The snow storm that hit Manitoba the week prior was very much still active in Quebec City, making the streets wet, slushy and snow everywhere, considering there was not a sight of snow anywhere to be seen when I arrived.
We walked around Vieux Quebec, up huge hills, a few km worth of stairs, to Château Frontenac, Plains of Abraham, and enjoyed the view of the city.. holy hell.. Quebec City is just one of the most beautiful cities in all of North America. This wasn't going to be a poutine & beer vacation, but also sight seeing and reminiscing of back when I lived in the city back in 2006/2008.. it seems like nothing's changed, except that it was winter.
We checked out the old military fort next to the plains, Ryan really wanted to get onto the top of the fort as there was a walking trail, but we couldn't seem to find a way to get there, so we just kept walking around, craving a Beavertail. We made our way to Petit Champlain and found a Beavertail shop that
happened to also serve homemade ice cream and even poutine.. damn if I was hungry at that moment, I'd eat it all up, but I got a maple butter Beavertail instead.. and it was oh so good. If Manitoba didn't have a Beavertail wagon for special events, I would've overdosed on Beavertails during the trip.
Next, Ryan and I were starting to get a craving for something greasy, he wanted un steamy (hot dog), but we couldn't seem to find a place nearby for one, so Urbanspoon for the rescue.. to check for the closest affordable burger joint. We found L'oncle Antoine nearby, which didn't have burgers on the menu, but attracted us for its bière du jour, a big pint of Tremblay lager for $5.. I wouldn't usually get a lager but the price was right, the atmosphere was an old brick building that reminds me of a tavern from back in the 1700s, and the cute Québécoise waitress who was serving us was celebrating her birthday! The charm of pubs like that are what make me want to return to Quebec City time and time again.
Ryan had to get going right away so we made a quick visit to the very Chez Ashton that turned me into a poutine snob. I ordered the poutine dulton (fries, curds, sauce and ground beef) and a burger.. the burger was a bit dry (it usually always is), but the poutine was amazing. The poutine had squeaky fresh curds, fresh-from-the-fryer fries, and piping hot beef to boot. Ryan ordered la poutine galvaude, which is poutine with peas.. which doesn't appeal to me but hey... when in Quebec I guess?!
Ryan headed out, so I returned to my bièrcation by visiting Place Ste-Foy to mail off a few parcels back to Manitoba, followed by another visit to La boite à bières and buy up as many beers as I could fit in my suitcase. I wish I had even more room for beer because I wanted to drink ALL the beers! Also, I wish I made another stop to La Duchesse, but hey.. time was very restrictive.
For my last meal in Quebec City, I checked out Chez Victor next to la gare du palais (Via Rail station), which is one of the best burger places in all of Quebec City, according to my boss at my old job, and rightfully so.. my god.. amazing burger, juicy fresh beef, nice bun, great amount of toppings, and some of the best fries since Five Guys. They give you option of different kinds of mayos/ketchups to pair with your fries, including a maple mayo, I decided to go with the spicy mayo, which made the fries taste exactly like Five Guys' cajun fries in every way.. mmmmm.
Headed back to Manitoba on the longest layover in my life at Trudeau, Trudeau airport really doesn't have much to do/eat for layoffs, like seriously.. and I didn't want Starbucks/Tim Hortons. As I arrived to Winnipeg finally (Winnipeg at 12:30 AM Tuesday), I arrived with a soaking wet suitcase.. damn it! I expected it to be a busted beer bottle or two, but it was a shampoo bottle thats lid came undone, d'oh! soap everywhere. I had a midnight beer mass at Buncy's Beer Fridge and it was a blast!
Until next time.. keep fit and have fun!
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