A Delightful Dinner Detour

Because the old city of Quebec was cordoned off with security to protect the dignitaries that were in town for the French summit, we had to cancel our dinner reservations because we simply couldn’t get there. No cars were allowed in that part of town at all.

My hostess from Quebec Tourism ended up taking me to a wonderful little place just down the street from the Hotel Royal William call Le Clocher Penché, and it turned out to be one of those happy accidents where you discover a real gem that you wouldn’t have ever considered.

The cozy corner restaurant has an excellent wine list (almost 200 bottles) and small, but eclectic menu filled with foodie favorites like ox tail and calf sweetbreads. Our server told us that two of the popular house specialties are the Headcheese appetizer, pork grills with lentils and gribiche sauce, and the Blood Pudding entrée with apple tarte tatin and salad.

Since eating internal organs and animal blood is not my thing, I chose the creamy tomato soup topped with crème fraiche and the Free-Range Chicken with a potato gratin, as well as a lovely glass of red wine. My friend, who eats often at Le Clocher Penché, had one of her favorites, the Salmon Tartare with potato salad and pink peppercorns.

The service was excellent and the food was even better. We both warmed up on the chilly night with the soup de jour. My chicken was perfectly cooked…nice and brown on the outside and juicy on the inside…and it sat atop a slice of potato gratin. And if you love salmon, the tartare was fabulous.

This charming bistro is one of the standout dining destinations of the lower city, and definitely worth a visit. (203 rue Saint-Joseph Est, 418 640-0597)

My Sing-Along Dinner

In general, hotel food is usually in the same dismal category as airline food, but this is not the case at the Hotel Royal William in Quebec (www.royalwilliam.com). Their restaurant, Le Sainte-Victoire, which features traditional French cuisine and regional favorites, is very popular with local residents. On Friday and Saturday nights, a pianist plays classic tunes and it’s not unusual for both patrons and waiters to burst into song.

That’s exactly what happened on the Friday evening I dined at Le Sainte-Victoire. The party of four next to me joined in on Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose”, with a little help from their waiter who had a pretty decent baritone. Combined with the cozy ambiance of the small dining room, it was like being at a fun dinner party.

I started with a mushroom and puff pastry appetizer, which was as pretty as it was tasty, and followed that with a traditional steak au poivre with hand-cut fries. Dining alone is usually boring, but a nice glass of Pinot Noir and the convivial entertainment made this solo meal really enjoyable.

The next morning, I returned to the same dining room for the breakfast that’s included in the room rate. You can choose from several hot dishes from French toast to a spinach and mushroom omelet, or opt for the French-style breakfast of fresh, crusty baguettes, croissants, and pastries. I tried the French toast on my first morning, and the bread basket on my second day, which was so generous that I saved some of the pastry for a mid-afternoon snack. While I’m not sure why the hotel is called the Royal William, I did receive the royal treatment at my meals there.

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.