Topping in the hopes of trying again for some suggestions.

Thought I'd give this one more try! We'll be coming from Montreal via train, freshening up at the hotel, and then heading to dinner, so a restaurant not to far from the hotel would be nice. We're staying at L'Hotel du Vieux-Quebec on rue Saint-Jean.

There are some very good but relatively expensive restaurants in Québec City such as l'Initiale, Laurie Raphaël, Le Saint-Amour, La Tanière and Toast. From your description of your needs, I don't think these are what you want.

Many people will call it touristy, but I think that you can get a very good meal in attractive surroundings at Aux Anciens Canadiens on rue Saint-Louis. It's in a historic building dating from the late 17th Century and the lunch prices are good until 5:45 pm if you want to dine early.

http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca/en/index.htm

I like La Crémaillère very much, which does include some Italian specialties if that is what your mother prefers.

http://www.cremaillere.qc.ca/index.shtml

I'm sure others will suggest their favourites.

Thank you so much for the suggestions, laverendrye! I'm going to look them up right now. I've already checked La Cremaillere's website, and it seems elegant, while still feeling casual and inviting. But I'm looking forward to seeing the others as well (expensive is ok, just not somewhere that's so posh we'll feel out of place in smart casual clothing.)

Our train doesn't arrive until 4pm, so it will definitely be dinner. Thanks again!

Jv827 Hope you'll let us know how your special birthday dinner went in Quebec City. Also wanted your feedback on the hotel you stayed in. We're booked for September .

Hi Darnwright. We were very happy with the hotel. The location was excellent, and the front desk staff are extremely pleasant and helpful. They provided excellent directions for a good spot to view the Image Mill, and also arranged a tour for us outside the city. A lounge area in the back has sofas, two computers, board games, a chess set and books, as well as cold water from a cooler. It was a nice place to relax when we had a little time between activities one day. The day we arrived it was raining, and they offered dvds to watch in our room and free popcorn.

At first look I found the room itself (2 queen beds and a murphy) to be a little odd compared to the rest of the hotel. The building is old and historic, whereas the decor in the room felt a bit danish modern, which surprised me. And it was definitely a bit small, although still had a desk and sitting table (granted, we lost space in the sitting area due to the murphy bed.) But the room had a lot of light, and the beds and linens were comfortable (even the queen-sized murphy.) The room itself was very clean, including the small bathroom, which is a must for me (generic soap and shampoo dispensers in the shower.) And the breakfast baskets in the morning really were a delight. We woke up early each day, but the basket was always already on the attached door hook (very cute), and the croissants from a bakery down the street were delicious. After coming from Montreal, where our hotel offered a full hot breakfast, I thought the breakfasts here might feel skimpy, but that wasn't the case. Between the croissants, muffins, yogurt and juice, it was a nice way to start the day (plus it was nice being able to eat in our pj's.)

While I wouldn't call the room charming or romantic, my family was pleased, and the overall stay at the hotel itself was extremely pleasant. It was a quick ride from the train station, and when the front desk staff called a taxi for us to the airport, it arrived within 5 minutes. But if you have any questions about our stay, just let me know (I'm still working on a full trip report!)