Flavors of Canada

A culinary journey in Quebec city

Along the St. Charles river as early as 1620, the Recollets were growing little gardens producing flowers, salad greens and other staple herbs such as balm, tarragon, chives and cress.  Almost 400 years later, chefs are serving the same salad: green and red leaves, violets, pansies... never suspecting that theirs is not a new invention.

In old Quebec City, on the Grande Allée, near the ramparts and in the Lower Town, restaurants abound, often retaining the charm and traditions of a past era. Jean Soulard, Yvan Lebrun, François Blais, Daniel Vézina, Stéphane Modat symbolize the new gastronomic movement that is underway, with its subtle pairings of flavors and ingredients from local producers and harvests specific to every season of the year. They share with a privileged few the distinction of being classified as the best tables of Québec.