Chez Queux

Near place Jacques Cartier Cuisines: French

About

No fancy foams or nasturtiums on these plates. Chez Queux is a throwback to a time when the only cuisine was French, and that meant chateaubriand for two, showy tableside preparations, and flaming desserts -- all the usual suspects that may be remembered from big nights out in the 1960s. Such a menu these days might result in tired renditions from chefs bored to tears with the weight of tradition. Not so here. A properly romantic mood is nurtured by the baronial setting of a mansion built for a mayor of the city in 1862. Deep paneling contrasts with exposed brick walls, fringed lampshades over the tables, wrought-iron chandeliers, weighty velvet drapes, a baby grand, and a two-sided gas fireplace that casts shadows over all. The waiters even wear tuxedos. The food is decidedly retro but the execution is superb. Shellfish bisque, Dover sole meunière, sweetbreads with morels, and even crêpes suzette are better than those of a certain age will recall and will be a revelation to those too young to remember rotary phones. A summer dining terrace adds views of the Vieux-Port to the experience. In short, this is a place to fire a new relationship or cement an old one.

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