Laurie Raphael

Laurie Raphael Restaurant Review:

Laurie Raphael is the original outpost of celebrity chef Daniel Vézina. Vézina's son, Raphaël, took over the kitchen in 2013 and has kept creativity and quality high. During the summer, the restaurant's patio is one of the most attractive dinner options in Quebec City. For $60, enjoy a four-course tasting menu of market-fresh cuisine: an amuse-bouche followed by a generous seafood platter for two, locally raised chicken with house-made mustard, almonds and garlic scapes (the "flower stalks" of hardneck garlic plants), and strawberry shortcake to finish. In winter, move inside where the walls are decorated with recycled fur and the décor is from Quebec artisans. The eight to ten service Chef, Chef! dinner is a culinary tour de force --- plates are light and playful and flavors rich and deep: foie gras and zucchini flower, eggs with chanterelles, halibut and scallops, bison skewers with stuffed potatoes, pork confit and smoked mayonnaise, and a Quebec cheese course. The wine menu is refined, with a selection of predominantly French, private import bottles; the wine pairing with the Chef, Chef! dinner menu is worth the splurge.