Québec proudly reflects a tradition of French culture, never more so than in the restaurants and cuisine of the province. French food here is as excellent as anywhere in Europe. Immigrants from many countries provide a vast selection. English, Greek, Italian, Japanese and Spanish cuisine are all available in Montréal and Québec. International menus are found at all the larger hotels, but the best food is found by wandering around the backstreets of the cities and sampling the small but excellent restaurants scattered throughout both cities. The Île d’Orléans
is an island northeast of Québec City that provides abundant fruit and vegetables for the city. Québec follows French tradition in having excellent standards of wine and spirits to complement the high standards of cuisine. Some spirits and rarer wines are imported from Europe.
Things to know: Taverns and brasseries serve alcoholic beverages from 1200-0300 every day. Cocktail lounges and cabarets stay open until 0200 and 0300, respectively, in Québec and Montréal.
Regional nationalities: • Ragoût de boulettes (pork meatballs with seasoning).
• Cretons du Québec (chilled minced pork).
• Tourtière (a meat pie).
• Beans and pork baked in maple syrup.
• Tarte au sucre (maple sugar pie).
• As in France, there is an abundance of cheeses to sample.
• Game, such wild boar, venison, and even caribou and wapiti (deer).
• Queues de Castor translates as 'beaver tails' but are actually a fast-food delight of deep-fried pastry, either sweet with cinnamon and sugar or raspberry jam, or savoury, such as with garlic butter or cheese.
Regional drinks:• Wines and spirits based on maple sap are a specialty of the region, among them maple cider and maple whiskey.
• Local mead is said to be good.
Legal drinking age: 18 years.
Tipping: It is customary to tip between 10 and 15 per cent at bars and restaurants in Quebec.
NightlifeQuébec City and Montréal offer some of the best nightclubs and cabarets to be found anywhere in Canada. In Montréal, the action seldom begins before 2200 and usually continues until 0300 the next morning. Nightlife is concentrated in the western part of the downtown area along Crescent and Bishop Streets and around Ste-Catherine Street, where there are many bars, restaurants and clubs of all kinds. For a particularly French flavor, try the many clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and bistros further east around Saint-Denis and Saint-Laurent.
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