November is often synonymous with gray and settling in. To remedy this, several restaurateurs have decided to brighten up this unloved month with festive activities that encourage you to get out of the house. Here are a few to make great culinary discoveries.
Quebec Table Gourmande
This year 80 restaurants are taking part. Photo Ludovic Gauthier
The event is taking place for the sixth time with a record 80 participating restaurants. The concept is simple: tables d’hôtes with 3 to 5 courses are created specifically for the occasion and offered at a reduced price for brunch, lunch or dinner. In addition to the usual price ranges ($25, $45 and $65), this year the organization is adding a $95 per person offer at some of Quebec’s largest restaurants. “With this new category you can have even more fun, be it in the restaurant industry, in comfort food or in the steakhouse,” enthuses Yann Latouche, president of EvenTouch, which oversees this event. Diners who prepay their meal will receive a prepaid card worth 50% of their purchase before taxes to return to a participating location after the event. “This way people can plan and restaurant owners can avoid no-shows,” emphasizes the organizer. The full program is available online.
From November 3rd to November 19th
quebectablegourmande.com
Saint Saveur
You will find gourmet kiosks, especially during the Saint-Saveur event. Photo provided by J-EM Événements
Can you eat well and pay for it? This is definitely the mission of the brand new Saint-Sauveur event, which, you guessed it, will take place in the Saint-Sauveur district. “It’s not a for-profit event, it’s pretty unique. The aim is to help the merchants, the economic vitality of the neighborhood and the residents of Saint-Sauveur,” explains food columnist Allison Van Rassel, speaker of the event and a resident of the area. A brunch is organized on Sunday and each ticket purchased for $50 plus tax allows one person experiencing food insecurity to attend the meal. The menu is created by chefs Guillaume St-Pierre from Melba, Louis Bouchard Trudeau and Thania Goyette from Pied Bleu/Renard et la Chouette, Maxime Chanhda from Chanhda and Tim Moroney from Alentours restaurant. The profits go to the Durocher Center and Patro Laval, where the event takes place. Also on the program: free discovery workshops for children from the École hôtelière de la Capitale and gourmet kiosks.
November 4th and 5th
Ticket purchase: lepointdevente.com/billets/saintsaveur
Mama Michelangelo
It’s the return of the Mamma Michelangelo evenings in November. Photo provided by Michelangelo
The Michelangelo returns this year with its festive Sundays where we welcome you like Italian mothers. The recipes are inspired by the creations of the Cortina clan matriarch Assunta, who long ran the Michelangelo pasta factory. “My mother is constantly trying the recipes and asking us to adapt this or that,” Monia Cortina, who recently returned to work at the family’s legendary restaurant, tells me. His father Nicola, who has been promoting Italian cuisine for 50 years, is still very much present and enjoys offering his customers grappa between services. On the menu of these savory meals to share in a formula for 2, 4 or 6 people or more, you can taste an antipasto, three types of pasta (gnocchi with ragù, orecchiette, Italian sausage and rapini, ravioli with ricotta, spinach, etc.), pancetta, cream and parmesan), two types of meat and one fish, in addition to the classic tiramisu.
Price per person is $65 ($35 for children 10 and under).
November 12th, 19th and 26th
To make a reservation: 418 651-6262
Playa del Karen
The Tequila Lounge wants to take you to the south with its kitschy interior. Photo provided by Tequila Lounge
Pop-up bar Playa Del Karen returns to Tequila Lounge for the third time. The Mexican restaurant has an all-inclusive vibe and takes guests on a journey into a kitschy setting where Christmas decorations stand next to palm trees. “It’s the most cliched Christmas you can imagine in an all-inclusive hotel,” says owner Ariane Robitaille, who takes full responsibility. The goal is to get away from it all and have a party while sipping one of the cocktails that made the place famous or devouring Mexican chef Carolina’s tacos. Three options are offered: the blind menu, the cocktail experience or the à la carte menu. We’ll give you a bonus bracelet as if you were in the South!
From December 16th to 23rd
www.tequilaloungequebec.com