Food Adventure At Quebec City

 Travelling in Quebec City is truly a gastronomic adventure especially for French food and traditional Quebecois cuisine. I discovered quite ironically that in trying out traditional Quebecois cuisine, which was strongly influenced by French cuisine, that I have finally eaten my truly Canadian meal right here in the heart of Quebec nationalism. Where did I experience this epiphany? Right here at the Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens which prides itself in serving an old fashioned Quebec cuisine since 1966 in this historic Maison Jacquet,  built in 1675-1676. The restaurant was named after a famous novel, Les Anciens Canadiens, written by Philippe Aubert de Gaspe, who lived in this house. The Menu is mostly Quebec cuisine featuring wild meats such as Bison, Caribou, Elk, Beef, Duck, Chicken and Veal. There are seafood and vegetable meals offered in the menu too. Those wild meats including their speciality dessert, maple syrup pie are  traditional Quebec cuisine and also truly delicious Canadian meal.

 For Sunday Lunch, we chose the Special Menu offered here for a very good price of $19.95 Cdn which included a glass of wine, beer or drink of your choice,appetizer, main entree and dessert.

 The interior is typical of ancient french houses in Upper Quebec City. It has low ceilings and mostly made of wood. There are many wood carved Art on the walls from local Quebec artists. 

 For Appetizer, I chose the wild bison and caribou rillettes with toasted bread and apricot jam. To eat it, spread the rillettes on the bread and top it with apricot jam. So yummy!

 My main entree, I tried the Lac St Jean meat pie made with wild meats of Bison, caribou and elk with potato.  I liked it that the table setting was in blue and white and the food were served in their blue and white China.

I cannot leave Quebec City without trying their traditional poutine which is made of french fries with Quebec cheese curd and topped with gravy. This is super delicious.

 Other members of my family ordered the Bison Burger. 

 Bison cooked bourguignon style with creamy blueberry wine sauce. 

For dessert, a traditional Canadian maple syrup pie with unsweetened whipped cream. This is one of my favourite desserts. Here in Toronto, they make this as Butter tarts. One can only try this here in Canada. 

I will be continuing my french adventure this week to Paris, France. I am excited! 

Happy Thanksgiving in Canada!
Bon Weekend!

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Shopping At Simons

 We could not leave Quebec City without shopping at Simons, the historical and stylish Department Store only found in Quebec. The Store was actually founded in 1840  by the Scottish Simons family  that settled here in Quebec City. This Store in Quebec City is the original store since 1870. As their marketing logo goes, 174 Years Of Superior Fashion,Great Value and Exceptional Shopping Experience. Simons remains true to their logo as shopping there offers some truly high quality, unique and stylish Fashion that can only be available in Quebec. The Store have not expanded to the rest of Canada yet so their style and the products that they offer remains influenced in Quebec. Simons remains my favourite store here in Quebec as for sure when I wear one of their fashion, I know that it is one of a kind. 

The whole street at Côte de la Fabrique is lined with shops and is near the Basilica de Notre Dame. 

Simons style is mostly influenced by the French style. Now the Store is going back to its roots by promoting British style in their British Beat campaign. When in Quebec, drop by Simons for a truly Quebecois shopping experience. 

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Weekend In Quebec City

Bienvenue a Quebec City! Here is a place that looks and feels like you are in Europe yet we are still in Canada. Quebec City is the capital of the Province of Quebec here in Canada and one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Another popular City here in Quebec is Montreal but Quebec City is their seat of Provincial Government. The City is very french and historical with over 400 years of history. It is a fortified City located along the St. Lawrence River with an upper and lower sections connected by a Funicular. The port here is major stop among major Cruise Ships. One of the famous landmarks here is the luxurious Fairmont Chateau Frontenac located in the Upper Old Quebec This Hotel stands tall overlooking the St. Lawrence River. Quebec City is a walking City. In any season, it is perfect to walk around discovering the shops, the cafes and there is an alley displaying the works of art of local Quebecois artists. Come along here to discover more about the charm of Quebec City.

Luxurious and historical Fairmont Chateau Frontenac.

Alley of local artists selling their works of Art.

Quebec City is the capital of New France here in North America. 

