How To Spend a Big Fat Weekend in Québec City
There is no Canadian city more prime for a Big Fat Weekend than Québec City. From the historic cobblestone streets of Old Québec to the fresh strawberries on Île d'Orléans to the award-winning cheese in Charlevoix, there’s so much to see, eat, and do—and it all somehow feels totally manageable. I recently spent a few days exploring the city (and practicing my French) to see just how many activities I could pack in. I met sheep in the countryside. And tasted jam on a quaint island. Below are a few of the spots I loved the most.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.1/7Maelstrøm Saint-Roch
A killer coffee shop by day and a chill cocktail bar by night, Maelstrøm is a certified overachiever. In the A.M. I opted for a cortado while browsing their selection of zines. At night, the lights dimmed, and the vibe was significantly less college café. I swapped my cortado for the Italiano, a low-ABV cocktail with Cynar, grapefruit juice, and tonic that I plan to recreate at home. You can and should hit up Maelstrøm twice in one day.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.2/7Battuto
In a city where French food rules the restaurant scene, Battuto sticks out in the best way. The 24-seat Italian spot was opened by chef Guillaume St-Pierre, pastry chef Paul Croteau, and sommelier Pascal Bussières. A few bites in, you’ll understand why they topped this Best New Restaurants list in 2017. There’s the saffron arancini that nail the whole crispy on the outside, melty on the inside thing. Delicate squash blossoms are stuffed with a rich lamb bolognese, fried, and served with a mint and basil aioli. All of the pastas are made by hand, so order every single one (the ravioli with ricotta, fresh green peas, and lemon beurre blanc was a standout) and have no regrets. By this point you’ll want another bottle from Bussières’ curation—a list made up mostly of biodynamic and natural Italian wines. The dessert move? One of everything, obviously. (The mountain of chamomile bomboloni!) This is a special place that’s worth the two-month wait to get in.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.3/7Grand Marché de Québec
Part actually-cool food hall, part farmer’s market, part food business incubator, Grand Marché de Québec is where to go if you’re looking to get a taste of the entire Québec region without, you know, driving around the entire Québec region. I sampled juicy, first-of-the-season local strawberries. Chewy, maple syrup-coated potato donuts (yes, potato!) at Beignes d’Antan. Salty and fennel-dotted salami at Le Pied Bleu. Extremely sweet (and extremely good) maple syrup candies from the St-Raphaël area. And washed down with an American pale ale at SNO Microbrasserie.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.4/7Maison d'affinage Maurice Dufour
A little over an hour outside of Québec City, you’ll find cheese heaven in Charlevoix. And sheep heaven. And soft serve heaven. And wine heaven. You’re at Maison D’affinage Maurice Dufour, also known as Famille Migneron de Charlevoix. They’re known for their Le Migneron de Charlevoix cheese, a creamy, semi-soft cow milk cheese that has won more awards than I ever will. Sample it in the tasting room (the cheese and wine are free!), walk around the grounds, meet some sheep, and then settle in for lunch at Faux Bergers. Order the pizzas (which feature the Famille Migneron cheeses, naturally) that come out of the wood-burning oven, and then finish with a crème molle au lait de brebis, rich sheep’s milk soft serve that might ruin any other soft serve for you.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.5/7Boulangerie Bouchard
My life motto: Will travel for baked goods. Which explains why I took a ferry across the Saint Lawrence River to Isle-aux-Coudres and drove up a windy road to go to the quaint, 70+-year-old Boulangerie Bouchard. It’s run by the nicest person you’ll ever meet, Noelle-Ange Harvey. For a savory option, get pate croche—a half moon-shaped hand pie filled with different meats. But you’re really there for the sweet stuff. Specifically, the grand-mère. It’s a sugar pie (basically cream and brown sugar inside) topped with little roll-ups of pie scraps. Grab it to-go and eat it outside while looking out over the Saint Lawrence River. Carbs with a view, not mad about it.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.6/7Confiturerie Tigidou
JAM TASTING! Yeah, that’s a thing I am into now that I have been to Confiturerie Tigidou on picturesque Île d'Orléans. A quick drive over a bridge from Québec City (and past more strawberry stands than you can count), you’ll arrive at a place wholly dedicated to jam. Peruse the shop, then let owner Vincent Paris guide you through a short but very sweet tasting. I tried a rhubarb-strawberry morning jam (there’s no pectin added, so it has a looser consistency), a barely sweet lemon-strawberry jam, and a tart apple seabuckthorn jelly. I bought so many morning jams I had to check my bag home. Worth it.
Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.7/7Cassis Monna & Filles
I’ll admit I was unfamiliar with cassis, blackcurrant liqueur, before coming to Québec. So I was excited to check out Cassis Monna & Filles, a family business on Île d'Orléans run by sisters Catherine and Anne Monna. The expansive property overlooks the Saint Lawrence River, and there you can taste their deep red, syrupy crème de cassis straight, as well as in ice-cold cassis sangria (my preference). They also sell other blackcurrant products like jam, mustard, marinated olives, and more. But the star of the show is the dairy bar, where I had a blackcurrant-vanilla "softie"—a perfect cone of swirled blackcurrant and vanilla soft serve. Actually, I had two.
