Cabane a Sucre Recommendations?
It's that time of year again--or will be, soon enough. I can hardly wait and have started thinking of where I'll end up this year. Any recommendations? I'd rather not do the Toit Rouge again...I was thinking something a little more edible, high end maybe? Any thoughts?
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Though this thread is old it is maple season once again, so here is my experience at a place I would advise you NOT to go to - Érablière Sous-Bois in Mont-St-Grégoire.
They have a very attractive website which includes a reservation process - great! However, your reservation is not the time you will sit down and start your meal, it is just so the servers know approximately how many people to expect on a given day.
We had to wait in a very long line for over 2 hours for a meal that was mediocre (at $19 a head it seemed pretty overpriced, especially as the syrup on the table tasted more like cane syrup than maple). The wait staff were very friendly and in addition to the meal served at the table, there is a buffet with salads, soup, and desserts.
It's possible that this place is less hectic in the week - we were there on a Sunday. However, the seating staff were not very forthright about the amount of time we would have to wait nor were they helpful. Will definitely not be going back!›1 Reply-
re: titihood
Did my annual trek to a randomly-selected sugar shack on the weekend and hit the jackpot. In cruising the back roads of St. Benoit and Mirabel, came across
La Cabane a Sucre Lefebvre at 10800 Rang de La Fresniere, in St. Benoit, at 450-258-3508.
Located about 500 meters off the paved road, the rustic sugar shack complex has seating for about 150, with both a noon and a 2PM seating. We drove up around 1PM and enquired about seating and were asked if we had reservations. Got seated nevertheless, about a 2 minute wait, and enjoyed the traditional meal complete with pea soup and all the usual fare, for a $23 fee. It's BYOB so be forewarned! Love the reservations with fixed seating times and the service had our coffee mugs filled the whole time. Maple taffee and horse-drawn buggy rides completed the experience.
Highly recommended but do reserve. I will next time!!
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I wrote way too many words about two places mentioned below here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/694644 I didn't want to clutter up this thread with its length.
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divya
Mar 9, 2010 09:27 AM
vegetarian friends and non pork eating friends
to cabane au sucre- is it worth it or will they stay hungry?
any places that are more compramising?›5 Replies-
re: divya
how vegetarians are your friends? if they don't even eat eggs, not worth it at all all they might get would be pea soup if it's lard free
As for the non porc eating friends, they can always eat eggs and pancakes, maybe pea soup again if it doesn't contain any lard
There might be more compromising places, but to me, it's not cabane a sucre fare
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re: divya
kpzoo
Mar 9, 2010 01:48 PM
It really depends how strict they are about things that may have touched lard or have bits that can be picked out. As someone who avoids red meat but doesn't mind picking out a chunk of lard here and there from my beans, I happily eat:
- scrambled eggs
- fresh bread
- pickles
- cole slaw
- boiled potatoes
- pancakes
- baked beans
- pudding chomeur
- tire sur la neige
- sugar pie
- oeuf en siropWhat I skip:
- oreilles de crisse
- ham slices
- cocktail weiners
- cretonsDepending how strict your friends are, their choices may be more limited at a traditional cabane à sucre. We've definitely had this question before and I think someone knew of a vegetarian-friendly cabane, I'll see if I can find it again for you...
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re: kpzoo
kpzoo
Mar 9, 2010 01:52 PM
Yep, here's the thread from 2008:
Vegetarian Sugar Shack Query
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/499659-
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re: khohenad
divya
Mar 12, 2010 09:04 AM
friends
La Pause Sylvestre is what i have decided upon.
my friends are Muslim ( no pork or lard) or Hindu (no eggs) so the answers above were perfect to accommodate their choices. anyway cabane au sucre is has so much more than the food itself, although the food is certainly a big part of the cultural exposure.namste and shalom for ur help
(ps. I will post an update to the veg. cabane au sucre thread after my visits)
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Starting in about a week at the 'Quai Jacques-Cartier' at the Old port, 'LA CABANE' a cabane à sucre urbaine with Danny St-Pierre in the kitchen (ex of Laloux, now at Auguste in Sherbrooke)
50$ pp Looks like a good alternative for those who couldn't get reservations at APDC cabane à sucre. Check out the website.
www.lacabane.ca/›1 Reply-
re: ManuelF
It looks good but the price seems a bit high considering the menu. It's pretty rustic food, after all. I suppose you are playing for the novelty as well.
