Porto Bello vs. Boucanier- Baie Comeau

[nazaruk]

Frankly, eating up North is usually reduced to eating at pubs around the main highways that link the Quebec province. This restaurant, hidden and closed on Sunday night and Monday night, has been a true good-value package overall, because it broke that stereotype. The place looked very neat and modern with highlights of musical life on the shelves, dimmed lights, table clothes, outstanding wine glasses, and quick-paced service. The soup was authentic - velouté de legumes and tomato soupe mediterranéenne with small pasta, courgette and hearty diced vegetables. We ordered a filet mignon brochette which was grilled to perfection, with charcoal lines embedded in the meat. Vegetable accompaniement was not creative but the creamy potato gratin made up for that. The second dish that we ordered was Surf & Turf - filet mignon steak with grilled langoustines. Soup, salad, dessert (neatly chocolate covered profiteroles with real creme in fresh puff pastry), coffee were included in the Surf & Turf for 32$ which was a much better deal than going to the Boucanier last night, where we spent 37$ + for mussels, scallops and langoustines on some bad quality rice and melted butter, as the sauce. However, I felt alarmed when I asked for mustard for my steak: I was not served Dijon Mustard but regular american mustard, like the one that they serve at McDonald's. Also, while we enjoyed the food at the Porto Bello, the waitress was rather tired (serving all 30 guests) and the service was not as excellent as at the Boucanier, although it was very quick. Courtesy of the restaurant: we did not pay for one of the soups on the menu. Also the prices were excellent: a home made soup was 2$, a filet mignon 22$, with Menu d'Hote specials ranging under $30. The Boucanier offered on the other hand an excellent sugar tart (tarte au sucre) - which is so memorable that I went back for the recipe. Overall excellent choice for both restaurants. I think that the posh Porto Bello was a better value (overall quality and ambiance of a restaurant). Boucanier was a nice family-oriented pub with pub food and a very cute fantastic waitress.

[wattacetti]

I suspect that it'll be a long time before my next trip to Baie Comeau, but I remember that dinner between these two was a toss-up with Le Boucanier winning over Porto Bello because of service issues with the latter.

I had some sort of mixed grill platter, which had to be sent back (overcooked beef, everything else cold) but it was swapped out quickly and to order. Le Boucanier had an odd vibe to it as there aren't too many "souper dansant" places I've ever been to. I also think your very cute waitress was working another section.

The only other place I've tried for dinner was l'Orange bleu, which was something of a mess food-wise. A quick peek at their website shows that they've introduced sushi to their predominantly Italian menu.

[nazaruk]

Actually, comparing these restaurants is like comparing apples with potatoes. But the budget for each was comparable, and Porto Bello is trying to win over the competition by offering more within the price range (salad, soup, apetizer, dessert, coffee within the same price range). The home tastes of the kitchen are pretty cool - personally, I am sick of canned soup offered in most bars, and this authentic, traditional cuisine was up my alley.

Also, Le Boucanier attracted more families, whereas the population at the other restaurant has been more mature.

[nazaruk]

Also, the service has been quick. The waitress did a very good job at managing everything, but we did not notice that she gave us a free soup and left only a 6$ tip, which left her moody (the soup was 2$). I like the younger waitresses at the Blues or the Boucanier.