Having a Bowl of Coffee at Le Cochon Dingue

I recently returned from one of my favorite cities, Quebec. I had never visited in the fall and the foliage was just spectacular. It was also the final week of the city’s year-long 400th anniversary celebration and the weekend of the global French summit, so the city was packed with the leaders of the French-speaking countries of the world, as well about 1000 Canadian law enforcement officers brought in to augment local security. I saw the motorcade of Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, but didn’t actually get a glimpse of the famous leader. Most of the dignitaries were ensconced in my favorite hotel, the Chateau Frontenac and it was off-limits to the public during their visit.

I stayed in the lower city this time, which is becoming a trendy entertainment district filled with boutiques, restaurants, and clubs. The Hotel Royal William (www.royalwilliam.com) is within walking distance of most of those, although it’s about a $5 cab ride to the Old City.

Since I had arrived on an early morning flight, the cerulean sky and flaming foliage were a perfect backdrop for a day of exploring so I headed into the Old City to see the new promenade along the St. Lawrence River. This two-and-half-mile waterside park, along with a pier and observation tower, is a gorgeous track for biking, walking, or rollerblading. It was one of the major improvements that the city made during the 400th celebration, wanting to give their residents the gift of riverside access as a permanent and tangible reminder of the year-long party.

After climbing the observation tower to enjoy the panoramic views, I headed into the lower part of the Old City to warm up at Le Cochon Dingue (www.cochondingue.com). You’ll see this sign of the rosy, happy pig in other parts of the city as the restaurant has other locations, but this one has a busy take-out bakery and café on its lower level with a wide variety of soups, sandwiches, quiche, and pizza. It was a bit brisk out, so I chose and soup and sandwich combination…hearty tomato soup with a fresh baguette stuffed with brie and ham…and I also ordered a café au lait for an energizing infusion of caffeine.

There’s something really fun about drinking coffee out of a cereal-sized bowl, which offers the side benefit of warming up your hands in chilly weather. I wish now I had purchased a couple of the cute bowls, decorated with the pink pig logo, so that I could have my morning coffee French-style.