Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites - Chef & Hotel Profile

Arriving at the Quebec City Port in the early morning on the Viking Star I was simply thrilled to see the iconic and mighty Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac appear before me while sipping a coffee on my verandah. I have longed to visit this historic Fairmont Canadian Jewel and hurried to make a plan to spend the day perusing and photographing its public areas.

From the ship I could see a funicular taking visitors to the top near the hotel, but for a small sum I preferred a taxi, and was happy I did. The taxi driver was so charming and chatty, providing interesting information on the community and the interesting little shops and cafes as we made our way up to the very impressive hotel entrance, flanked by doormen in elegant green and gold uniforms.

The doormen directed me into the immense and elaborately

decorated lobby, where bellmen were hurriedlytaking guests luggage to elevators, and visitors along with myself

were mesmerized by the exquisite fall decorations on display. I was fascinated by the parade of lovely boutiques and art shops overflowing with Canadian designer items as I was enroute to the Champlain 1608 Bar, named for the year Quebec City was founded, and the warm and wonderful Le Sam Bistro, named for Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec City, both with amazing panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River.

The Le Sam Bistro is a room offering views of the St. Lawrence and boardwalk where an impressive statue of Champlain can be seen. Upon arrival, I saw the room was filled and I felt lucky to have arrived early. This warm and cozy venue with a view is an amazing place to sample delicious Quebecois comfort foods, and my waitress was a fount of information on local attractions.

The menu ‘Soup of the Moment’ was a rich and delicious home-made chicken rice with Le Sam home-made focaccia bread. I also loved their Caesar salad with fried capers, followed by a comforting Cappuccino and ginger cookie. Their menu includes entrees such as authentic French Onion soup, signature oyster plates and a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, as well as divine desserts by Pastry Chef Joel Lahon.

Due to time constraints, I was unable to experience the amazing talent of Chef Gabriel Molleur-Longevin, an award winner whose past career experience included working at Noma in Denmark and Faviken in Sweden. The Champlain Restaurant is considered one of the best in Quebec City and features 5-8 course dinners paired with fantastic wines. One item that caught my attention was the Blood Pudding and Scallops dish with braised endive, burnt pears and Roquefort cream, as I’ve always wanted to taste it. Also impressive to note were the many dairy free and gluten-free items offered on their menus.

The concierge shared with me they expected many visitors at the hotel for ski vacations as winter approaches. Le Frontenac is a favorite of skiers from around the world due to their door to slope access, ski shuttles, and ski storage services. Also, there is a health club and indoor pool. No small wonder they were honored with the Global Luxury Award Winner by World Luxury Awards in 2022.

This unexpected visit was a dream come true and I feel it was just an appetizer to a future trip. I am so looking forward to my next visit to this regal hotel and look forward to spending days touring and learning about the magical history of Quebec City, Quebec.