You may not have thought of taking a driving trip to Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada. It's an hour or two drive southeast of Quebec City, and how can you possibly think of wasting time going to an area known for its asbestos mining when you could be walking around an old walled city filled with souvenir shops?
But let me give you some reasons to go, and if that is not enough, let me assure you that the "it's near Quebec City" reason is on the list, just not discussed here.
We were on our way to Quebec City but decided it was worth it to take Rte 112 to Thetford Mines and then up to Quebec City. Hunger hit at around Disraeli, Quebec, a city near what seems to be a bit of a tourist area on Black Lake.
We were running out of town in which to find restaurants when, for no obvious reason, we decided to stop at this place. Its exterior is not charming. It's interior is filled with very basic tables and chairs, which definitely lowered our expectations. (You can see in the photos at their website.)
We decided to share a vegetarian pizza, despite the fact that one of us hates pizza.
But not this pizza.
It was amazing. Not your cheese and tomato sauce affair. Actually, it was a flat dough with hand cut vegetables, cooked al dente, with wonderful spicing that made the vegetables' flavor scintillate. In fact, the flavor was so amazing that, well, someone has clearly sold his soul to the devil to make a pizza that tastes like this one.
The rest of the menu was mostly meat dishes. I can't comment on them, but everyone in the restaurant seemed to be having a great time with their food. Not only that, we saw this wonderful camaraderie among the patrons and staff. The atmosphere was almost festive.
And the name, Le Beninois? Well, that is a story too.
We raved to our server about the food, and, as I was at the counter paying, she brought out the man who had made our pizza. We had a nice chat. He is from Benin. So, he is the Beninois in the restaurant's name. Now there's an interesting story in how he ended up in this small town.
As I was searching for information on its address, etc to write this review, I ran across this mini-review in French that makes this place even more special. My translation appears after the review.
http://www.weblocal.ca/le-beninois-inc-resto-bar-chez-christophe-disraeli-qc.html
Fine cuisine et un délice!
Ce resto sert des plats colorés, appétissants et délicieux! Ça vaut le déplacement! Il offre même un menu spécial Béninois sur réservation! Il était temps que Disraeli ait un resto de qualité! Merci au chef!
This restaurant serves colorful, appetizing, and delicious dishes! It also offers a special Beninois menu by reservation! It's about time that Disraeli had a quality restaurant! Thanks to the chef!
Talk about luck?! We could have pulled into any number of places in that area, but we had the great good fortune to stop at this magical place.
And Thetford Mines?
We drove there after lunch. What an amazing landscape there in the aftermath of decades of asbestos mining.
The Thetford Mines Mineralogical and Mining Museum http://www.manoirdulac.com/eng/packages-activities/regionFiche.asp?Pop=true&Id=18 is definitely worth a visit. Unfortunately, 90% of the signage is in French, but, even so, it is worth the time and entry fee.
Ayez un bon voyage! read more