During an afternoon of sightseeing, a local shop owner asked where I’d been eating and what I thought of the Quebec food. I sheepishly told him I’m vegetarian but was eating at the city’s upscale restaurants with a group of non-vegetarians. He burst out laughing. “Those restaurants will love you,” he said. “You’re so cheap to feed.”
I hope they at least didn’t hate me. Cheap or not, I must have posed a challenge to restaurateurs used to being unbound by food restrictions. But my forays into Quebec City’s fine dining establishments couldn’t have been met with more gracious service.
My first night in Quebec City, we ate at Graffiti. This local institution is owned by an Italian family but has a French chef in the kitchen. The result is a combination of the two culinary cultures. The main chef, Robert Saunier, had the night off, but second-in-kitchen-command Patrick Boily did an excellent job feeding my group.
Graffiti is on a lively shopping street outside of the main tourist areas. Locals of all ages come here for special dinners and celebrations. The table next to us sang “Happy Birthday” in French to one of its diners.
Like most fine dining restaurants, Graffiti has a meaty menu. But I managed to avoid the foie gras, fish and snails and concentrate on the special delicacies supplied by the chef for me. The first course included adorable little asparagus-topped miniature toast and a cherry tomato stuffed with mushrooms and truffle oil. This was accompanied by plenty of fresh bread with balsamic vinegar and oil.
Next came an enormous, lightly-dressed salad with lots of green beans, and a main course of risotto with peppers and other diced vegetables. Dessert was strawberries and sorbet.
Our server, Suzie, was lovely and charming. Even though she’s an artist who teaches art and art history full time in a private girls’ college, she continues to work at Graffiti. She’s been there 12 years. Her late nights aren’t a financial necessity for her, but she doesn’t want to leave Graffiti. That kind of dedication speaks volumes about this friendly, family-run restaurant.
