Every summer, the heart of downtown Thetford Mines is transformed into a gigantic festive venue where the best Quebec artists tread the boards of the various stages set up for the Thetford Mines Emerging Artists Festival. This event also showcases young local singer-songwriters. It is therefore an unmissable event for people from Chaudière-Appalaches, who like to combine this activity with a restaurant outing.
Our goal is to offer you our suggestions for the best restaurants located near the Thetford Mines Emerging Artists Festival site where you can eat.
The Festival has been held in mid-August for over 30 years, directly on Notre-Dame Ouest.
For the occasion, Thetford Mines’ main artery is transformed into a musical, family, gourmet and artistic zone during the three festive evenings of the event. Access is free for the whole family, with the exception of access to the Loto-Québec stage where a paid ticket is required.
The musical programming always offers a perfect mix of young emerging artists, local stars and names already well-known in Quebec.
Moreover, the first evening is always dedicated to the best artists who participated in the local finals of Secondaire en spectacle and Cégeps en spectacle.
But before settling down to attend these shows, why not have a good meal with your loved ones? To help you plan this part of the evening, we have a few restaurant suggestions for you:
Microbrasserie and restaurant La Porte d’à Côté
Our first suggestion is located a few steps from the Festival and promises to put you in the mood quickly! You can enjoy good beers, cocktails and wine while tasting their pub-style dishes.
The menu is inspired by local products, such as the cheese stick starters, the melted brie (with walnuts, cranberries, maple and croutons) and the homemade parmesan fondue.
For main courses, you will enjoy the all-dressed nachos (with peppers, olives, marbled cheddar, shallots, hot peppers, sour cream, homemade salsa and guacamole), the warm goat cheese salad (with salad, pears, cranberries, walnuts, fried goat cheese quenelles and balsamic vinaigrette with elderberries) or the burgers, such as the double beef janole or the braised beef. There are also grilled paninis, grilled meats, pizzas and poutines.
You can also go to La Porte d’à Côté for breakfast (Saturday and Sunday), lunch, end-of-day meetings with colleagues, for dinner or to end the evening on a high note. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
M – L'artisan culinaire
For gourmet cuisine, at an affordable price and with generous portions, head to M, l'artisan culinaire in Thetford Mines. You will be treated to refined French-inspired cuisine that does everything in its power to use as many local and seasonal products as possible.
In a modern, chic and minimalist setting, where about thirty people can be seated inside and a dozen on the terrace, enjoy a bottle of wine before making your choice.
The three-course table d'hôte menu, offered in the evening, will allow you to taste seafood chowder, crisp lettuce with almonds, sunflowers and dried fruits or a melted brie with pecans, almonds, crispy pretzel bread and chutney.
As a main course, a tofu stir-fry with vegetables seasoned with peppers and maple, a pan-fried Atlantic cod with ginger carrots, saffron risotto, paprika, parmesan and chorizo ??crumble or the 6 oz beef filet mignon, aged 60 days, with melted brie, mushroom duxelles and a lightly truffled sauce are available.
You can have lunch from Wednesday to Friday while dinner is offered from Wednesday to Saturday.
Le Rouge Poisson Sushi Lounge
Sushi lovers will love heading to the Rouge Poisson Sushi Lounge, where they will definitely find a table just for them in this two-story establishment. You can also order your sushi to go, if you wish.
Here too, you can first have a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail before taking your first bite.
On the menu, you will obviously find sushi, but also tartares, poutines (seafood or General Tao), stir-fries of all kinds and even a lobster club sandwich.
Everything will be presented to you as it should be, that is to say as a work of culinary art for a truly unforgettable gastronomic experience.
The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m.
Resto La Cité
To eat the best grilled food in Thetford Mines, you have to stop at Resto La Cité! Plus, you can bring your own wine or beer.
On the menu, you will find the must-have grilled food such as the 8 oz macreuse steak, the 8 oz AAA sparkling flank steak or the 8 oz AAA filet mignon medallion, but also the chicken skewer, the ribs and seafood.
For starters, opt for the French onions, the tarama and the tzatziki or the gratin mushrooms.
A children's menu is available.
The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Sunday, for dinner only.
La Fredaine
Here we are at the end of the list of suggestions, this time with an Indian restaurant, where you can bring your own wine or beer and which is the first of its kind in Thetford Mines, namely La Fredaine.
Inspired by his trip to India, chef Jean Houle was inspired by a trip to India to prepare his Indian menu, giving pride of place to vegetarian dishes even if some meats are included on the menu.
You can taste the naan bread, cooked in an authentic tandoor oven, and taste in each dish curry, turmeric, cumin, cardamom and coriander, the traditional spices of India.
Butter chicken is obviously on the menu, as are coconut shrimp, lamb and tandoori chicken skewers.
