St-Georges: Resto-Bar Pub

For March break, I visited my parents in Saint-Georges. On my last night there, we feasted at the Pub -- a popular spot for bar food and their speciality  seafood. I've been to this place a few times, it's almost a tradition when I visit. Other than typical chicken, steak, and burgers, they have a huge selection of different seafood plates: scallops, shrimps, scampi, and lobster, and fish, in every combo possible for your preferences. Sweet.

Mum and I got the Surf 'n Turf platter (54.95$). This is a meal for two, and can probably feed three. When it arrived, I was stunned into silence, and that wasn't even all of it because two baked potatoes arrived for me and Mum a moment later. Pardon my French, but holy crap, that's a lot of food. To start, we munched on the giant frog legs in the middle. They were pretty bad, way too dry and the colour turned me off a bit. The mussels were okay, if not really small. I did like the breaded shrimp, they were so crunchy that it was like munching on very thick, yummy chips. The scampi (AKA langoustines) were tasty and fun to eat: you dig your fork in one side and pull out the entire strip of flesh, and dip it into garlic (or lemon) butter. Deeeelish. And the lobsters were good, tender and just a bit creamy. There were also 2 slices of filet migon each, served with mushrooms -- really good. The steak wasn't as tender as I've had at other places, but it's a pub, so cut them some slack.

Dad got another platter, all for himself. I don't remember what it was called, sadly. It  was mostly the same seafood as earlier, with a skewer of scallops. I tried one and it was fine. The fries were mushy and plain, so I recommend the baked potato.

All in all, it's seafood in a pub -- not fantastic, but still pretty satisfying if you're craving some shrimp and shellfish. Giant platters do have their charm

11750 1re Avenue
Saint-Georges, QC
G5Y 2G4
(418) 227-6010

St-Georges: La Table du Junior

If you think there's nothing to eat in a small city like St-Georges, think again. Okay, there's not much, but  we've found a very popular upscale restaurant that boasts of different cuisines from around the world. On a frightfully cold December evening, my mum and I came here for an extravagant dinner.

Right off the bat, you can see the restaurant with its emblazoned name from far. The exterior is elegant, with a real spinning windmill that adds to its charm.

It's better if you call ahead for a reservation. Ask for a table on the second floor, the view there is fantastic and the decor is really nice. On the main floor, there are several sections divided into rooms, if you want to hold a dinner party. The waitress gave us a room all to ourselves, and it felt great to be able to talk and laugh and take pictures with flash, just the two of us. 

Mum took the table d'hôte, meaning that 10$ is added to the price of her main meal, for the addition of an appetizer, a soup or salad, a dessert, and coffee or tea. For her appetizer, she took the salmon gravlax with limoncello and lemon purée (8$ on menu). It was really nice! The salmon was well cured and went nicely with the flavour of lemon. The fact that it was served in a cube was original; sinking your teeth into a chunk of raw salmon is just fantastic. 

The soup of the day was squash and parmesan soup. The serving size was small, as expected in fancy restaurants. Although the consistency and the flavour was good, this soup was way too salty! 

I chose my appetizers from the tapas menu. This is portobello mushroom stuffed with 2 year aged cheddar, for 7$. The mushroom was large and juicy, and had a slightly sweet tang to it. 

My other tapa (fried calamari) was not available, so at the owner's recommendation, I got the parmesan and brie fondue for 6$. The concept is very nice, and the presentation was great. The texture was good, like creamy, savoury frosting... But I hated the taste of it. Weirdly sweet and sour, and hardly tasted like parmsan or brie at all. I wouldn't recommend this one. 

Mum had the daily special for her main dish, veal flank with basil pesto, fries and salad for 30$ (40$ with the table d'hôte). She ordered it medium, which turned out to be too tough for veal. The owner did suggest rare or medium-rare, and now we know how to order veal. The sauce was really flavourful, and went well with the meat. The fries were very nicely done, just the right amount of crisp and very slightly sweet and not greasy at all. The garden salad was a disappointment; it was the same mix of greens and dressing that came with our appetizers. You'd think they'd at least come up with something new. 

For my main, I had the tarragon beef tartare, also with fries and salad, for 28$. The sides may seem unoriginal, but I swear, we ordered the only two dishes with salad and fries. I didn't like my tartare. The meat was good, but the entire thing was much too greasy. It was made with something similar to mayonnaise, giving the dish a slimy texture that stayed in your mouth and left you gulping down water glass after glass. 

We were uncomfortably stuffed at this point, and had to ask for a doggy bag for my fries and some of mum's veal, but as I say: there's always room for dessert. We tried the liégeois cake that was included in the table d'hôte (and for 6$ on menu). It's a creamy 4-layered chocolate cake with a walnut crumble crust and served with cream. Delicious! Not too heavy, not too sweet, it was the perfect dessert after a big meal. 

Overall, we had a fun time. The decor is really pretty and the service was fantastic; our water glasses were never empty, despite the fact that we sat in a far off and empty room. We were given plenty of time to order, and our plates were taken away just as we finished eating. The food was very original, and we didn't even try the Italian or Oriental flavours. I ought to mention that, although we don't drink wine, the menu suggested wine pairings for every main dish. Very impressive. Additionally, they were able to give us menus in English, despite being in a very French-centric region. We did order too much food, so don't get as much as we did, or be prepared to bring some home. Try it!

10735, 1re Avenue

St-Georges, QC, G5Y 2B8

http://www.latabledujunior.com/

(418) 227-0888

St-Georges: Les Pères Nature

So I'm spending the holidays with my parents at St-Georges in the Beauce region of Quebec. It's a small city near the Maine border, with a modest population of 32 000. I think a greasy meal to start the day at the local brunch place is essential for the Christmas spirit, and Les Pères Nature definitely hit the spot!

Les Pères Nature is actually a local grocery store, with a restaurant section off to the side. In the morning, it's hard to find a spot -- you need to scan the place quickly and grab a table before someone else does. The place looks like a mess of people, but don't worry, a waitress will find you soon enough. 

The breakfast menu is extensive, with both small items and full meals. The waitress rushed us to order, as we came in rather late and it was last call for breakfasts and the start of lunchtime. No problem, just aim for the rightmost third of the menu, where the big plates are.

Dad got the Omelette du Père for 9.95$. It's a large omelet with generous amounts of diced ham, onions, and peppers. Also included are potatoes, the traditional Quebec fèves au lard, melon and orange slices, toast, and orange juice. Yes, all that for under 10 bucks! Cora just can't top a price like that. The omelet was tasty and filling, and the potatoes were delightfully crispy on the bottoms. Nothing like a good homemade brunch. 

Mum had the Menu du Père for 9.75$. Essentially, it's a heap of protein with all the sides I mentioned earlier. Two eggs, ham, bacon, and their homemade sausages. The sausages were well-seasoned and don't taste like your typical breakfast wieners at all. Fun to try!

For 6.95$, I had the Croissant du Père. A wonderfully crispy croissant sandwich with egg, cheese, and your choice of bacon or ham (I had bacon), literally dripping with delicious grease. Oh gosh yes. Instead of melons and orange, this came with a couple of tomato slices and lettuce leaves. 

Did we love it? Absolutely. All our meals came with coffee, but we aren't a family of coffee drinkers so we didn't try that. The pricing is fantastic -- we're practically ripping them off! We came out happily stuffed and full of holiday spirit. Mission accomplished. 

10735, 1re Avenue

St-Georges, G5Y 2B8

(418) 227-4444