We visited the Notre Dame De Quebec which is celebrating their 350th Jubilee. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest in North America. Part of their Jubilee celebration is the opening of the Holy Door which is the only one in North America. There are six Holy Doors in the World - in Vatican City, 2 in Rome, in Ayr, France, Santiago de Compostela in Spain and here in Quebec City. Every Christian must Pass through the Holy Door to obtain forgiveness and graces. The Holy Door only opens every decade. So it is quite a blessing for us to pass through the Holy Door. 

After passing through the Holy Door, we entered the Chapel of the Sacred Heart which also have the relics of the saints and blessed of Canada. 

The Main Basilica.

View of the Lower Old Quebec and St. Lawrence River.


Bon Weekend!

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Best Winter Escapes in Canada

Here in Canada, we have some of the best Winter Escapes all the way from the West in Whistler, British Columbia, the Canadian Rockies in Alberta to the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec. We have been honoured here in Canada to host two Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988 and in Vancouver in 2010. These places boast majestic mountains, some rough and challenging terrain not for the faint of heart but also some spectacular scenery for everyone to appreciate. For the Winter sports enthusiasts, visiting these places are a gem and loads of fun. But for spectators like me, I am thankful to be able to visit some of these beautiful places particularly Whistler, British Columbia and Mont Tremblant in Quebec.

WHISTLER

My best friend, Lorelei and I visited Whistler in British Columbia by driving a few hours from Vancouver. We drove along a scenic route passing by majestic mountains and lakes. One of the best places to stay in Whistler is at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. After visiting all the way to the top to see Blackcomb Glacier, we stopped at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler for some Afternoon Tea. 

Whistler and Blackcomb are two side-by-side mountains which combined offer over 200 marked runs, 8,171 acres of terrain, 16 alpine bowls, three glaciers, receives on average 1,174 centimetres (462 inches) of snow annually, and one of the longest ski seasons in North America. In the summer, Whistler Blackcomb offers a variety of activities, including hiking and biking trails, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, and sightseeing on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola.(Whistler Blackcomb)

We spotted some Black Bears on our way down riding the Ski Lift. 

ALBERTA

 I have never been to Banff and Jasper, Alberta but they boast one of the most beautiful skiing places to visit. Even if you are not a skier, like me, I would love to visit Banff and Jasper, Alberta one day. Both cities are known as the Canadian Rockies and are both Resort towns. Banff, is one of the National Parks here in Canada as it is surrounded with majestic mountains, glaciers and lakes. My friends who have visited both Banff and Jasper told me that as they drove along to visit the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, they saw deer, moose and Bears along the Highway. Visitors really get so close to nature and the wildlife when visiting these Resort towns. 

(Photo credits: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Fairmont Jasper Lodge)

QUEBEC

Mont Tremblant is a two hours drive North of Montreal in Quebec. The town is located in the Laurentian Mountains and also boasts one of the best skiing places in Canada. The town is also a fun place to visit during the Spring and Summer time as you would see in my photos here. We visited during the Labour Day Weekend and it was still bustling with summer activities. Just imagine during Winter how busy this place is with all of the avid skiers and other Winter Sports enthusiasts. 

To learn more about Summer Adventures at Mont Tremblant, view my post Bienvenue a Mont Tremblant.

The town has a lower village where most of the Major Hotels are located plus restaurants and shops which I featured on my previous post Mont Tremblant Lower Village.

Skiing here at Mont Tremblant is not for the faint of heart. But look at the spectacular views from the top.

The Peak at Mont Tremblant.

Lastly, one of the best Winter Escapes here in Canada is in Quebec City, about two hours drive going East from Montreal. Every Year, the City celebrates the Quebec Winter Carnival from January 31 to February 16 where the whole City comes alive with Winter festivities like parades, outdoor shows, Ice Canoe racing among other events. Quebec City is also a great place to discover the French Food, Architecture, Culture, Art and Entertainment in North America. The best place to stay in Quebec City is at the majestic Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac as shown in the photo above. (Photo credit:  Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac). Then about thirty minutes drive from the City is the spectacular skiing town of Mont Ste Anne.

The best way to beat Winter is to go out and explore these spectacular Canadian Winter Cities.  
Enjoy every moment!

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