Can anyone recommend a good byob carbane a sucre that is easy to access by train or bus? I don't have access to a car and besides, who wants to limit how much beer and caribou you can enjoy at one of these things =D
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I see it's an old thread that was resurrected, but I just wanted to post a link to an article in La Presse about 8 good cabanes à sucre:
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/voyage/queb...
Some might find it useful.
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re: sweettoothMTL
wow, thanks for the link, sweettooth! mmm...
and soon le bilboquet, I think, will be opening and offering the good old trough of snow with hot hot syrup poured over, all rolled up on a stick, as will the markets, for those of us who never manage the trip out to the cabanes. happy springtime, everybody!
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Aspiring Foodie
Mar 24, 2008 11:28 AM
In the end we went to Les Gallants...the reviews were accurate! It was fantastic!
The atmosphere was quite nice, warm and cozy feeling, family-friendly. We appreciated the fact that it was a buffet for several reasons...first of all, we were able to eat at our own pace, which was nice. Some sugar shacks serve food so slowly it takes 4 hours to get through it all, and there is never enough of what you really like. Others serve fast and want to usher you out as quickly as possible. Les Gallants got it just right! The service was friendly and efficient and as far as buffets go, I have to say this one was great. They did not run out of anything and things did not take too long to get replaced. And as an added bonus, the 6-year old that was with us did not get charged for anything!
The food quality was also very good. Everything was tasty and well prepared. Afterwards we went for a walk to the auberge and had a look around, then enjoyed a very short sleigh ride. We would absolutely go back. Thanks for recommending it!
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roxlet
Mar 18, 2008 11:54 AM
I'm wondering about the locations of some of these places. On Thursday, we will check out of our hotel and I was thinking of trying a Cabanne a Sucre before we begin our 6 hour drive home. From what I read, I assume that the lunch meal would hold us till dinner the next day. I would prefer finding a place that is roughly in the same direction we're driving -- i.e. south. Can anyone enlighten me about a great place in that general direction?
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re: roxlet
kpzoo
Mar 18, 2008 12:22 PM
Hiya, The ones I can recommend first-hand are all north or west of the city, so you might want to check out the provincial tourism site's listing of sugar shacks by area:
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/at...
The Montérégie region and some of the Eastern Townships are generally south of the city. They even list one on the island (in Pierrefonds - northwest). I'd also suggest calling your chosen sugar shack first to verify that they're open when you plan on going just to be safe.
Have fun!
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I have go two times to Le Domaine des cerfs in Chertsey and it is delicious. It is a little place, very calm but beautiful. You can do hiking in the mountain and see chevreuils.
http://www.domainedescerfs.com/fr/evenements.aspNear Quebec city, I recommand Passions gourmandes http://www.passionsgourmandes.com/
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Today marks the start of cabane à sucre season! Will probably make my way to les Gallants in the next couple of weekends.
Interesting article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/mag...) in the NY Times on Marc Séguin's tree-tapping and sugar shack meal with Martin Picard etc.
Probably not a project for this year, but I do have 7 sugar maples on my property that are each 2-3 feet in diameter. I'm sure I could put several buckets on each tree. Would anyone know if it would be worthwhile for me to eventually rent an evaporator and try tapping my own trees? I don't even know where one could get this sort of equipment in Montreal.
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re: Venusia
zekesgallery
Mar 1, 2008 11:13 AM
Howdy!
If you don't need the manuals, I'd suggest craigslist or Kiijii. If you want the manuals,
http://www.leaderevaporator.com/ or if you want something more local:
http://www.siropderable.ca/-
re: zekesgallery
Thanks! Hum, I see I have to research this a bit, not sure I want to spend 100s of $$$ to make my own syrup. Maybe I can get some used old style equipment at Finnegan's market this summer. Maybe I can just tap one tree and boil a pot on the BBQ for the fun of it. I'll have to try it one day, I cannot have all these maple trees for nothing!
