Le Poivre Noir - Trois-Rivières

Very disappointed of this restaurant as the rating was quite strong. Not much on the menu, pricy but more than likely, the food was simply not tasty. Presentation not very refine either. Strong point: incredible view on St-Lawrence River!

After four years of hearing friends warmly suggesting that we try this place, we finally went there on Valentine’s Day. I was surprised how easy it was to get a reservation for two at given the rave reviews this restaurant has gotten in the...popular press over the last four years, including from Philippe Tastet in Le Devoir. Once you enter the restaurant, the thing that disappointed us was the relatitve dated decor and furniture that reminded me of old Miami Vice episodes. In our case, that was definitely a welcome that turned us off a bit. But we decided to ‘go with the flow’ anyway and let the wine, food and service determine how the evening would end up. We were not disappointed at all! The wine list is full of carefully chosen gems, full of biodynamic estate selections with a large variety of vineyards and styles. All in all, great wine list and a very good selection of wine by the glass. In addition to a very good Spanish cava for appetizers, we tried two bottles from France: a biodynamic pinot blanc from Alsace that was excellent, and a Chambolle-Musigny from Amiot that was good, but not great. We tried the Valentine’s tasting menu and we were wonderfully surprised by the elegance and tastefulness of all our dishes, except for one that we thought was a clear miss, a small tarte that was crispy but offered very little in terms of flavor). The appetizers were simply magnificent, a rainbow of subtle flavors in the ceviche (that was more of a carpaccio of scallops). The main dish of ‘cerf’ was bold, flavorful and tasty: the kind of dish that at home you just could not resist to get another serving. Just the perfect serving size. Being Valentine’s Day, the chocolate dessert was shared and was also excellent. The service staff was friendly and professionnal — fully warranted a tip given the careful attention they demonstrated all night long waiting our table.

We were looking forward to dining at this restaurant based on a recommendation from a local person, but unfortunately, we were very disappointed. The food was good, but not great, however the real problem was the service. The restaurant was not overly busy, but our...waiter, while friendly at the outset, simply seemed to lose interest in serving us. We had to ask for water, our dessert (which came with the table d'hote), and the bill, and in the end, had to rely on other servers to come to our rescue. Poivre Noir clearly portrays itself as an upscale restaurant the location by the river is wonderful, the decor is high-end, and the prices are on the expensive side but management needs examine whether it is delivering the kind of dining experience its appearance would suggest. We will not return and could not, in good conscience, recommend this restaurant to others.

Cool aloof staff, food so so for big price for this small town. the tiniest lobster tail imaginable and just ok. wines overpriced. wouldn't go back. much better places in town.

Fantastic sat at the outside bar and had great house martini and the wine selection was very well chosen. Food was fantastic service was personal and excellent