After a disappointing dinner at much-touted and chi-chi restaurant Toast! in Quebec City (pricey and, except for the Lobster Risotto, underwhelming), it was wonderful to wind up having breakfast seated on a stool at the counter of Buffet de L’Antiquaire : a charming, authentic diner on the edge of the old city close to the river.
Bought a few years ago by short-order cook Gilles Boulet, this 40-year-old establishment was bustling when we arrived just before noon. Ruddy-faced Boulet was multi-tasking as he juggled eggs, bacon, sausages, ham, burgers and fish on the open grill while adorable Florence Feugere, age 80 and a longtime cook here, niftily garnished each plate with salad and other fixin’s.