The Frog Eater | The frog leaps forward

(Rimouski) For thirty years, Le Mange-Grenouille has been one of the most unique accommodations in Quebec, with its highly theatrical decor. New owners took over the Auberge du Bic more than a year ago. Without distorting the place, they rely on a more classic hotel and restaurant experience. We visited them in June.

Eve Dumas
The Press

In all transparency, we admit that we did not experience a “real” evening service in the dining room of the Mange-Grenouille. And we kinda regretted it. Because the few dishes that chef Antoine Landry prepared for us exclusively the day after our night at the inn, while we were chatting, were exquisite.

First there were the dumplings, a starter that we heard a lot about during our all-too-brief stay because, the day before, a customer had dared to order a second portion for dessert!

Fried, the mini turnovers were stuffed with spinach and hakurei white turnip, then layered on a rosehip and sesame sauce. Swiss chard ketchup, black garlic and a few green sprouts completed this highly original dish. We were able to appreciate its little taste of coming back to it, attributable to the salty-sweet-fat-acid balance.

The dessert was no less the fruit of great culinary creativity. Entitled “Potato”, it had at its base a quenelle of cedar-scented mousse, studded with slightly sweet potato chips, all mounted on a haskap gel.

It’s an idea that the chef developed at a time when few fresh fruits from Quebec were available. As he insists on working with as many local ingredients as possible, he rarely allows himself to fall back on citrus fruits or chocolate. Another of the three desserts on the menu revolved around lovage, a celery-flavored herb. There was even rose-marinated cucumber in this daring pairing.

“It would be a lie to say that we never use lemon juice. Transparency is important,” the chef from Rimouski told us later by email.

Antoine Landry returned to his region during the COVID-19 crisis after working at Botanistes and Chez Boulay, in particular, in Quebec. He also learned alongside pioneer Johanne Vigneau at La Table des Roy (Îles-de-la-Madeleine). This explains his knowledge of the different territories of Quebec and of what is fished, picked, raised, cultivated.

At Mange-Grenouille, he cooks with local meats, local fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood from Rimouski and Gaspésie, maple syrup, honey, camelina oil from Lower Saint-Laurent, rhubarb juice for acidity.

“I even make my own lard to quietly give up canola oil. I preserve, ferment, dry, keep vegetables, etc. I’m going to dig outside for basic products like sugar, salt, a little chocolate, starch. The olive oil comes from Monsieur Rafael [l’entreprise des Québécois Denis Ferrer et Jimmy Simard]. »

We also forgot to tell you about the third course of the private tasting on Friday afternoon, a beautiful St. Lawrence halibut cooked a la plancha, very crusty, placed on a creamy jus flavored with rosemary. The accompaniment of fried garlic flowers, pan-fried mushrooms and croutons completed this fish dish as comforting as a little wool by the river.

The other regret we had when we didn’t have time to have dinner at Mange-Grenouille? The superb wine list. Sommelier Martin Saucier, who is preparing to open his establishment in Rimouski, bequeaths a cellar full of beautiful bottles, including a few rarities from estates that lovers of natural wines snap up.

“I have a sommelier training. When I saw the wine list, I said to myself that I couldn’t do better! “, had declared the new co-owner Mathieu Deschênes to the daily newspaper The sun, one year ago. Now he will have to do it!

Former director of catering at the Château Montebello, after several years at the Château Frontenac, the new innkeeper is slowly settling into his quarters. Originally from Rivière-du-Loup, he is also returning to his native region. He knew the reputation of the Frog Eater long before acquiring it with his ex-spouse, Mélissa Gagné. He also knows that the mythical establishment has its regular clientele attached to the universe created by the former owners, Carole Faucher and Jean Rossignol, and does not want to rush them.

But the next generation is starting to show up too. Without assuming the tastes or desires of this new audience, Mathieu decided to do what was most like him and his new team. The decor has also been refined, allowing you to better appreciate the magnificent woodwork of the 1843 building. This was an abandoned general store when the drama graduates decided to turn it into an inn in 1989. .

Soon, the 22 rooms will be standardized thanks to bedding designed in L’Isle-Verte, 45 minutes from Bic. “I want to offer an experience that is a little closer to the hotel,” explains the man who was trained at the chic “school” Fairmont. The frog is clearly taking a big leap forward. We wish him to continue to honor his very colorful past.

Mushroom Crostini Recipe

Recipe by Antoine Landry

Ingredients for one person

• 1 thick slice of bread
• 1 stalk garlic scapes, crushed or minced
• 1 C. tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 C. olive oil
• 2 cups of raw chanterelles previously cleaned with a brush (you can fill with other varieties of wild or even cultivated mushrooms)
• 1 C. tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 C. tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 clove of black garlic * crushed with a fork
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 medium-sized egg, cracked into a small bowl
• 1 C. white vinegar
• Sufficient amount of butter
• Sufficient amount of salt
• Sufficient amount of water
• Optional: edible seasonal flowers from the garden or market for finishing (nasturtium, mallow, impatiens du cap, pansy, etc.)

Preparation

• 1. Mix black garlic and red wine vinegar. To book.
• 2. Mix the garlic flower, a little salt, olive oil and the white balsamic vinegar. To book.
• 3. Cook the mushrooms in a skillet with 1 tbsp. tablespoon foaming butter. After 1.5 minutes, add the chopped shallot and the desired amount of salt. Finish cooking for another minute and a half. Remove from the heat, add the tarragon, mix and set aside.
• 4. Toast the bread on the preheated barbecue. If you don’t have a barbecue, use a toaster. Generously spread the bread with butter after baking.
• 5. Boil water and white vinegar for cooking the poached egg.
• 6. When boiling, swirl the water clockwise using a whisk or other suitable utensil. Gently drop the egg into the boiling water after removing the utensil. The movement of the water allows the egg to roll up on itself. Time 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Carefully remove the egg onto a paper towel. Season with a little salt.
• 7. Assemble the dish: brush the bread with the garlic flower mixture, place the cooked mushroom mixture on top, sprinkle with the black garlic mixture. Place the poached egg on top, decorate with seasonal flowers.

* Black garlic is aged garlic that can be purchased in delicatessens, cheese shops, butchers. A few Quebec companies produce it.