Obviously trolling restaurant websites before my recent trip to Montreal, I continuously came upon a Syrian restaurant called Damas in Montreal’s Ourtremont neighborhood. The menu looked delicious and I was really intrigued by a Syrian restaurant, so I called and barely got a reservation about two weeks before my trip! Great success.
Montreal.
Poutine is a classically Québecois dish of french fries, gravy and cheese curds. Nope, its not the healthiest dish. Claimed to have been invited just outside of Québec City (the exact place varies), poutine is extremely popular in Québec. So popular that everyone has a favorite, and the Québecois will staunchly defend their favorite poutine. Do not get into an argument over which poutine is best. You will certainly lose. One thing, however, that is generally agreed (at least in Québec City): Québec City poutine > Montréal poutine.
The Québec province is quite the hot spot for craft breweries, and has been for quite some time, hosing the famous Mondial de la biere in Montréal and claiming the renowned Le Dieu du Ciel! and Unibroue breweries (both also in greater Montréal). However, while Montréal receives a lot of the accolades for craft beer, Québec City has certainly not missed out on the craft beer movement. When I visited in 2015, we visited five craft breweries in Québec City proper and there were a number more just outside the city. Here are my thoughts of the ones that we visited.
I flew out of Québec City in November 2015. As usual, I checked Priority Pass to see which, if any, lounges were available. Well, there is only one lounge in Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) – the Salon VIP (classy name) – and luckily, entrance was covered by priority pass. In accord with its name, the Salon VIP was quite VIP for an unaffiliated lounge and it had some complimentary VIP beverages. In contrast to its name, the food was scarce and not too delicious. All in all, it is a nice lounge but I would not kill yourself to get there or pay for entrance.
L’Affaire est Ketchup. The sentence is Québecois slang for “cool.” It is also the name of a a very popular restaurant in Québec City. Despite being so well-known, l’Affaire est Ketchup was a last minute additional to my Québec dining itinerary. I had read about it, but it seemed a little passé, over rated, past its prime, the like. I changed my mind on a whim on the day I left, after I saw it on Anthony Bourdain’s show while waiting for my flight. I decided then that I should at least try to make a reservation. I mean if its good enough for Anthony, its good enough for me. Very lucky for me, it was off-season and the restaurant had one 6:00 reservation for two people, but we had to be out by 7:45. Done.
