Dinner at Le Hobbit

Kristin and I spent the last weekend in Quebec city, the capital of the French-speaking province of Quebec, where we saw the sights and went to a lot of nice restaurants.  For the most part, our meals were planned in advance, with dinner at Panache and Pain Beni.  But on Sunday night, we (by which I mean mainly Kristin) decided to walk down Rue Saint-Jean until we found a place that we both liked to eat.  After saying no to a couple of places, we saw a place called Le Hobbit Bistro.  With a name like that we had to check it out.

After looking at the outdoor, chalkboard menu of the specials, Kristin declared it acceptable (as the menu was in French with no English translation), and we decided to eat there.  It was a decidedly better than expected.  The restaurant was mid-price by Quebec standards (meaning it still cost about $100 for two people, admittedly with dessert for one and a glass of wine for the other), but it was also second only to Panache (a top tier restaurant which cost four times as much) in the food.  So I would highly recommend it for anyone in Quebec.  I especially liked the dessert, a Mousse Caramel et Chocolat Noir.

We did ask about the name, and got several different versions, but the one we think is probably true is that back in the 70s, when the place was a bar and artist hangout with live performances and poetry readings, it had a very low ceiling.  That is what earned it the name Le Hobbit.