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re: Venusia
SnackHappy
Mar 3, 2008 01:09 PM
You could do it on your stove top, even if you tap all your trees. You have to boil the sap every day, so it should all fit in one big stock pot.
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Sucrerie des Gallants (http://www.gallant.qc.ca) in Rigaud is very good, and the setting is lovely. The wood log pavilion was built with maple trees brought down by the ice storm. The meal is buffet style.
Sucrerie de la Montagne has a charming traditional decor, but I would rate its food below that of les Gallant.
Ferme le Crepuscule only does its sugar shack for groups, and upon reservation only. I have never been, but my area coordinator for drop-offs organises a yearly trip.
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re: Venusia
I've been to Sucrerie des Gallants many times because I couldn't find another cabane a sucre that has the same quality of food. However, I want to bring some of my non-Canadian friends to experience cabane a sucre and see how the syrup is made but des Gallants does not have guided visit where you can see the syrup being made.
So, I am looking for a cabane a sucre that is not touristy, with quality of food at least as good as des Gallants but with guided visit where you can see how the syrup is made. Do you have any other recommendation?
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re: Charminglamb
I'm not sure. Des Gallant is an owner-chef auberge and the cuisine and ingredient quality are accordingly of a higher level that the home cooking you'll find at other seasonal sugar shacks. I know de la Montagne has a guided tour of their syrup-making operations, but most of the time they are not operating and they just show the equipment and how it would be used to make syrup. Keep in mind that the sap hasn't started to flow yet, you need 4 C days.
I've heard there
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re: strong
I was at Gallant today.
It was (based solely on my previous c.a.s. experiences) surprisingly good.
Although I haven't been to a cabane a sucre in many years, this was nothing like other cabanes that I went to in the past.
WAAAY better in terms of the atmosphere (bright, cheery, clean) and of course the food. Very good quality ingredients and preparation. Not heavy, slathered in over-sweetened syrup and buttery sauces. Great value for lunch, $18 + tx which included, iirc, pea soup, ham, sausages, baked beans, fluffy omelet, meatballs, tortiere, roasted potatoes, bread, some cold salads like potato, cole slaw, marinated beets and onions, etc, 4 or 5 desserts including and apple crepe, maple sugar pie, tea/coffee and all you can pull 'tire'.
Doable for my lacto-ovo vegetarian friend who picked out a bit of meat or two from the soup and beans, enjoyed the omelet, salads and desserts and skipped the obviious meat dishes.
The service was warm, efficient and comfortably bilingual, they left the impression that they really enjoyed their jobs and were happy to welcome you.
It was kind of early, both in the day and season so it wasn't very crowded but I could see how reservations would be necessary.
Highly recommended. Planning a return, perhaps with a spa visit too :)
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re: Venusia
"Ferme le Crepuscule only does its sugar shack for groups, and upon reservation only. I have never been, but my area coordinator for drop-offs organises a yearly trip."
Can you elaborate a bit more on this, please? Is there some place that I can sign up for a trip to and back from a Cabana a Sucre? I haven't been in years, and would like to go. Unfortunately, I don't have a car, and the people that I know that do are not interested in going to a CAS.
Also, wasn't there mention of a Cabane a Sucre type resto in Montreal? I seem to recall reading about one in another thread here on this board.
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re: Chai Latte
carswell
Mar 10, 2008 08:36 AM
«Also, wasn't there mention of a Cabane a Sucre type resto in Montreal? I seem to recall reading about one in another thread here on this board.»
www.chowhound.com/topics/393836
...not that it will be much help.
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re: Chai Latte
SnackHappy
Mar 10, 2008 09:00 AM
Theme restaurant (oy vey!) Le Cabaret du Roy in Marché Bonsecours offers a sugar shack package. I couldn't tell you if it's good or not as I have a dangerous allergy to theme restaurants.
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re: Chai Latte
Sorry, I should have been more specific. The coordinator takes names and makes a group reservation, but everyone is responsible for their own transportation, although I'm sure there would be people willing to carpool.
Here, I just googled "cabane a sucre bus trip" and I came up with: http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-events-Ca...
