Day 7: Old Quebec City, birthday dinner at Taniere3.
Walking around in the old city
A darling little topiary that caught our eye.
The Quebec Parliament building.
A view from the lower city all the way back up to the Hotel Frontenac.
A trompe l'oeil wall mural depicting important events in the city's history.
Our local tour guide, Marie Pierre, in front of the funicular down to the lower city.
A view from the funicalar back to the water.
Lunch was on our own, and we stopped at the Casse Crepe Breton, a creperie.
It's a very homey place.
Kimberly snapped a quick picture of the crepe being made.
The crepe itself was huge. We split this and a salad, and it was more than enough.
Over the St. John gate, we see one of the police drones being used for crowd surveillance.
The highlight of the trip was our supermeal at La Taniere, or Taniere3. The entrance is this
plain door, and they text you a code to get in.
The happy couple in the foyer area.
The rooms are below ground and shaped like barrel vaults.
They start up with a lovely welcome drink as we select which wine pairings we would like.
You can see the barrel vault shape in this picture, as Wade returns.
A first amuse bouche: in the foreground, tuna charcuterie on breadsticks; in the back, a radish bowl
stuffed with walleye.
Another amuse of cattail hearts fried in chlorophyll with trout roe on top.
A highlight was this welcome drink: their style of Manhattan with 12-year Canadian Club, Red Vermouth,
and prickly ash pepper.
Pig flank wrapped in pepper leaves.
A final amuse includes these cheese wedges, which are soaked in vodka...
...and then flambeed tableside.
That cheese is served with a small cracker bowl with elk carpaccio.
We move to a seaparate room for the main courses. As we go, we pass through a kitchen area where
they are assembling the amuse courses for other diners.
It is, of course, lovely and elegant with leather placemats.
More of the barrel vault, with Wade already looking toasty from the drinks so far (we haven't even
started the wine pairings yet).
The first course is "nine shades of tomato" containing nine preparations from lightest (a tomato
"marshamallow") to the most flavorful (smoked tomato).
It is served with this card explaining each preparation, and you are encouraged to eat them in order
to get the flavor progression.
After that, you are presented with a key that opens a drawer in your table, that contains hints
about the upcoming course.
This is a crudo of scallop over a finely-brunoised potato, with sturgeon caviar on top.
A lobster course, including the claw at the top, tail on the right, and a roll containing
a bisque-like filling. Served with these intricately-cut vegetables, which are actually parsnip and radish.
Arctic char on the right, which is fabulous and cuts like butter, next to a maitake mushroom on the left.
They are both sitting in a scallop-infused dashi.
The lamb course, including a medallion of the loin, plus a ravioli of lamb meat.
One of our lovely sommeliers pouring the next course.
A beef course including Wagyu beef, a cylindrical toile filled with chard and other vegetables.
It is sitting in a veal stock with morel mushrooms on the side.
This is a cheese course with medallions of root vegetables. The cheese is actually the "rock" in the
upper right. It is encrusted, and you break it open to reveal the soft cheese.
Kimberly told me the women's bathroom was quite ornate, so I took this picture of the terrarium
under the sink in the men's bathroom.
Heading into desserts, we go into another room.
A first dessert course: rhubarb granite with buffalo yogurt.
The final dessert course: five little tasting bites, and non-tea drink to go with it.
At the end, they give you a little menu to help you remember all the details.
