Auberge Saint-Antoine

[CasaSmith]

Has anyone ever heard of this Hotel? It is given great reviews on TripAdvisor. It seems to be close to the port.

 

Thanks,

[Ephraim]

There are 9093507 sq km in Canada. Might you be able to at least hint at what city you are talking about?

[jp2001]

Auberge Saint-Antoine is in Quebec City. While I've never stayed there (I have a house 20 minutes from there :)), I have heard extremely good reviews of this hotel.

 

You are literally 2 minutes by foot from the ship. Even if I had quite a bit of luggage, I would haul them myself (2 trips if needed) instead of taking a cab. This is if your ship docks. This information is valid only if your ship docks at the most popular cruise ship piers right in Quartier Petit Champlain (docks 20 or 21 on this map http://www.portquebec.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=37); otherwise it's a short taxi cab ride from the hotel to the Anse-aux-Foulons Pier. Here is the list of ships and the dock they use : http://www.portquebec.ca/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=97&lang=en_GR

 

P.S. I just looked at your signature and saw you'll be on the Eurodam, she's supposed to dock at pier 22, which is very close (just accross the street) from the Auberge Saint-Antoine.

[Twickenham]

Auberge Saint-Antoine is a very well-regarded boutique hotel. When I was at the tourism office, it was often used for visiting journalists (whom they don't send just anywhere, 'cause they want to give a good impression of the city!). As previously stated, it is an easy walk to the cruise terminal; while you do have to cross a major street, there's a dedicated pedestrian request light right in front of the Musée de la civilisation (right beside the ASA), which makes crossing the street there a breeze (I know, I've done it many times!)

 

To give you an idea, here's a picture I took of the Eurodam in Dock 22, from the roof of the Musée, which as I've already said is right beside the ASA:

 

 

The ASA is to the right of this picture.

[CasaSmith]

Twickenham and JP2001, thank you for the information and picture. I am so excited. Last time we were there was in 2004 on the Jewel of the Seas and parked at the same spot.

 

I figure it would be easier being close to the ship instead of being on the top.

 

Also, I would love to go to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre and was wondering what was the best way to get there. We thought of taking ship tour on Sunday before we leave to the Falls and Isle Orlens, but I would love to go to the church. I went there in like 1984 with my sisters and family and would love to visit it again.

 

Thanks again for all your assistance :)

[jp2001]

Hi,

 

I just realized I had written dock 20 and 21 are close to your hotel but in fact it's docks 21 and 22 so you're fine.

 

Sorry about the confusion.

 

Since the Cathedral is a good way out of Quebec City, I would recommend you rent a car, I think it will be the easiest, cost effective, option.

 

If you rent a car for the day, there are also other places to visit such as the falls and Ïle-d'Orléans but you could also go in the opposite direction for a part of the day and go to the Parc de la Jacques-Cartier Park if you want to hike or even just drive the Stoneham, Tewkesbury, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier area. It's very scenic, in the mountains and/or near a river. I would show you another part of our great region.

[CasaSmith]

JP2001,

 

It is not hard driving in Quebec? I thought of renting a car so we can spend as much time as we want instead of the tour.

 

Do you know if there is any close rental place to the hotel or port, so we do not have to return to the airport?

 

Thanks again for your assistance.

[Twickenham]

Driving to Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré from the port is easy, as you just take the highway all the way down the river. There's a Hertz and Budget office beside the Manoir Victoria, which can be reached from ASA by the free Ecolobus.

[Kindy]

That auberge looks really posh.

 

But I'd never heard of it before, neither in bad or good, and I was born in Québec city. Sometimes it's the cobbler's children who go barefoot. :o

 

These are the car rentals near the hotel.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=118272727724485143700.00046942a84426d09c275

 

I hope the link works, if not, just get to google maps, click on "search options" and search for user map "Car rental closest to Auberge St-Antoine".

 

Driving in Québec city isn't hard as long as you remember that u-turns are illegal and to check whether you're allowed to turn right on a red light (in many cases you're only allowed to during certain hours, you'll find a signal at the top of the traffic light).

 

Maybe the most challenging situation will arise of the fact that the Vieux Québec was built before the need for heavy traffic, so many of the streets are one way only. This makes circulating like going through a maze.

 

Also, a lot people don't drive very defensively, they tend to ignore the back of their car and will cut without making sure they give the other drivers enough time to adjust. Remember to stay zen and you should be able to deal with it. :)

 

Maybe put some Céline Dion in the CD player, soothe the mood and complete the Québec experience! :D

[CasaSmith]

Kindy,

 

Thanks for the link it worked perfectly. As you can see I am from South Florida so driving defensively is second nature to me. I have to remember to relax if I do rent.

 

Twickenham, thanks for the information, I would love to go to the Isle so I figure we can do both things the same day.

