Jaunted

Quebec

Québec City: It's Not All Gravy in the QC

July 7, 2006 at 10:15 AM | 0 Comments

Poutine has its uses, especially if your goal is to grow a belly or engage in heavy lifting in the dead of a Canadian winter (Hugo Girard didn't come out of nowhere, after all) but it's not really a high-class foodstuff. Happily, there are many amazing gourmet-appropriate restaurants in Québec City.

Case in point: L'Initiale, a quite remarkable restaurant in Québec City. Its current prix-fixe lunch (for CAN$45) includes fluffy lobster with a rhubarb and sandwort cream, a bison filet, and spiced hot chocolate and saffron sorbet for dessert.

Chef Yvan Lebrun utilizes many foods sourced from Québec to produce menus that change with the seasons. In doing so, he cites the richness of the province's farmlands while maintaining a high level of sophistication.

Less expensive three-course lunch meals range between CAN$16 and CAN$23.

With a Relais and Chateaux designation, L'Initiale isn't really hurting for accolades. Nonetheless, it deserves all the attention in the world. L'Initiale is a gourmand's dream.

[Image via troy-lovegates/Flickr]