Poutine ✓
Crepes 
Meat pie 

There are few must-try dishes in Quebec City, and with its French influence, it's no surprise that crepes make the list. We've already knocked poutine off the list, so next up was Casse-Crepe Breton.

This shop gets pretty busy, and you awkwardly wait in the glass walkway inside the restaurant for a table to open. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long, and we were seated in a brightly lit dining space next to friendly folks.

Sweet, sinful or savoury, our crepes, homemade style, have personality at Casse-Crêpe Breton! Come and be inspired by a unique and exquisite gourmet moment... Our crepes know how to impress! You can savour them at the heart of this historical city, in a warm and friendly restaurant where cheerful ambiance will keep you coming back for more! 

Whether for breakfast, a savoury or a sweet crepe, come and discover all the fantastic choices on our menu! A glass of house wine, a pint of local beer, one of our specialty coffees, or a freshly squeezed juice will most certainly add a little special something to this fabulous experience. 

Swiss cheese, mushrooms, asparagus, or berries? At Casse-Crêpe Breton, you’ll meet the crepe of your dreams! (website)

The menu features savory crepes and "dessert" crepes - the latter which we all ordered ate as the main crepe. :) I went for the cherry filling with whipped cream on top.

One thing I learned about this city is that a coffee is standard with every meal - and they often will also substitute hot chocolate if you don't get a coffee. Mmm.

This crepe was delicious. Perfectly light, yet crispy, with tons of sweet filling and fresh whipped cream. I don't think I was actually sold on crepes until I had this one. It's like you're getting a sweet treat, but it doesn't feel quite as guilty because it's not heavy.

Definitely a great place to start the day.

Grade: A

After a long day of driving from Boston up to Quebec City, Canada, we were starving. We walked up and down Rue Saint-Jean looking for a place that was open and we could all agree upon. Somehow, the only thing that was really open and appealing to us all was Pub St-Patrick.

The Irish bar is large and has a menu that features a little of everything - assuming this is a common tourist stop. They offered things like fried pickles, pretzels and blooming onions, as well as burgers, wings, salads, pizzas and a few "Irish" specialties: shepherd's pie, bangers & mash, and Irish stew.

But the thing that cause my eye was the signature poutines: pulled pork poutine, buffalo chicken poutine, and more. And no, not necessarily authentic. But are there rules when it comes to fries and gravy and cheese curds? There shouldn't be. Kaitlynn and I both ordered poutine - she the pulled pork and me the buffalo chicken in hopes to halving it. But, the way it came out, it was difficult to split so we just made do.

The buffalo chicken poutine was actually decent. Fries were crispy, tons of curds and blue cheese and nice hunks of spicy chicken. That was a nice addition to the rich gravy and crisp fries. Best thing ever? Nah, but definitely welcome after a long, busy day. I ordered a drink, which I was not a huge fan of. Our service was also nearly nonexistent. But, not bad.




Grade: B

So, a brand new Thai restaurant has opened up above ZenClay along University Avenue, and it's already dishing out meals that will rival many other restaurants in town.

Ta-Khrai Thai Cafe has taken over what was most recently the Dancing Fig location and transformed it into this trendy, but beautifully cozy spot. The vibe isn't entirely different from the previous restaurant, but it's lovely all the same. Lovely dark wood floors, purple walls, bright white accents and beautiful art.

The location is great because 1) it's close to me 2) there is free parking right across the road and 3) the ultra cool pottery studio ZenClay is right underneath. Definitely a nice little gem.

Inside, we were seated near a window and handed these large books full of glossy menu pages. The menu is quite large, and I took a photo of nearly every page so you can check it out. There are a TON of options, so choose wisely.

As we were looking over our options, they brought us some waters full of lemons, limes and grapefruits. My friend Lisa loved it, but it was a touch too sour for my taste, and I asked for a regular water. Mmm I love regular water.

