Le Saint-Amour — Restaurant in Quebec

My husband and I stayed in Quebec City for a couple of days and chose this restaurant based on the excellent Google reviews. We made a reservation for 9 p.m., one day in advance. We were really excited, expecting a high level of cuisine and service. When we arrived, we were offered the 7-course discovery menu for $155 per person, and we gladly agreed. The dishes looked beautiful and were quite unique in taste. We were waiting for the main course, and finally, the duck was served. It was cut into small pieces but looked raw at first glance. I thought that couldn’t be possible in a fine dining restaurant, so I tried to cut it with a knife — but it wouldn’t cut at all, and blood started coming out. I assumed it might be the chef’s intention, so I tried to taste a piece — but it was impossible to chew, and I had to spit it out. A waiter came by. Unlike the previous servers who were professional and attentive, this one seemed careless and in a hurry to finish his shift. He saw the untouched duck on my plate and the piece I had tried. I told him the duck was raw. He asked if I wanted it cooked more. I said, “No, I don’t want this dish anymore.” Then he asked, “You didn’t like it?” and I replied, “The meat is not chewable.” I’m not a person who likes to complain, but I expected at least an apology or for him to tell the chef. Instead, he silently took the plate and left. When he brought the bill — $360 — he also reminded us that we had to select the tip amount first. My husband said we were disappointed and didn’t leave any tip. The waiter muttered, “It’s not my fault the duck was undercooked,” turned around, and walked away angrily. I told him he should have informed the chef or manager that a guest was served raw, poorly prepared meat — but he just stormed off. We quietly stood up and left this “fine dining” restaurant, paying $364.47, feeling completely disrespected. No one apologized. No one even said goodbye.

Maybe the reason was that our reservation was late — 9 p.m., and the restaurant closes at 10:30. It seemed like everyone just wanted to go home, and the chef didn’t finish cooking the duck, while the waiter pretended nothing happened and still expected a generous tip. The night before, we had dinner at a small restaurant (I don’t even remember the name) that cost us $125 for two, and we were amazed by the food and service. We truly expected a world-class experience at this “starred” restaurant and were ready to pay for it — but instead, we left with deep disappointment and the unpleasant aftertaste...

My rating of this restaurant regrettably reflects the experience rather than the meal itself. The meal was excellent. The service: insulting. My wife and I arrived in a suit and dress, her with an expensive designer coat and handbag. I am not sure what thoughts were going through our server's mind when he first saw us, but his eyes kept moving up and down over our bodies, evaluating. It was uncomfortable. No one asked to take my wife's coat, she had to request it to be hung. We were asked for our drink preferences just as we were seated. No wine list offered. When we requested first to see the list before deciding, our server responded that he would offer us the right pairing for our meal. We chose to start with champagne as it was the 'easiest' (familiar) choice absent a list to read. While the first glass was being poured (oh, and look at the insulting size of the pour in the photo attached), already we were being pressured to make our next selections to accompany or appetizers and mains. The server seemed to assume we don't know anything about wine, and he didn't listen as we tried to convey over our preferences; he just insisted on what he felt was “right” for the courses. We were pressed also to indulge in the seven-course fixed menu plus wine pairing. This way too intense for the first few minutes of sitting down, barely with menu in hand! And long as this review already is, this is just the start. Each interaction, the server tried to upsell us. And yet we also felt that he was condescending. My wife has a garlic allergy. She was told 'Well this is a French restaurant, garlic comes with the territory'. Should we understand this to mean she is unwelcome? While the kitchen did accommodate, already we felt shamed for her allergy. It is unclear if his treatment was because he felt us imposters (we look quite young), like we’re trying to “play” fancy... And yet—especially if this is our big dress-up night out—shouldn't we feel special? We enjoyed the meal itself tremendously, but twice our plates were cleared while they still had food without asking and before we could react. I even commented the second occasion; no acknowledgment. We even tipped over 12% on the pre-tax total despite not enjoying the service, and we received a look of disdain. We should have tipped nothing, but how awkward when we still need our coat? Over 350 CAD before factoring the tip. Our palates were satisfied, but the night somehow spoiled. How...

Wonderful food, service spotty, and wine pairings frustrating...

My wife and I spent a weekend in Quebec City, having a wonderful meal - one of the best of my life - at Chez Muffy the night before. At the Chez Muffy night, the food was wonderful -as was this - but the service was light years better. At the previous night, I felt our server was always attentive but not intrusive, and though others brought us some of our courses (we did the tasting menu) our server was always checking in with us. On the wines paired with the meal, the wines came concurrent with the food, and the somellier came by each time and explained something about the wines and why it was paired. Our explanations at Saint Amour were 10-15 seconds at best and done by seemingly junior wait staff who seemed to know little about them. At Saint Amour, we did the valentines tasting menu as we love experiencing new foods and wines - though the 8 courses seemed a bit much, both from a quantity standpoint and with the evening costing $600 before service. Pricey and probably 2 courses too much so lesson learned. One the wine pairings - though the table behind us was receiving liberal pours (perhaps a regular customer vs. a tourist?) our pours were 2 ounces, and a tight 2 oz at that. This situation was made worse as, often, the wine would be poured but it would be another 10-15 minutes before that course arrived - meaning we consumed a lot of water waiting. Service on the water was horrible - I had to ask 5 times for water refills as no one seemed to be paying attention. Despite the sub par service for the price, the food preparation and presentation was wonderful, though as noted the pacing was very very leisurely bordering on frustratingly slow. Our total dining time was about 3.5 hours.

Though I know it was a busy night for Saint Amour, it was busy the night before as well at Chez Muffy and they seemed to handle it much better. Recommendation if you want to try Saint Amour - as the food is wonderful - is avoid holiday weekends and don’t do the...