To end an Octobers' week, caught between the green grass and the first snow, a walk around the Nations' Lake is always advisable to forget the grey season. This quiet outdoor wonder, is just steps from downtown Sherbrooke, on one side, and the restaurant Cartier, on the other. It is in this setting that our walk has ended, we were attracted by the colors of the pumpkins disguising the terrace.
We have found at Le Cartier the same atmosphere that lived in the Jacques-Cartier Park, which surrounds the lake. First, we were sitted on the terrace which gives a taste of late summer. Impossible, of course, but it will come back next year. Inside, the (living!) plants do not separate us from nature that we have gave away across the street. The service is impeccable and the choice of our sitting near a glass on the second floor, offers views of the park. The location is ideal to discuss, couples, friends or family. The distance between the tables allows a pleasant and surprising intimacy.
We are now reading the menu and tasting the beer of the week. A must. We've learn that, as far as possible, leftover, fruit and vegetables peel are used for composting. This is a wonderful way to give a second life to food!
The table d'hote of the month, valid from Thursday evening through Saturday , offered a choice of seafood, Chinese vegetables, venison, halibut, duck, pig, apple pie and tart tropézienne in October.
The Malpeque oysters "au gratin", with tomatoes salsa and peaches with basil, is lying on salt chunks. A few drops of lemon makes you appreciate all the flavors of this dish. These small bites are ideal when selected in "table d'hote". For its part, Chinese stir-fry vegetables and cashew nuts with curry sauce and coconut fried noodles, is heavier. You must have a very good appetite. In this dish, the coconut really vitalise the differents flavors including the wonderful curry. The palate is sweet at first, immediately followed by the curry spice. Nice Blend.
If the colors are not in the trees at this time of the year, we can find them in the main dish. The market vegetable gives us the missing light to our eyes and mouth. A fresh feeling too. The arecarrots, green beans, asparagus are crispy while rutabaga, sweet potatoes, united to a mixture of apples, honey and maple syrup surprises us. The chop of suckling pig stuffed with prunes, cooked perfectly, is bathed in a good sauce with chives and brandy. The meat portion is generous, as the amount of vegetables, which adorns the perfect white plate. The other dishes chosen, the duck Lac Brome - inevitable - is accompanied by the same dose of market vegetables and an apple and blackberries compote. The exquisite presentation, emphasizing attention to the details by the chef, invites us to dive in immediately. Not surprisingly, we enjoy a plate full of flavors, even if the duck could have been pinkier.
For dessert, we can pass around the autumn apple pie. The season offers it. Served with a few slices of fresh fruits, the pie is light in mouth, apples are cooked to perfection. This Chef's attention is appreciated after the main meal we just hate. Regarding the St Tropez pie, an embossed brioche-style pie, filled with custard wasimagined in St. Tropez. it remains the favorite of the Cartier visitors. The cream is reasonably firm and sticks to the pie and is slightly velvety.
After this meal, another walk is required! But above all, a routine should be born: a walk around the lake requires a visit to the Cartier.
