Bar Chez Son Père

I discovered this bar on the first group outing I went on.  I had no idea where I was going.  I just tagged along with a friend who knew some other people that must have known the cool places to go.  The french or the french canadian (I'm not sure if it's québécois or not) call it a "boite aux chansons"  which I guess could translate to night club/bar that artists/musicians play at.  No matter when you go, this place is crowded, but never a dull moment.  Half the time you don't even care that you are getting squished or there is no place to sit down. 

I think the appeal is that it plays traditional Québec folk music. I know that might not sound like a whole lot of fun, but these artists make them a lot more contemporary and upbeat with chances for the audience to sing along as well.  Quebec french is still hard enough for me to understand, so I had NO idea what these singers were saying, but that didn't matter.  The music was so infectious that you couldn't help but dance anyways or at least clap along.

Sadly,  as of New Years Eve 2007 into 2008, the bar has been closed.  It rested on top of another store.  The store below, Crocs... the company who made those shoes that most people, including me, hate, bought out the building and closed down the bar.  

I wasn't going to post an entry regarding this place, only because I knew it had just recently closed, but i had to at least mention it.  I hope it will resurface someplace else in the city, but I doubt it.  Even if they did, it won't be the same.  The upstairs had such history and character to it that it would be impossible to recreate.

below is a video I found on Youtube of one of the singers that used to frequent and sing at the bar a lot.  In it you can get a feel for what the place looked like.  (the size of it, how it looks over from the second story onto the streets of Québec)  You can also get a feel for the type of music that used to play there as well as see the audience participation.  I'd translate what the singer is singing, but honestly, I have no idea.  haha.

paillard

pronounced "pie-yard". I discovered this place with a few friends. It is in the Old City on Rue. St-Jean. It's a bakery that produces fresh product every day. It is a relatively new business, opening in 2006.

If you go around Christmas time, and keep your eye out for it, you can had free tasting of their "buche de Noel", or Christmas logs. They are a pastry staple here. I've heard of them, but never have ever had one. Along with the free tasting, you can also have free coffee and a tour of the bakery (i think that can be done in french or in english). I know that a few people there do speak English. Along with those tastings, there are samplings of bread around too.

Here, to the right, is a picture of the sample sizes. You can purchase them in a log in that size diameter, which is the cheapest price, but they do come in other sizes and even more beautifully decorated. (as seen in the photo above) The picture on it is done in chocolate. (a dark chocolate background with a illustration in white chocolate).


Even if you don't go during the holiday season, it is still a place you should check out. Their pastries are well worth it.

Chez Dagobert

To continue the trend of dance related places, I'll add another club to the mix. It's called Chez Dagobert. It is one of the string of clubs you can find on Rue Allée Est. Though I wish I went to some of the other ones, this one I have been to quite a few times. Again, its free. Drinks are pretty reasonable as well. Coat check is $2, which is normal. You really don't it cheaper than that.

As you'll find in every club, the music is again techno. It s made up of three floors with different types of music to different floors. The bottom floor is hip-hop, and the rest has different forms of the techno. Every Thursday (unless it has since changed) there is a live band. I think the best part is the architecture. Since you are in the Old City, all the buildings really reflect that historic feel. You'll see it on the outside, but most of the insides are very modern.

You'll always have a good time here though, and if its not your style, you can check out some of the other clubs along the strip.

the Pub

It's hard to imagaine (for those in the States) to have a bar on campus, seeing how you have to be 21 in the States to drink and your average college student starts off at 18. Laval has one right in the student union building. It's called Le Pub.

Le Pub is a restaurant during the day, but most nights it turns into a night club, serving all kinds of liquors and beers. The music is mostly techno, or what ever is popular here set to a techno beat. I'm not the biggest fan of techo music, but it was still fun to dance to. Thursday and Friday nights are the most popular. The place gets packed to the point you can hardly move.

What's also nice about the student union building (which, by the way, is called Pavillon Desjardins, or just Desjardins)also has another area that turns into a dance club. This one serves basically just beer. A dj comes from one of the Quebec radio stations to supply the music.

There is no fee to get in, or fee to get there. Just a short walk from the dorms. Drinks will range depending on what you like. Beer is usually the cheapest and the mixed drinks (depending on whether you want top shelf or not) will be the most expensive.

