small bite dishes that you can grab before heading back to your hotel, or up to your room in the Chateau.
I ate ate a lot more while I was in Quebec City, but some of it wasn’t prone to being photographed, or I inhaled the food faster than my brain registered to take a photo.
I do want to visit again just to eat more, and I am not ashamed of that. Have you been to Quebec City? If so, tell me where you ate!
Ryan K Biddulph
Wednesday 19th of February 2020
These eats look beyond inspired.