Need Quebec City ideas please
 

Hi everyone
With any luck, my SO and I may finally get away for a few days on our own and we're thinking of Quebec over the May long weekend (Friday to Monday). I can get a good rate at the Hotel Coutillier (I may have spelled that wrong but it's close) which is highly recommended by a friend. Have any of you stayed there?

Also, would you please recommend nice areas to walk and some nice but casual restaurants. I've done a search on Fodors but there's not tons here. We've had a rough winter and we need a low-key, sleep-in-late, take-long-walks kind of weekend. Nice restaurants, but nothing poshy-posh, please -- we want to keep it casual.

Thanks in advance for your ideas and help.

Your hotel is probably Hotel des Coutellier on St-Paul street, from there you may explore the most interesting part of Quebec with long nice walk. You must visit Quartier Petit Champlain, the Terasse Dufferin and Chateau Frontenac area and the Plains of Abraham, Grande Allée and the Parlement area. If you want map and more informations the Tourist Office is close to the Chateau.

For restaurants, depending of you budget, nice and casual restaurants within you itinerary:

Cochon Dingue:Local chain you should close 3 of the restaurants during the weekend:
http://www.cochondingue.com/english/html/acc.html

Le Toast: Close to your hotel, on the highend side but casual:
http://www.restauranttoast.com/en.htm

Café du Clocher Penché: 203 St-Joseph street Nice place if you like the bistro style

Merci, Minogami. Yes, that's the correct hotel. And thanks for the restaurant recommendations too -- I'll definitely take the list with me.

Don't forget when you are wandering the Plains of Abraham to take the little path that runs right along the river, beautiful views. Also second the vote for Quartier Petit Champlain.

Thanks, Mac. Walking by the river sounds perfect as this is pretty much a mental health holiday for us. Is the Quartier Petit Champlain a neighbourhood? I'm not shopping for anything in particular but would like to browse in nice shops.

I second the suggestion of the Cochon Dinge - we had a nice casual meal there, and would be very happy to go back.

Casse St Breton is also a nice casual place for crepes and other yummy food without being horribly expensive or stuffy. Depending on your tastes, might be better for lunch than dinner.

The only other food place that really stands out for me is the place with the pig-shaped chocolates (one of our girls loves pigs, so we just went with the theme :-) . I'm not having any luck with my Google search right now, but I'll post again if I can find the name in my notes. It was on rue Cartier about a kilometre from the Assemble Nationale (so, in downtown instead of the 'old city').

I must be tired. At first glance I read that Casse St Breton was a nice casual place for creeps. Crepes, good. Creeps, bad. Thanks, Jaysfan.

HI there GTG! my colleagues and I had a business trip to Quebec and ate a great meal at Aux Anciennes Canadien (34, Saint Louis). It was pricey but, frankly, I think QC is a bit that way. But the food was interesting and authentic with lots of local touches, the place was quite quirky and has been there forever.

Hope this trip has all that you sound as if you need to put the zing back into life...if not, call the TO GTG "Planning comittee" together for an emergency meeting (with lots and lots of lovely wine and laughter).

Hi LJ -- nice to hear from you! I hope you're well.

I'll hang on to the name Aux Anciennes Canadiens. I don't mind spending a bit more but I'm not planning to take any dress-up clothes so I can only go casual. I'll take a peek at their website.

I'd love to see you guys but that's not likely to happen till at least the end of June at this point. Have a nice big drink for me, though, next time you get together. I apologize for not being able to help out with the planning this time. At this point, I can only keep my fingers crossed that I'm going to be there, but I probably will.

Aux Anciens Canadiens can be quite pricey in the evening, but the lunch menu is very reasonable with a table d'hote and it runs until 5:45 pm if you want an early dinner. The menu is traditional Québecois and can be quite heavy in calories and otherwise, but is certainly delicious. My impression is that it is not a dress-up place.

For casual dining, you might want to try a couple of pubs> I like the Pub D'Orsay, the St. Alexandre and the St. Patrick.

Thanks, laverendrye. I'll add that to the 'take-along' list. My SO is now so 'fodorized' that when we're travelling and I ask what he wants to do for dinner, his response is "well, what do the fodorites say?"

I think we went to Aux Anciens Canadiennes on our first night -- adults had the prix fixe, the kids had an entree to split? Anyway, this was the night when they were enchanted by the musicians (traditional accordian music), danced around and drew pictures for the musicians. The food was heavy but good. It was definitely a casual place. We went in relatively casual clothes and fit right in. I'm sure given the hordes of (often American) tourists, you can wear pretty much whatever you like and not feel out of place.


Goddesstogo: My husband says, "What do you imaginary friends say?" (I've got a circle of friends in the US, UK, Aus and Canada from relationships that started over a decade ago, and now that includes other people from the internet.... like Fodorites :-)

Jaysfan,
I like the idea that I'm someone's imaginary friend! We'll definitely check out AAC, thanks.