Panache

Description:

• The restaurant of the superb Auberge Saint-Antoine started life in 2004 with a big advantage: It's housed in a former 19th-century warehouse delineated by massive wood beams and rough stone walls. A wrought-iron staircase winds up to a second dining level, creating the feel of a secret attic with tables tucked into its eves. Flickering candles, a center fireplace, velvet couches, generous space between tables, and good acoustics -- not loud, not churchlike -- enhance the inherent romantic aura. Aiming to serve cuisine Québécoise revisitée -- French-Canadian cuisine with a twist -- the frequently changing menu is heavy on locally sourced game, duck, fish, and vegetables. Descriptions are simple and border on the austere: "Atlantic cod, ginger, beet, Jerusalem artichoke, C$40," or "Gaspor Farm piglet, winter squash, celeriac, raspberries." A slip of a bar inside the restaurant seats about a dozen. Café Artefact, a separate lounge just off the Auberge's main lobby, provides a casual pre-meal meeting spot.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010