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Toast!
Categories: Restaurants French Local Flavour French, Local Flavour [Edit]
17, rue Sault-au-MatelotQuebec, QC G1K 3Y7
(418) 692-1334
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 10 am
Mon-Wed, Sun 6 pm - 10:30 pm
Thu-Sat 6 pm - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 7:30 am - 10 am
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Toast!
11 reviews in English
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Review from Dallas N.
9/3/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This is a spectacular little gem located in the courtyard of hotel next door to the Auberge St. Antoine. A romantic and idealic, locally owned, organic beauty.
Every portion is enough for two people and there is an additional $15 charge for items where fois gras is a main component of the dish. We tried the BLT salad, a perfectly execute and intensely flavored salad - I know, not normally an intense flavor, but trust me on this one. We then had the Instant Pastry Shell, a lobster and maiche salad nestled within a puff pastry shell. Delicate and delightful. Followed by the cerviche stacked on a risotto cake, my favorite dish. Lastly, we enjoyed the lobster soup, with spicy chorizo sausage and a delightful ravioli.
The staff is accommodating, attentive and extremely knowledgable about the menu. We too ate there two nights in a row because of their late dinner seating on Friday night.
I would highly recommend this establishment. Don't be misled by the complaints about over charging, rude wait staff etc. This place is a must visit in Vieux QC. -
Review from Cody L.
12/28/2010
Ate there two nights in a row!
I've been to great restaurants and this one is the best of the best. My wife and I went there via recommendation from our hotel concierge. We got a 4 course selection and were treated to the best food and service we've ever had. We left the place feeling like we were on DRUGS.
The next night, we had reservations at another restaurant and upon looking at the prices and selection on their menu we walked out and gleefully went (possibly skipping) to Toast without reservations. The waiter from the previous night recognized us and we got a table.
Toast is exactly what fine dining should be. It isn't overly pretentious and if you listen to the waitstaff, you will get the best experience possible.
We would travel from Texas to Quebec in a heartbeat to eat here again. -
Review from Lulu T.
9/26/2010 6 photos
We were pleasantly surprised with what Toast had to offer. We were seated on the well appointed patio. They had heat lamps to keep us warm on toasty on a cool September evening. The setup was very warm and inviting.
The menu changes regularly and is a 3-4 course set menu. The evening we were there we had a great selection of items to choose from for Appetizers, Entree and dessert. Along with our selection, the Chef sends out his tastings - we had two that evening. Everything was absolutely delicious.
What we ordered:
Foie Gras Terrain, deconstructed clam chowder, seared sea bass, grilled pork plate, citrus lava cake with caramel ice cream, banana foster with chocolate/peanut candy bar and vanilla ice cream.
I would highly recommend this restaurant for those of us who love to eat yet have trouble deciding on how to put everything together. -
Review from Mary P.
10/4/2011
The food here is fine, though they could stand to offer a couple of lighter choices. The menu is a tapas type approach with three items per diner recommended. The items were fine, not outstanding as I would expect for the prices, but fine. Also, if ordering 2-3 items per person, it would be a good idea to offer at least a couple that are not so rich and heavy. Even the salad was pretty weighty with lots of dressing, bacon, etc. All in all, there are upscale restaurants in Quebec where you can get at least as good a dinner for less money.
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Review from Matt D.
9/10/2009
My first experience here was heavenly. Everything was spectacular from the flavor to service to the little complimentary extras they brought out. The owners themselves fawned over us. We felt like celebrities.
So I came back, excited and ready to have my mind blown again. In fact, I made my way all the up from the city, quite a trek.
This time I was disappointed by a number of things. Everything felt very rushed, first of all. The same owner looked angry, and didn't even smile when he greeted us. Then they changed to this really annoying and confusing prix-fixe system that seems like they're trying to pigeonhole you into a very expensive dinner, and one that would be overpriced by a long stretch. I felt like I was bargaining with a street vendor when I was ordering from the waiter, who though very attentive, forgot to bring bread, then when he did brought out a teeny tiny, laughably small dish of olive oil. I mean, imagine 0.00001 oz of oil to dip your bread in. My date and I turned our noses up at it. What's wrong, olive oil too expensive to provide a normal amount? It was pathetic.
Lobster Ravioli was really delicious but a very small portion.
Foie Gras with crabmeat and slivers of root vegetables? Flavorless, my date wouldn't even touch it.
The entree was where the joking started. I returned from the men's room to find that my Pork Cassoulet had arrived, and do you know what I saw? F*cking pork and beans. For real? Chunks of pork with little kidney beans. I could've saved 30 bucks and cracked a can of Pork&Beans like my mom used to serve us when she was tired and didn't feel like making a good dinner.
I'm breaking up with you, Toast. The first time the earth moved, but the second time you couldn't perform. And I ain't got time for that.
Next! -
Review from Lauriean D.
8/14/2010 2 photos
I read lots of raves for Toast! on various message boards. I didn't think it was all that. I stopped in for lunch while on vacation. Had the cream of spinach soup with bacon garnish (looked nasty, but had INCREDIBLE flavor), this orange-lemonade (which tasted rancid), and steak and frites (Eh. It was alright. I appreciate the red peppers, onions, and au jus. However the texture of the meat was little odd. It came medium-rare, as I requested, however the texture was very shreddy and dry if that makes sense. And really, could they afford to part with the frites? Eeessh!)
It's not a terrible place. I really enjoyed my soup, but the other items I had were mediocre at best. Overall, there's no compelling reason in my mind to return. -
Review from Liana S.