It's pricey, but you are also paying for transportation.-
re: Venusia
Thanks, Venusia. The price isn't that bad when you consider that it covers transportation, meal, and sleigh ride.
BTW, on a slightly tangential note, while reading this Saturday's classifieds in The Gazette, I noticed an add for buying maple syrup direct from the producer. Most of us get our maple syrup from JTM or Atwater Market vendors, but I guess if anyone wants/needs to buy in bulk, this may be a point of inquiry.
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re: Chai Latte
bomobob
Mar 11, 2008 01:04 PM
This may be worth investigating. We get our syrup every spring from a close friend who knows a producer very well. This guy sells his regular syrup to the co-op, but he keeps the superior grade (AAA) for friends and family. This is the stuff you can't buy in stores, and is about 10 dB better than anything we've ever tasted. We've been buying it from him for 5 years now, and it's like...like...I can't even describe it. This stuff is so amazing. Essence of maple. The sweetness seems to slip in behind the maple when you're not paying attention.
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re: CroqueMadame
bomobob
Mar 11, 2008 06:49 PM
This is quite light in colour most years, but has a base note that makes you feel like you've turned into a maple tree...intense. In my experience, the darker the syrup, the raunchier it gets. Still maple-y, but also kind of sickly sweet.
The first time we tasted it, we almost polished off the first can with two spoons. It was like nothing we'd ever tasted before.-
re: bomobob
Bomobob, I'm beginning to think that there is a lot of variation between one producer to another. More than the "coop" would like us to believe. For instance, we were at a B&B in Anse-St-Jean about a year and a half ago. They served "C" grade syrup. Let me tell you, it was disgusting, it was thick, sickeningly sweet, reminiscent of molasses (yuck!). Almost what you describe in your post. Whereas, the producer from who we purchase our C + D syrup, their product is downright thin (in terms of viscosity), not overly sweet, but simply a deeper darker, more layered maple-y taste.
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re: CroqueMadame
bomobob
Mar 12, 2008 06:28 AM
You know, I don't think there are any well defined standards, except maybe for colour. My friend designed an opacity sensor for the producer, and I'm pretty sure the light-dark range is the main determining factor in grading. The darker syrup has more suspended particles than the lighter stuff, but it's true that it's not necessarily a measure of taste.
As you've no doubt found, the good stuff, whatever it looks like, makes even the best store-bought product taste like telephone pole syrup.
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re: bomobob
Well, if anybody's interested in purchasing maple syrup direct from the producer, go to:
This company, Ideal Sweets, also produces butter, smoked salmon, and other goods. They are located in Ham-Nord, QC. You can see the catalog, but they don't list their prices. To order, you have to create an online account on their website. This company has won some awards for their maple syrup.
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bomobob
Jan 26, 2008 01:17 PM
I have to say, the food at Sucrerie de la Montagne is pretty darn good.
http://www.sucreriedelamontagne.com/e...
We got married there because 1) it was in a country setting which was stunning in the fall, and 2) because it was the kookiest idea we could think of. It was fabulous. Beat the heck out of any cookie-cutter reception hall. People had a great time, and the food was way above the usual wedding fare.
All this to say they do a really good cabane too.›3 Replies-
re: bomobob
had a very delicious meal at Sucrerie de la Montagne last year, would second this option. The Tourtiere was particularly memorable.But I didn't have to eat until the next day...
Looking forward to hearing any reviews on the place Arktik mentioned, sounds very intriguing...
Bring on the season of the syrup and pork products! Makes living through this crazy winter worth it.
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re: bomobob
I went there this Saturday and hated it! Although the setting is quite beautiful and traditional looking the food was certainly not up to par.
We had a tasteless "soupe aux pois", watery eggs ( I don't even understand how that's possible), and just generally underseasoned food i.e tourtiere, potatoes etc... So... since it is more expensive than most but does not deliver on the food which I think takes precedence over the rusticity. I would certainly give this place a pass.
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hmm...for what it’s worth, here's a nice place I saw on-line ( just to let you know, i've never been). I was thinking of going this year...has anyone else been? Small, family run and all organic. It's not that much more expensive than your standard place...may be a tad far though...
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