Pulled Pork Poutine Inspired by Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City

We weren’t exactly in Europe, but it sure felt like it. The cobblestone streets, history and artchitecture reminded us of the moments it felt like to be walking in Europe yet we were still in North America. Every corner of Quebec City had something to see, hear, taste and absorb. Thank goodness it was cold outside because the hearty foods we consumed kept us warm every walking moment of the day.

We were in the land of of poutine: french fries topped with gravy and cheese. Oh geez, we couldn’t stop thinking about our next bite. But the charm of this city goes way beyond classic poutine and has evolved to an incredible food community of dedicated artisans and Chefs bringing to life their local produce and food traditions.

{Video} Join us on our journey and culinary discoveries with Fairmont through Quebec City:

Hello from the amazing view of Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac ! 

Nestled along the St. Lawrence River in the Eastern Canadian provence of Quebec, Quebec City is historic, gorgeous and brimming with food customs. It was such a treat to be partnering with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts on this amazing journey to taste, sip and document all our moments in images and film. Fairmont has an impressive list of locations all over the world, including historic icons and world-class resorts. We’re thrilled to collaborate with Fairomont on our very first and epic food culture journey in Quebec City at Le Chateau Frontenac.

Our 15th floor suite had incredible views of Old Quebec City & St. Lawrence River

Peaceful mornings catching up with the world

Our hotel suite doubled as our office for the week.

Great coffee was always ready in the Fairmont Gold Lounge and they have hand roast small batch coffee from the top 3% beans in the world. Here’s more about their one-of-a-kind artisanal coffee partnership. It’s impressive. 

Upon arriving to Quebec City we came during an early winter heat spell. Instead of their usual blanketing of snow, the temperatures were soaring in the daytime to the low 40’s F. Even without the iconic snow adorning the landscape, our destination was gorgeous. Particularly in Vieux-Québec (Old Quebec) where the warm, cozy beds and charismatic staff of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac helped make our travels unforgettable. They helped connect us to the very best of Quebec City destinations and collaborated with us on a truly memorable travel itinerary.

It’s hard not to love a place when you haven’t even left your hotel yet and are already inundated with great food and cocktails. From the stylish and fun Le Sam Bistro, to the swank Bar 1608, and crowning off with the sophisticated Champlain restaurant, the meals and cocktails are stunning. Even the morning buffets were great as we sat with our cappuccinos and planned out our adventures.

Le Chateau Frontenac had mind-blowing food and cocktails. Wow. 

Talented mixologist Jean-Felix led us on this mixology workshop. A drinking class? Oui.  And he hand carves round ice cubes from a block of ice. Witnessing this was incredible. You can see it too here on this hand-carved ice video we made. 

This carbonated negroni cocktail was a work of art. Watch video here on our Facebook page. 

How can you not love a place that takes the time to hand chip ice cubes to make a perfect cocktail? And where you can find dishes ranging from perfectly prepared Arctic Char to Poutine with Pulled Pork to Grilled Wagyu Sirloin. They even have their own honey from the bee hives they keep on their roof.  The attention to details and embracement of the local cuisine and culture within their restaurants made it hard to leave the hotel. Fairmont is dedicated to showing the best in local cuisine and maintaining connections to local producers and purveyors.

Assistant Chef Alexi Jegou of Champlain restaurant took us shopping for ingredients at the Quebec farmers market and we cooked together in the restaurant kitchen. He taught us how to make incredible French dishes inspired by his family heritage. 

Fairmont has their own bee hives on the roof!

Lunch at La Planque with Chef Kevin

But being travelers, our souls pined to explore outside the magnificent walls of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. With the help of their attentive and thoughtful staff, we set out to explore the city and its wonderful offerings.

When you’re in the city of Poutine, it’s hard not to indulge in this decadent dish. For those of you who are new to poutine, you’ll definitely have to treat yourself and splurge in this simple dish: french fries topped with gravy and Quebec “squeaky” cheese. There are many variations of poutine, including some topped with some very innovating toppings. We were most inspired from Bistro Le Sam Bar’s pulled pork poutine and though we didn’t have all the ingredients, there’s 4 basic ingredients that still make it great.

Here’s a poutine video inspired from this trip: The 5 Steps to a great pulled pork poutine:

Discovering the city’s jewels, artisan Chefs and food purveyors was wonderful and we barely touched upon what the city had to offer. It would take multiple trips to see it all, but the the memorable finds we experienced while exploring Quebec City are here for you when you visit, eat and drink.

• Champlain Restaurant – Our dinner here was one of the best we’ve ever had and the service: welcoming and impeccable. Their local Quebec cheese and charcuterie collection is phenomenal.
• Bistro Le Sam – The pulled pork poutine was inspiring!
• Bar 1608 – Their hand-crafted cocktails are like works of art and taste amazing.
• Le Clocher Penché – Outstanding seafood dishes and their parsnip soup is to die for.
• Restaurant Legende – Their fantastic menu is focused on purely local ingredients and that’s not easy to do in Winter!
• La Planque – The apple pie dessert is to die for. Order two.
• Buffet de l’antiquaire – A classic destination for locals filled with classic Candian eats.
• Quebec Farmers Market – A must visit to shop, taste and sip local foods from from local purveyors, especially ice cider.
• IX pour Bistro – Mind-blowing meal in a small restaurant run by only 2 people. You’re lucky if you get a reservation. But don’t give up.
• Cantook Coffee – Roasted in house and perfect cappuccino for a cold day.
• Rue St. Jean Baptiste- This neighborhood outside of Old Quebec City is filled with fantastic speciality food markets, restaurants and coffee shops.
• Chocolats Favori – Soft serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate fondue? It’s a decadent treat for all.
• Holiday Visit: German Christmas Market at Place de l’hotel de ville et Jardins de l’hotel de ville
• Quebec Winter Carnival – we haven’t visited this yet but it’s on our list for another trip!
• Food tours of Quebec – a fun excursion if you have a few hours to spare.

Hope you all get a chance to visit and eat in beautiful Quebec City soon!

-diane and todd

Epic thanks to Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and everyone at Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac for sponsoring us on this project supporting on our love of culture, travel and food discoveries! We learned and discovered so much about this amazing city and look forward to sharing more with you all on our next collaboration with the lovely folks at Fairmont.