I enjoy train travel and while not quite in the same class as riding the Shinkansen in Japan, I enjoyed the three-and-a-half hour ride from Montreal to Quebec City. We were in business class, the seats were comfortable enough, the wifi decent. The Missus however got bored fairly quickly. I'd make sure that She had some movies and shows to watch on the way back to Montreal. We arrived at Gare du Palais; it was already about 430 pm, the sky overcast, slightly drizzly, but we'd been sitting long enough. So we walked to our hotel.
The one thing the Missus wanted on this trip as to "not feel like I'm in North America"…..well, QC sure didn't feel like we were in the US that's for sure.
We made our way to our hotel, which is now one the Missus's favorites, the Auberge Saint-Antoine. Things just seemed to be set-up perfectly for us, the rooms comfortable and cozy, the service was great, but not intrusive, the rooms quiet.
We had dinner reservations at the restaurant in the Hotel, named (at that time) Panache (more on that later). But the Missus really wanted to get going. Our location in the Old Town was perfect, quiet, but just a five minute walk to Place Royale. You want to feel transported to Europe? Here you go…..
Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires crowns this small, but charming square, established by the "Father of New France", Samuel de Champlain in the 1620's when it was called Place du Marche. The name was changed in 1686 when the bust of Louis XIV was placed in the center of the square.
From here a few charming streets stretch out.
The most charming being Rue du Petit-Champlain which claims to be the oldest lane in North America. It's full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. Touristy? Yes, but also quite charming and at least during our visit pretty chill and relaxed.
At one end of the lane is a funicular that takes you up to the Upper Town; but of course, this is the Missus, so we used the Escalier Casse-Cou, also known as the Breakneck Steps.
Built in 1630, this is the oldest stairway in Quebec City. There are actually quite a few well known stairways in Quebec. We'd run into a few during our stay. It's slight uphill walk on one of the oldest street in the city Côte de la Montagne, built in 1620, for many years it was the only street linking the Upper Town and Lower Town.
Taking a left at Rue Port Dauphin, you come to Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec which, in several incarnations (having been burned down twice) has been here since 1647.
That's the Monument Du Cardinal Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau. Taschereau was the Archbishop of Quebec from 1871 to 1898.
And just a short walk away is the most photographed hotel in the world; Château Frontenac.
That still looked mighty impressive, even on a drizzly day.
The wide open boardwalk that surrounds the hotel and extends parallel to the St Lawrence River is the Terrasse Dufferin. The views from here are quite lovely.
This is the monument to Champlain in front of the hotel.
Notice the Harp Player next to the monument….he kept playing thru the drizzle…..talk about dedication!
And there's also this rather odd looking "Elephant Sculpture" by Salvador Dali.
We noticed that QC has its own style….not overly formal….but just, well QC……and they seemed quite proud to be Québécois.
It started raining a bit harder, so we decided to head back to the hotel. Of course, the funicular was not an option.
We took a short stop at Parc Montmorency, which has quite a history. And quite a view…..
From the cannons.
We got back to the hotel, freshened up, relaxed a bit, then headed off to dinner, which was just downstairs. 
The place was named Panache. I say "was" since the place has been renamed to….ahem, Chez Muffy at the end of June. Why "Chez Muffy"? Well you can read about that here.
So, I've decided not to dwell on this meal very much. I'll let you enjoy the photos. The service was excellent and this was far from a cheap meal. When we mentioned we'd be sharing; they split everything except the Celeriac Spaghetti.
I keep wondering why they serve cold bread here in Quebec. That just seemed like the norm.
Of course we had Foie Gras which was really great in a mulled red wine sauce and a not too sweet orange marmalade.
The wine it was paired with was outstanding, really elevated the flavors, both sweet and earthy of the dish, without being too cloyingly sweet.
Very nice.
Though perhaps my favorite item of the meal was the beet tartare, which was simply delici-yoso, the combination of capers, shallots, mullet row, and lemon confit really gave this simple sounding dish complexity.
Celeriac Spaghetti.
Elk.
The sautéed kohlrabi with pistachio was delicious.
Dessert.
Ume flavored marshmallows.
Panache (now Chez Muffy) – in the Auberge Saint-Antoine
8 Rue Saint-Antoine
Quebec City, Canada
And hummus with flat bread. I think the bread here has gotten better over time, but it's still not in the league of, say, Alforon as it gets hard quite quickly. The hummus is very mild in flavor, but perhaps that's how folks like it.
The dish is a nice mélange of flavors and textures. The base of cauliflower and a very tasty eggplant is quite good; the rice is moist and full of flavor. The chickpeas, peas, and almonds add a nuttiness and a nice textural contrast to things. The lamb; well, I thought it the weakest link in the dish, decent gamey flavor, but it was dry and in all honesty, if the rice was cooked in the lamb stock, I could have done without it.