 

Any particular place to go in the I'lle de Orleans? It seems the main road goes around the whole island.

 

Thanks again.

[Kindy]

Kindy,

Any particular place to go in the I'lle de Orleans? It seems the main road goes around the whole island.

 

I don't have a particular recommendation, but the thing is the island isn't very big and yes, the main road circles around it. You can drive on the road and stop at what strikes your fancy, many farms have signs put up advertising their home grown/brewed/made products. Driving around the island will provide you with many scenic views and you will get to see the nicer rural architecture that is representative of many places around Québec city (houses with porches almost into the streets, houses close together with land strips behind... )

 

It is possible to rent bikes there, and tour the island leisurely but I have no idea what the rates might be. And a quick google search didn't yield immediate results

 

Speaking of Google, I found that there is supposedly a wonderful Chocolate maker in Ste-Pétronille called Chocolaterie de l’Ile d’Orléans That supposedly also sells delicious homemade ice cream, jellies and other edible goodies. It also houses an interpretation center that explains the process of creating chocolate. I'd go, but I'm an incurable foodie. :p

 

What's nice is that on either side of the island you get a beautiful view of the St-Lawrence and its shores. If you travel during the summer (you never mentioned when you will be here), don't forget to sample the strawberries. IIRC, some places also serve boiled corn on the cob when in season. It's not only national pride talking when I say that the corn in Québec compares to no other. It's a nice lunch on the go.

 

I don't know how possible it will be, because usually sugar shack (Cabane à sucre) outings are seasonal, but I would inquire if there will be one open at the time you will be on Île d'Orléans.

 

They serve buffet type traditional meals: pea soup, ham, egg, sometimes ragoût, tourtière, sausage, pork rind (also called "oreilles de crisse" literally Christ's ears) pancakes with maple syrup and maple syrup taffy. (It's a heavy meal, but it's part of the tradition).

 

That's probably the most quebeckerish thing you could do while in the region! The good sugar shacks usually have a live musician playing folk music to put everyone in the mood and help digest the heavy fare.

 

You will forgive me for being the total foodie, but another thing absolutely unique (well that I know of...) to Québec is we eat "fromage en grain" (a type of cheese curds). It's cheese that hasn't been completely ripened. It looks a little like cottage cheese but without the white cream around it. It is solid and a little salty. You can get it day fresh almost anywere, (even convenience stores get it delivered daily, but be careful not to take it from the fridge, that's where they put the two day old ones).

 

That sort of cheese also appears in our national junk food: "poutine", which is french fries with fresh cheese curds and gravy. It's not for the faint hearted. :D

 

In Québec, even McDonald's, KFC and BK sell it. But the best place to have it is called Ashton's (they make fries from fresh cut potatoes, and they make the gravy from scratch, the cheese is always the best brands and day fresh).

 

Alright, I probably have said too much and managed to turn this topic into the dreaded off topic wall of text. :o

[Kindy]

:eek: Well maybe you never mentioned when you'd be travelling, but I finally noticed it was in your sig! :o

[CasaSmith]

Thanks so much for your suggestion. Okay the poutine sounds delicious since I love fries and cheese, only ask what type of gravy?

 

Thanks again and do not worry I love food too... :)

[skf]

The gravy is brown gravy...this report from Manchester, NH, home of Chez Vachon & their famous poutines (sometimes made w/ spaghetti).

 

Ephraim, a few days ago I had just come back from la Caisse Populaire Ste.-Marie after buying Canadian money & the first post I read was yours about Canadian money.

How do you do that???

Steve

[Ephraim]

Ephraim, a few days ago I had just come back from la Caisse Populaire Ste.-Marie after buying Canadian money & the first post I read was yours about Canadian money.

How do you do that???

 

Could I be Alison Dubois cousin?

 

The gravy is brown gravy...this report from Manchester, NH, home of Chez Vachon & their famous poutines (sometimes made w/ spaghetti).

 

Proper poutine is made with a brown (ight chicken, veal or turkey gravy) gravy and Gouda cheese curds. They curds are sometimes called fromage kwee kwee, because of the sound they make in your head when you eat them. The most famous brand of cheese used for this is Kingsey. The curds should be fresh, no more than a day old, which is why it's so difficult to make elsewhere. The cheese is room temperature and the gravy is poured on top.

 

Unfortunately some American fast food chains have tried to make their own copies of poutine. Every single one of them is horrible. Usually the gravy is made from a packet of chemicals, they don't have fresh cheese curds, they keep the cheese in the fridge and their fries are too salty.

 

There are a lot of variations, Italian poutine is with meat sauce. There is a famous fast food chain in Quebec City called Chez Ashton that is known for one called a Dulton with spiced ground meat on top and a Galvaude with chicken and peas on top.

