- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Mistral Gagnant Rest
2 reviews for Mistral Gagnant Rest
2 reviews in English
-
Review from Jessica E.
8/29/2010
One of the highlights of our trip and the best food we had in Montreal or Quebec! Excellent quality French food at a good value!
In Quebec City Lower-Town, meals under $20 per person were rare unless you want to eat pizza and sandwiches. We found that you can eat sometimes have typical French food (filet mignon, duck confit) for $20 or so at places with a terrace that serve pizza, French food, and sandwiches, but the quality of food would be so-so. We went to Quebec to eat some good French food without breaking the bank, and the Provencal-style food at Mistral Gagnant was so delicious at a great value that we went back a second time two nights later! The owner recognized us and joked that we must have liked it a lot. We did!
They have a terrific early bird special from 5:30 to 6:30 pm which includes soup or salad, main course, dessert, and coffee for between $13 and $20. They also have four-course table d'hote all day that includes an appetizer for between $28 and $37.
Soup/Appetizers: The cream of zucchini soup was perfection even on a warm day. The escargot with puff pastry was divine. The escargot were tender and the light, herby cream sauce complimented our snails well. For our second trip, the soup of the day was cream of vegetable which really captured the essence of the vegetables. We ordered the escargot again, and it was as good as we remembered. We also had the smoked salmon plate appetizer which was served simply with capers, red onions and a side salad.
Main Courses:
The first night, I had the lamb tenderloin early bird special ($18) which was cooked perfectly. My husband had the filet mignon on the four-course table d'hote (about $33), and he thought it might be the best filet he has ever had. Our second time, we both had entrees off the table d'hote menus. I had the duck in orange sauce which was medium rare and a wonderful mix of savory and sweet without being too sweet. My husband had the bouillbaisse ($37), which had four types of fish, mussels, and shrimp in a wonderful broth.
Desserts: While our Frommer's guide book raved about the lemon pie, I wasn't a fan finding it a strange texture; however, the anise-flavored creme brulee was fantastic. On our second trip we had the maple sugar pie, which was also delicious.
We didn't have reservations for either dinner, but it was certainly close to capacity on the Friday night. The atmosphere is charming and romantic, but there is no outdoor seating. We were able to find street parking at a meter nearby on Wednesday and Friday nights, which were much better deals than the parking lots. Most of the people there were speaking French, so I assume they were locals. The wait staff spoke good enough English to translate the menu for us. They were friendly but not super attentive, which I was find with because I preferred to linger over our meal. -
Review from David B.
8/17/2011
Absolutely get the sweetbreads with mushrooms. They are cooked perfectly. An equal alternative, if you're not into organ meats is the lamb chops with thyme & basil. Superb.
