Upon much reflection, I've come to the conclusion that the amazing evening Christopher and I spent at L'Initiale in Quebec City may lose something in the translation. After all, we had booked it with out hotel at least a month before going there, and we had had all that time to go back and forth to their website (www.restaurantinitiale.com) to build up the anticipation. But having said that, it could have very easily been a huge letdown. Our odds were probably better than even that L'Initiale would fall flat and we'd be walking out half an hour after our arrival thinking we needed to go find a croissant. Luckily for us (and for you, I hope) that was not the
case.
We had decided to have an aperitif before dinner. The Auberge St. Pierre had a passable bar, but it was almost 7pm and we didn't want to be rushed to get to L'Initiale by 7:30. We opted to walk the 1 1/2 blocks to the restaurant and take our chances that we could have a drink before dinner. As we walked up, we checked the windows. One side of the building had people sitting at linen-covered tables. On the other street, their was one couple at an uncovered table in a slightly darker room. We guessed this second room was a bar, and plunged in.
**As I describe the restaurant, I again refer you to L'Initiale's website so that you can look around a little at what we would have seen.**
We walked through the front doors, entering into a curved foyer. (On their landing page is the "welcome desk" which greets you on the other side.) We were greeted by two women. Both tall and slender, dressed impeccably in black and shades of grey. The older of the two had round dark-rimmed glasses (think chic Harry Potter) and long grey/blonde hair pulled into a long sleek ponytail, and seemed to take the lead. The two women welcomed us, and Christopher explained (in French) that we had a 7:30 reservation but were wondering if we could have a drink in advance. The woman with the glasses didn't hesitate--she simply said (in French) "You are Mr. Christopher? Of course. Please come in."
The two women ushered us into the bar. It was a cozy little space with just a few tables and a fireplace on the far wall. The entire restaurant was in black, white and shades of taupe, as were the taupe armchairs and black granite table we were seated at. We were offered the drink menu, and before my Kir Quebecois (a blend of a local white wine and a local blueberry liqueur) and Christopher's 10-year-old Glen Morangie Scotch had arrived, we had already had two wonderful surprises: from the kitchen came our first course--an amuse-bouche of breaded and fried halibut balls (think the lightest crabcake you've ever imagined) with homemade curry ketchup; and from our wonderful friend with the glasses came the presentation of "our" menu. It was in discussions of the menu that I decided that this was a woman who would be wonderful to have over for dinner... (Maybe the same night I invite John Barrowman...)
We must have looked like a couple of schoolkids when the menu arrived. It was a one-sheet (legal size, I guess) menu, printed on a heavy ivory stock. It listed all eight of the courses which were still to come, as well as the optional suggested wine pairings--5 different wines, with a price tag of $72 per person (for the wine--the meal was included in the hotel package, remember?). After a few minutes of looking at the menu, we spoke to our friend again, and asked for one substitution (Christopher is allergic, we think, to scallops), and for clarification on the wines. And then, yes, we decided to opt for the extra expense and have the wines. After all, you only go around once, right? At almost exactly 7:30, having finished our drinks and our halibut and been enjoying ourselves immensely, we were asked if we would like to go to our table. **If you go to L'Initiale's website and look at the "The Restaurant" tab, you'll see our table on the right side of the room, next to the second-to-back window**
It took a while for everything to process for me. To realize that every table was an individual seating for the evening--no table would be used twice. To see that there were about 4 people on the waitstaff who were only there to change plates, glassware and silver, or fill glasses. After all, I hoped that it would live up to what we had made it out to be. But could the meal really live up to those expectations? Would something clunk along the way to ruin the evening?
We took our menu with us to the table, as suggested, so that we could have it for our reference as the courses went by.
**It could be mentioned, here, that Canada--and the province of Quebec, especially--is pretty forward-thinking when it comes to same-sex couples. We had arranged our whole package on a "Romantique" deal through the hotel, and no one ever batted an eye when it turned out to be two men. This was especially true at the restaurant where our chairs were on adjacent (not facing) sides of the table, and we were in full view of the room. The wait staff never flinched. The sommelier never gave us any looks. It was great.**
Oh. Yes. The menu...