[skf]

The Glauvade sounds OK, but you'll have to leave off the peas.

How about that other Québec favourite, cod with cold peas? GAAAAHH!!

Steve

[Ephraim]

I've never seen cod and cold peas in my life.

 

Some of these dishes are regional, some are seasonal and some are just being in the right place and the right time, like Oreilles de crisse are typically served at sugar shacks, I've never seen it served otherwise.

 

• Tourtierre (Meat pie)
  
• Tarte au Sucre (Sugar pie)
  
• Poudding de Chomeur (Bread pudding)
  
• Pate Chinois (Sheppard's pie)
  
• Cretons (The poor man's paté)
  
• Soupe aux pois (Yellow pea soup, typically on Friday)
  
• Smoked Meat (Montreal)
  
• Bagel (Montreal) - They are different from typical American bagel
  
• Steak Spice (Montreal)
  
• Barbecue Chicken with gravy (even KFC in Quebec sells chicken gravy)
  
• Cipaille (Meat or fish pie, depending on the region)
  
• Whippet cookies
  
• Mae West (vanilla cake, thick vanilla cream and covered in a thin layer of hard chocolate)
  
• Maple taffy (called tire in French - pronounces "teer")
  
• Bûche de Noël (Christmas log cake at Christmas)
  
• Oreilles de crisse (Literally, Christ's ears, fried pork rind)
  
• Ragoût de boulettes (Pork meatballs)
  
• Beaver Tails (A pastry)
  
• Buckwheat pancakes
  
• Pot-en-pot (Iles de la Madelaine)
  
• Soupe aux gourganes (Broad bean soup)
  

Whippet cookies

 

[skf]

Tourtierre (Meat pie) ...If you don't want to make your own it's at Beaulieu's market.

 

Tarte au Sucre (Sugar pie) ...In Québec City my friend Willy forgot the name & asked for pecan pie without the almonds.

 

Pate Chinois (Sheppard's pie) ...my Mother in law liked to make that.

 

Soupe aux pois (Yellow pea soup, typically on Friday)...Habitant used to make that here below the Notre Dame Bridge; a friend's father (from Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré) was the plant manager.

[Kindy]

Not to outdo you Ephraim, but I think Jos Louis cakes are more popular :)

 

For those of you not native to the province, there is a company here that makes and sells in the whole province little cakes under the brand name "Vachon". http://www.vachon.com/Products.aspx . For me, the "Passion Flakies" are true comfort food.

 

A little bit like Little Debbie's but the Vachon ones are better. :D

 

Also, on rotisserie chicken, you can find places where they sell it, fast-food like. The pecularity is the BBQ seasoning on the chicken and in the gravy. A leg or a breast, fries, coleslaw and BBQ gravy.

 

A lot of chains serve good chicken, but the one that pops to the mind of every Quebecker is St-Hubert.

http://www.st-hubert.com/en/menu.php

 

Now the St-Hubert restaurants have always been more than fast-food joints (and they have the family restaurant menu to prove it) but they popularised the formula enough that a lot of fast-food chains duplicated the classic rotisserie chicken. Other places have good chicken too, but IMHO St-Hubert still has the very best sauce.

[skf]

They used to be a regular at small stores here, then Hostess/Drake's took over & they disappeared.

Sometimes we dine at St-Hubert in Sorel/Tracy...it is not at all a fast-food (service au volant) place.

Even Tim Horton's is quite good for lunch, even though I should avoid donuts.

Steve

[Kindy]

Most St-Hubert are family sit-down restaurants with pub style food.

 

Of interest to Québec city travellers, they have a really nice restaurant on Grande-Allée.

 

But they also have a St-Hubert Express banner that is essentially a fast food/take out pickup joint with a smaller menu and no service at the tables. The gravy is just as wonderful though.

 

BTW almost all of the chicken fast food restaurants will serve a BBQ poutine where they replace the brown gravy by the BBQ gravy. You can even add chicken extra to it. It's sinful, but delicious.

 

On another topic, something nice to do for cruisers on a one day stop in Québec city, especially if they don't plan on straying far from the port, is to go see the Marché du Vieux Port (literally translated Old Port Market), where a lot of locally produced products are sold. Be warned that there are a couple sellers that sell handcrafted products from Peru or some such, but most of what's there will make for good souvenirs.

 

You can find the location on google maps. Unfortunately they don't have a website in English, but here's the address. http://www.marchevieuxport.com/

 

I would also recommend the Moulin à Images, but I'm not sure how far into the month of September they'll keep playing it. It's a light and sound show on the history of the city. It plays everynight at 10 PM next to the Marché du Vieux Port and it's free to attend (there's talk of selling reserved seating) but if you bring your own blanket to sit on, it will still be free.

 

It's not very impressive on youtube but it will still give you an idea of the quality of the image and the sound.