5/19/2011
Wow, what a treat Toast! turned out to be. Initially recommended by our hotel, we ended up cancelling a more formal prefix dinner for what proved to be a much more exciting gourmet experience. Havingjust introduced an appetizer-only menu earlier that week, Toast was packed, but opting for a 9 pm reservation got us in. Their menu features 15$ (Canadian) small plates, including beef and salmon carpaccio, duck fillet on fresh greens and a mushroom trio tagliatelle. However, what stood out the most in mind about this intimate boutique resto was their homemade foie gras. This French staple may look simple on the menu, but upon tasting it you will immediately notice sweet notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. I have never tasted anything like this and let me tell you it was worth every calorie and cholesterol point. We had a fantastic South African Cabernet, Shiraz and Malbec blend and a lovely fig and hazelnut dessert.
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Review from Joshua F.
11/4/2009
For our latest trip to Quebec City we chose Toast as one of our new places to try. We love the food scene in QC and have been to all the regulars that you would see on the top of lists.
Toast is broken into two dinning areas. The first area gives off a nice subtle red glow of intrigue and interest, while the other is tucked away past the reception with stone walls and an unimaginative decor. Unfortunately we were seated in the second area. It wasn't a big deal, but we are a younger couple, dressed nicely and would have probably enjoyed the first room.
The menu explains that the chef is known for his preparation of foie gras and it is highly recommended that you supplement your entree with an $18 piece. GREAT! We love the QC! This is going to be a great dinner. The menu also forces you into a 3 or 4 course fixed dinner, which isn't that bad considering the restaurants Toast is compared with. (Well this was the thought prior to dinner.) We went with the 3 course for $65.
So with the understanding that the chef is known for his foie prep we went with the following:
Starters:
Seared foie gras ($15 supplement) with truffled white blood sausage. A large, filling dish for a starter, it comes with side dish of orzo in sauce with mushrooms and other veggies mixed in. The flavor was nice and the sausage made very well, but the size of the foie was disappointing considering the extra $15.
Mushroom Crostini was nicely flavored with perfectly sauteed mushrooms and a great truffled emulsion. The mushrooms came topped with a quail egg that was over cooked. I would have loved to have the yolk run over the crostini. The portion of mushrooms could have been greater also, considering the dish maybe cost $3 to make.
Entrees:
Duck Confit was served a bit dry, but presentation was very nice with a "pot-au-feu" topped with foie foam unveiled table side.
Milk Fed Piglet was excellent. Another reviewer referred to the dish as being no better than pork and beans... which is a misunderstanding of the play off of "cassoulet". The cuts were cooked perfectly, and were accompanied by a truffled white sausage. The white beans were cooked correctly, allowing for some tooth with the natural creamy texture. The supplemented foie integrated nicely into the dish, but the edges were over cooked because the piece was uneven.
Dessert:
The Tonka bean souffle was nothing special and found its way to our table without the rhubarb compote.
The Parmesan cheese cake was tasty, very light, and plated at the table with crumbles and macerated cherries.
Over all we felt that the price was too expensive for the quality of food we received. Nothing we ate really screamed amazing. The Piglet was memorable. I would return, but only after trying a couple other places first. Stick to the 3 courses for $65 and stay away from the supplemented foie dishes. -
Review from Syrisa M.
2/2/2011
Absolutely lovely outdoor patio dining. You feel like you are in a secret garden - vines growing up the walls, a wrought iron spiral staircase, and a magical candle lit atmosphere. Loved the amuse bouche to start off the evening. Excellent service. Their focus is foie gras. The very talented young chef came out & greeted us. It really made our visit to Quebec outstanding.
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Review from william g.
12/31/2008
Toast is a modern french bistro, recommended by the concierge at Hotel 71 and well reviewed on Chowhound, Much as I wanted to really splurge, I was not in the mood to spend $400+ at L'Initiale or Panache so we decided to check out Toast, which is in the Old Port area near many of the other top tier restaurants. It was described as 'formal food in a casual setting', and that is a perfect description. It is Michelin star rated dining without any pretense and the need for neckwear! They have a 3 course option for 65 and a 4 course for 75 CAD, which was a bit better suited to my budget this time. The two owners have a real sense of humor as well, on the menu, in the little blurb next to their picture, it just says, Chef Bio, "Blah bla, bla blahh blahh, bla bla, bla bla, etc." Awesome !
They are also really , really into Foie Gras, and offer it as an accompaniment to any of their dishes for a 18 CAD supplement, I went for it and was rewarded with a perfectly seared chunk along side the rabbit stuffed with Boudin Noir cooked Sous Vide. First time I had tried Sous Vide, incredibly tender, like ultra slow braised meat that doesn't fall apart. The lobster risotto appetizer was the best I have ever had, as was the tuna and beef carpaccio. They offer a cheese course instead of dessert, which is great if you are dining with a friend, one person gets the cheese, the other desert, and you end up with a 4 course meal. The absolute 'coolest' idea was their take on warm apple pie ( which should arguable always be served with cheddar cheese, but some people feel ice cream is the best a la mode) They make a mildly sweet cheddar cheese ICE CREAM to sit along side the pie and melt stream of happiness all over the apples, YUMMERS!
Already planning a trip in April for seconds!
GO TO QUEBEC ON A FOOD HOLIDAY
-the dollar is stronger
-they dont despise Americans and they don't correct your pronunciation
-It's only a 6 hour drive from Boston
-you can make fun of Celine Dion in person! -
Review from Glen H.
8/6/2010
My favorite meal ever, anywhere, anytime. Inventive dishes expertly prepared. Lovely room, friendly, fun service. This place creates magic.