I don't know how well that shows up on your screen. And, well, I have to admit that possibly it isn't as important as I thought it was at first. Here are the main points: The column on the left is the 8 tasting courses we were still to have; the column on the right included the 5 suggested wines. You'll see that not every course had its own wine (although we were only walking 1.5 blocks home, it's best to stop before you've had too much).
We continued our culinary expedition with a small "salad" of pureed garlic, yellow beets, fine green beans, scallops (Christopher's was substituted with shrimp) and basil. If you can see the menu, you'll notice that it was written kind of half English/half French. Perfect for us, and perfectly done for the life we had been living for the past few days.
Course 3 (remember, we had the amuse-bouche with our aperitifs) was a "Breast of Pigeon from Bellechasse" with a warm "cochonnaille" with mushroom cream and heartcabbage.
Course 4 was amazing. The "Braised escalope of duck liver" was two small pieces of the liver stacked atop each other, served with celeriac, horseradish and blueberries and a currant reduction. Alongside all of that was the most amazing little wedge (think a 6-hump Lego on its side) of "rhubarb tartine" topped with four of the tiniest red tomatoes you have ever seen. It was rich and tangy and warm and crisp all at once. And it came with a Gewurztraminer (2003 Sonnenglanz Domaine Bott-Geyl) that was smooth as honey.
Sadly, Course 5 was the last of our "hot" courses. But it was an amazing cut of deer with mushrooms and a warm puree of something called "blette" (which we have yet to decipher.) This course came with wine #3, which was listed on the menu as "Suggestion de Franck." Franck was the sommelier and had been at the table for each wine course. He told us all about each wine, and raved about how happy he was to work in a restaurant that let him pick and choose for his customers.
Moving into the Cheese Courses (yes, more than one), we were presented with almost 3 things in one. Course 6 was a warm, melted spoonful of Le Grand Fouin lovingly served over an almond-hazelnut cracker by the woman with the glasses. (She was with us all evening, checking on us from course to course.)
Course 7 was two cheeses, and Franck came back out with a second wine to go with these. He explained that there simply HAD to be a different wine with each one. We had some Le Cumulus cheese in a leek and pepper oil broth, and also shaved tangy Copeaux de Joyeux Fromagers on a small chilled round of creamed honey with arugula leaves.
Courses 8 and 9 were the dessert courses. An orange biscuit with maple, strawberry and "meadowsweet" ice cream was first. Then there was the two-part Blackcurrent-almond "sphere", with a breton cake and warm plum sauce.
I think I started smiling around course number 1 and I know I didn't stop until after course 11.
What? Did I forget to mention the others?
As we were ordering coffee (Christopher) and hot chocolate (me), we were presented with yet another dessert. This was a lovely mousse-y foam on top of a blackberry puree. (I think. That's what it is in my brain, at least.) I must admit that it was nice, but I was completely focused on my hot chocolate. This was possibly my favorite visit from our bespectacled friend. She arrived at the table with my cup filled with frothed milk and a pitcher of steaming chocolate. It was almost hypnotic watching her pour the chocolate into the foam. The aroma was heaven. The taste was divine. This was almost pure cocoa, so dark and rich that it almost needed sugar. Christopher tasted it and we both agreed it was worth waiting to the end of the meal for.
Leaving was, quite frankly, difficult to do. We had been looking forward to this for so long, and had spent the past 4 hours (yes. FOUR hours) having one of the most satisfying meals of our lives. It wasn't just that the food was beyond belief. Or that the restaurant was chic and stylish without being pretentious or stuffy. Or that we enjoyed each other's company from start to finish. It was also the intangible feeling of having been welcomed into this restaurant. The feeling that they enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed them.
As we walked to the door and asked for my jacket (which had been whisked away after we entered the restaurant), Franck greeted us with our final surprise of the night (and what I'll be referring to as Course 11): a small glass of Sherry mixed with Cranberry Juice and something else which neither Christopher nor I can remember. It was sweet, but not cloyingly so. Kind of comforting as we walked out into the chill night air. And I still feel like I should write them a thank-you note for their generous hospitality.
We knew that we were leaving the enchantment of Quebec City in the morning, but the memory of L'Initiale is never going to go away. Sure. We may not remember every wine or every course, but the evening... well... That's going to stay with us forever.
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