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Food Bytes

Along the St. Lawrence River, you’ll see weirs designed not for herring as in the Bay of Fundy, but for eels. Today, although not often found on any restaurant menus, eels still are part of the old-fashioned food ways of Quebec, particularly in the Kamouraska region on the south shore of the river. There sturgeon and eel were part of the culinary tradition for as long as the region had been inhabited.

Food Day Canada 2011, Food Day Canada Restaurants, Great Restaurants, Québec|July 6, 2011 1:47 am

The Beaver Club, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal

In 2008 I had an incredible book tour….and one stop was Montreal. I love the Hotel Queen Elizabeth and headed to the legendary Beaver Club for dinner. Chef Alain Pignard rolled out the culinary red carpet and I can’t think of a better way of introducing him than to quote my blog after that evening….

– “The Beaver Club (c.1785). Pure elegance. A cart of chilled champagne and a menu that sings the praises and flavours of Canada and Quebec.

This is the experience of true dining with an eye to the future –foams and intensely concentrated flavours – and an eye to the best of the magnificent classic past…flambées and cloud-like souffles so delicate that they quiver. The crystal is crystal…the silver is silver…the mirrored room is richly paneled….the service cannot be better. Anyone who wants to understand gastronomy must visit this dining room at least once in a lifetime.”

Since then their search for interesting ingredients that speak ‘local’ has continued and the Beaver Club has adopted two dairy goats – Blanche Neige (Snow White) 1 and 2 from the local Fromagerie du Vieux St-François. While living at the fromagerie, they will produce cheese for the menu at The Beaver Club, as well as for sale at the Fairmont Store. At the end of May 2011, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel inaugurated its new rooftop garden on the hotel’s 22nd floor.This project, spearheaded by the hotel’s Environmental Committee, was inspired by the Executive Chef Alain Pignard’s dedication to sourcing local ingredients and his efforts to serve guests the freshest products.

The hotel has previously experimented with indoor and outdoor gardening, starting as early as 1976, when Chef Albert Schnell introduced hydroponic culture in his kitchen to grow varieties of fine herbs that were not available year-round in Montréal. In 1994, Chef John Cordeaux decided to grow aromatic herbs outdoors, on a low roof, accessible only by a window on the 4th floor of the hotel. (I remember crawling out that window).

The Beaver Club is one of about 300 restaurants that celebrate Food Day across Canada. Contact them at the number below to reserve a table.

The Beaver Club est l’un des 300 restaurants à travers tout le Canada qui participent au Journée des terroirs . Contactez The Beaver Club directement, au numéro ci-dessous, afin de faire votre réservation.

900 Rene-Levesque Ave West,
Montreal H3B 4A5
T: 514 861 3511 x 2448

http://www.fairmont.com/queenelizabeth