Few restaurants anywhere are as charmingly expressive of their place as is this functioning cabane à sucre, set in a 2,000-tap maple orchard just an hour’s drive from downtown Montreal. Partners Martin Picard and Vincent Dion-Lavallée have created something unique. All food is sourced ultra-locally, and the cooking — most of it executed by Dion-Lavallée and Matthew Babin on a wood-fired maple syrup evaporator — is a celebratory showcase for Quebec terroir. From mid-February to June 1, this takes the form of 15- to 20-course banquets in the wood-fire-heated cabin, available for groups of six to twenty-four. And while some of the food is traditional, hearty, rural Québécois fare (pea soup, tourtière, etc.), much of it is creative and has a surprisingly light touch (local oysters, scallops and snow crab, trout with pastis, duck with blackcurrant sauce, pavlova with maple syrup and Quebec citrus). Come mid-June, the feasting moves outdoors, where guests can dine in the orchard or underneath handsome canvas tents. Summer offerings lean dramatically lighter, as the culinary emphasis shifts to vegetables and fruits from the Cabane’s gardens and from select neighbouring farms. New this summer, grilled fish and meats (local pork, beef, duck, house-made sausages, confit chicken and so on) can be selected à la carte. Complement the leisurely feast with Quebec whites, rosés and reds, or some of Cabane’s 15 ciders. To finish, expect stunning fruit tarts.
A universe unto itself, just brilliant.” Vanya Filipovic
Mille crêpes Suzette.
Mille crêpes Suzette.
