Le Patriarche in Quebec City: Tales from the Road

There are a million reasons why I wanted to take my honeymoon in Quebec City, and food was definitely one of them. Quebec City is known for its wonderful restaurants, and last night, we dined at one that was simply superlative.

In the lobby of our hotel, a charming century building with thick stone walls, we picked up a guidebook and M spotted an ad for Le Patriarche, a restaurant specializing in game and local meats. While wandering Vieux Quebec that evening, we happened across it and made a reservation for the following evening. The restaurant is housed in a heritage home that was built in 1827, and has been in operation for over 40 years. We were seated by a window looking out on a narrow cobblestone street.


M had a local beer to start, while I had a Gibson. Our wine with dinner was a 2003 red from the Madiran region of France, which I have to confess I am wholly unfamiliar with. It was rich and fruity without being overpowering, with lovely tannins and a mouthfeel like velvet.

It's not often that I rave about the bread at a restaurant, but the selection offered last night was truly impressive. The server came around with a large basket containing French baguette, olive, sundried tomato and basil buns, bacon-cheddar bread, and cranberry-flaxseed bread.

My appetizer was venison and smoked quail consomme garnished with thin slices of smoked quail breast. It was smooth and savoury and not at all heavy, and the slices of breast were thin slivers of perfection. M had tuna tartare with vanilla oil, lightly smoked tuna seared with citrus fruits, and glazed cucumber coulis.

My entree was goose done three ways: goose breast with cardamom juice, braised goose drumstick à l’orange and goose foie gras roasted with sweet potato fondant. I'd never had goose before, so I was eager to try it. The breast with cardamom juice was divine, four slices lightly edged in fat sitting in an incredibly savoury jus. It was perfection, but the braised drumstick a l'orange was even better. The meat just fell off the bone. The first bite was so good that I think I almost swooned. The roasted foie gras was like nothing I've ever had before. I had never eaten foie gras, as I am not a fan of liver. The texture not meat-like at all, but very soft and spongy. It was also very very rich. I liked it, but I have to confess that I found the texture I bit off-putting, so I didn't finish it. The accompanying sweet potato fondant was delicious.

M's main was a trio of venison: parmentier of confit deer shoulder and pureed celery, barded deer medallion on a Jerusalem artichoke galette with Szechuan pepper juice, panfried deer liver on tatin of confit shallots. I had a taste of each, and liked them all except for the liver, which had far too strong a taste for me. The deer shoulder was tender and flavourful, and the deer medallion was exceptional.

It should be noted that the portions were quite small, so that you could get a taste of each presentation without being too sated to appreciate the rest.

After dinner, we lingered over our wine and contemplated dessert. I knew that I wanted cheese. Lovely fresh artisanal Quebec cheese. Oh yes. I requested three kinds, and recieved some Rassembleu, a semi-soft blue cheese with a wonderful smooth flavour, a creamy cheese whose name I can't recall and a hard cheese with a smoky flavour. They were served with thin slices of nut bread and I had a glass of vintage tawny port to complete the meal.

M opted for Death By Chocolate: white chocolate crème brûlée, Tanzanian chocolate fondant with Morello cherries, Guayaquil chocolate mousse and lime mille feuille. M says that calling it indescribable doesn't do it justice.

If you're ever in Quebec City and are a fan of game and other wild meats, you must eat at Le Patriarche. I insist!