I’m a big believer in saving the best for last, so let me tell you about some meh food before posting about my favorites.
After going to the OSHEAGA concert, we were tired and hungry. We got off the subway to find some grub, but Old Montreal was dead dead dead on this Sunday night, a far cry from the excitement of Saturday. We eventually found three restaurants that were open near our hotel. One, a sushi place, but I’ve read Kitchen Confidential, I know not to eat sushi or many fish products on a Sunday. Two, an Italian restaurant that had a longer than we wanted to wait wait. Lastly, a Mexican restaurant where David and I split an order of chicken fajitas, and I got a Mojito.
First served to us were complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa was definitely lacking as it tasted more like a tomato sauce, rather than spicy salsa. The guacamole was perfect: not too creamy, and had enough lime juice and garlic. The chicken was awesome with its minimal salt and pepper seasoning, and no nasty, fatty pieces. The food was definitely good, but not OMFG great that some of the other food we ate throughout the trip.
Then there is road food. It’s universally understood that one cannot expect much from off-the-road diners, and we didn’t. The menu was typical: sandwiches, breakfast items, burgers, and desserts. Lamely, I chose an omelet, and David a club sandwich with a side of poutine. Please bear in mind we are ordering off French menus when neither of us speak French, and in this po-dunk town way up north, our waitress didn’t speak English, thus making ordering or recommendations more difficult.
The omelet was sodium enriched, albeit fine, with a side of steamed carrots, sweet potatoes, and pommes frites. This was our first experience with the long awaited poutine and despite what one may think, the flavors balanced very well together to create a salty, crunchy yet soggy, delicious treat that will probably kill you. But maybe that’s just my cheese curd loving way speaking,
look! poutine!
Hotel Tadoussac offered an in-house kitchen and dining area that reminded David of Rutgers. After initially paying $23 CAD for a mediocre breakfast, we found cute restaurants along the main drag of Tadoussac.
We came upon a restaurant with a great patio but what intrigued me the most was the offering of venison steaks. However, upon ordering it our server informed me that he was out, but instead had bison, which seemed even better in my mind (not having had it). While contemplating over the wine list, we instead ordered some summertime gin and tonics. Our waiter, who couldn’t have been nicer, (he loves hockey, the Wild, coaching, and spoke good English) needed an explanation of what is in these gin and tonics. He tried, but instead of what we expected, he brought out a glass of ice, a glass with a shot or two of gin, and yet another glass of what tasted like seltzer water. Then we ordered a bottle of wine.
A couple of things about the myriad accompaniments shown above:
- The steamed vegetables were fine, even the carrots.
- The salad has ranch dressing on it, which was not indicated, much less requested. Did our server just think all Americans love ranch dressing? It isn’t so. This is merely a minor qualm and a cultural question.
- If I had to venture a guess, I would put my money on the thought that the rice pilaf was chicken flavored Rice-a-Roni.
Despite these minor complaints, the bison was perfectly grilled medium and did not have any overwhelming flavors. I also liked the sweet currant glaze on top which added an interesting surprise. It’s a very lean meat and was tasty overall. Though cooked to perfection, the meat was a little chewy, and stinky when I cut it open. Perhaps bison just smell though? Have you ever had a smelly bison?
None of these meals were awful by any means, and who am I to complain about a bison steak? These were merely at the bottom of my list, meaning there are better things to come.