Since the region is known for its extreme coldness and snow storms during the winter, its nice to have a place on campus to go and still have fun. Université Laval has underground tunnels to walk in that connect to every building on campus (its also guarded during the day and has security cameras located everywhere too). So, no matter how cold it is, you can take the tunnels.

dance, dance

For the most part, the clubs in Quebec aren't too much different than the ones I have gone to around RI. There is one that I have discovered that is way different from all the rest I've been to. It is called Le Palace. Now, the only downside, besides being a bit more expensive than the average clubs around the Old City, is the location. It isn't too easy to get to. You'll either have to get a taxi (which I recommend if you have a few people going, it ends up being about $5 per person) or take the bus (which can get confusing because you have to transfer buses in the process).

Now, when I say expensive, it is only because the night ends up costing a bit of money, but it isn't extraordinarily expensive. I have been twice. The first time there was a $10 cover charge and the second time there was a $5.50 charge. They were both on different nights and I can't remember what night was what. Both times there was an open bar until a certain time. (as to be expected, they drinks are a bit watered down, but if you get beer, it's a great deal since you get the beers bottled and there is no way for them to be any weaker.) Also, there is a coat check available(for $2.50)

The inside is HUGE. Besides it being a dance club, you can also play slot machines and pool. There are two floors. The main floor holds the dance floor as well as the casino part of it, the pool tables, and most of the bars. Upstairs there were a few more mini bars. Connecting the upstairs were these bridges that over looked the first floor, where you could dance or just stand and watch everyone. The ambiance is very upscale. The main feature is a sign with the name of the place that takes up about 10 ft of the wall with a waterfall that pours in front of it. I tried to take photos, but it wasn't allowed.

This place is definitely worth checking out if you get the chance and feel adventurous enough to explore outside of the Old City. But also, be prepared to stand out side for a bit. Each time the line has been a decent size, and in the winter, it's awful!

more good food

During my last days in Quebec, a few friends and I decided to go out for a really good meal. We wanted some better-than-average stuff. There was this place attached to one of the malls that were located pretty close to campus. There were three malls, Place Ste-Foy (the closest to campus), Place de la Cité (the mall in the middle of the others), and Place Laurier (the farthest from the campus). The restaurant we went to was called Au Petit Coin Breton, which was attached to the middle mall. Out of all the restaurants I went to, this was the most expensive, but we still managed to get away with out paying too too much. This place also liked to focus on using crêpes in there dishes.

The entrées alone were pretty expensive (ranging from $20 to $30 a plate). But, if you choose to do the Table d'Hôte menu, the prices aren't so bad. The great thing about the Table d'Hôte menu is that you could get an appetizer, entrée, and dessert all for the price of your entrée. Each portion was pretty generous, as well. On this particular day the appetizers to choose from were escargot (snails), lobster bisque (which was what I chose), and a crêpe version of bruschetta. These options alone would have cost quite a bit. If you look at other menus, these appetizers are usually the higher priced options (with the exception of the bruschetta).

The entrées are amazing as well. I chose to get the filet mignon. Along with your protein, you get a huge helping of smashed potatoes (with garlic flavoring) and some green beans and carrots. There are also pasta plates if your not a meat eater. I can't remember the other options for the entrées at this time, but there was a good variety to choose from.

The dessert was really good too. You had two choices of dessert crêpes. One with a dates and apples in a sauce, the other, which I chose was with black cherries with a chocolate sauce.

There wine list was pretty extensive (of course this will probably add a lot more to your bill) but you could experience ice wine (which is one of the native products that come out of Quebec).

I thought the atmosphere was quite nice. There dress was pretty casual, but the restaurant seemed to emit more of a nicer feel. The servers dress in traditional Breton costume. Which I guess could be sort of cheesy to some, but I thought was kind of nice. They didn't look costume-y at all. And I'm sure tourists would love it. (Breton being a region of France where most of the food served at the restaurant is native specialty to.) The women we had was really friendly. I'm not sure if it was because we chose to speak french with her, or if she just wanted a good tip. haha. But, through the dinner she continued to joke with us and talk to us often.

I managed to get of of there, with tip, for about $30 dollars. Even though that might seem expensive, the meal would have cost at least $50 for all that if ordered separately. I wish I knew about this place earlier in my trip, I would have frequented it more often.