As far as ordering, this presented a challenge. There are just SO many options. I wanted something uniquely Thai, but there's just a lot to sift through. So, I put in an appetizer to buy some time: cheese rangoons. Obviously.

These were ... I think the best I've had in town. Super creamy, but also little hunks of onion all fried up with a sweet sauce on the side. You just can't go wrong. But what's perfect about these is the way they are wrapped makes it so there is cream cheese in every bite (so there aren't those pointy pieces that are just fried), and these are filled to the brim with cream cheese. Plus, I love the little extra texture of onion so it's not too creamy. Just fantastic.

We were presented with another appetizer - on the house. Crab puffs were essentially small fried pockets of crab. It was served with a sort of sweet relish. Not bad, but it's hard to go up against those crab rangoons.

OK, time to choose. I went with the pad thai because I feel like it can be a general measurement by which to gauge. Kind of like every Chinese restaurant needs to, at minimum, have a good General Tso's... I feel like pad thai is probably an easy entry dish for many folks unfamiliar with Thai cuisine, so they should have a good one. You can choose how spicy you want the dish, and she even asked if we'd like hot sauce on the side. No. Thank. You. Just regular, no spicy.

These noodles are a bit thicker than Chaang Thai's, and there's so many wonderful textures. Sometimes just a pile of noodles is a bit much; that texture variation is key. And there were scallions, peanuts, chicken, egg, bean sprouts and cilantro all in a tamarind sauce. The flavor - delicious. Definitely on the sweeter side, but I'm into that. It was very good. I love the slight chew of the noodles and that sweet and flavorful sauce.

It might be a bold claim - but I think I may have a new favorite restaurant in my arsenal. The service was incredible - very accommodating, very helpful and even gave us a 10% discount. One of the other diners knew the place was open from a post I put out and mentioned it to the waitress, who was super thankful. They did only take cash, but they should be online and taking cards by now. Cash might be safe juuuust in case. And, the food - there is a lot, which can be overwhelming, but everything I ate was super good. Give 'em a try. Tell me what you think.

Grade: A


Check out their full menu:

Popeyes



The much-awaited Popeyes has finally opened in town. Located along Earl L Core Road in Sabraton, Popeyes opened less than a week ago, and lines have been nonstop ever since.

It's "Louisiana-style" chicken, meaning it has a little bit of a kick to it. It's fine. I do like the Coke Freestyle machine.


Well, I think I liked the biscuit the best.


Denny's

Also, a new Denny's also opened up in town. Not necessarily up my alley. But it's a thing. It's located toward the southern end of town near the I-68 Walmart plaza area.

I ordered a salad, which may not be most representative of the kind of food they serve, but it was average. Nothing especially notable - though it did have potato stix, which I wasn't expecting.


Sheetz



I know you're shocked we have a new Sheetz in town, but this one is a little different. It has a drive-thru!


Also located near the I-68 Walmart, this Sheetz has the ability to order MTO from your car and pick it up from the window. I don't hate this idea when it's cold so you can keep warm in your car. I also learned the amazingness of their "boom boom sauce," which is a bit tangy and will now go atop everything I order from there.

Buffalo Wild Wings

There is also a new Buffalo Wild Wings that just opened in the new development near the Black Bears baseball stadium. I haven't been there - thus no photos. But, I'm sure you can imagine what it's like, too.

Whilst waiting for our dinner reservations, we popped into Toscanini's for a quick drink. I didn't know at the time that Toscanini's has some of the world's best ice cream, but I did learn that they have some of the best coffee I've ever had.

The menu featured quite a few options that sounded good, but the "hot Vietnamese" was different. Vietnamese coffee is known for the sweetened condensed milk, and it was glorious. It balances the dark-roasted Vietnamese coffee, and I instantly fell in love.

I regret that I didn't get a chance to try the ice cream, but the coffee was out of this world, so I'll definitely have to stop back.



Grade: A