Cabane A Sucre Au Pied De Cochon

La Cabane d’à Côté is this city’s best version of what “Farm to Table” means in Quebec. Commonly called “Table Champêtre” these types of dining experiences have existed in some form or other since the creation of New France in the 17th century. Usually set in a rural rustic country setting, they were rudimentary in terms of set up and food. Present day “les tables Champêtre” have evolved to include much more. La Cabane d’à Cote, the sister version of Martin Picard’s Érablière Au Pied de Cochon; both of which are located in Mirabel next door to each other are fine examples of farm to table dining at its best.

I went there in April and this was epic. For the price i think its the best sugar shack that you can get for the quantity and quality of the food. 12 courses 😲. I ate in all the dishes as they were better one after the other. Ive been waitimg for over a year to go there and was fully satisfied. Ive never eat that much in my life.

It’s that time of year again! If Montreal Oysterfest marks the end of summer for the Divas, harvest season at the Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon (PDC) marks the beginning of fall! This special and magical sugar shack, brought to you by Canadian foodie extraordinaire, Martin Picard, has two seasons: harvest (or apple) season in the fall, and maple season in the winter. As usual you have to be at your computer at midnight on a specific day, months in advance of your reservation, to get a chance at a seat at those coveted wooden tables.

In the past 3 years, the Divas haven’t missed a season at Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon. We’ve managed to remember to set our alarms so that we can put our names on a long list of people wanting to experience Martin Picard’s gourmet variation on the traditional Quebec cabane à sucre. We have been six times in all and you can read about our last experience HERE.

5/5 for Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon. It's time to bring out the big guns.
One of the most (if not the most) sought after dining experiences in Montreal takes place at the Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon. And it's not even located in Montreal, you'll find the cabane out in the woods of rural St-Benoît de Mirabel, which is about a 55 minute car ride north west from the centre of the city. The sugar shack is a time honoured tradition in Quebec and the residents take sugaring off season very seriously around these parts. Chef Martin Picard (former host of The Wild Chef on the Food Network), being the good Quebecer that he is, he opened his own sugar shack as well in 2009. Now it's one of the most desired and notoriously elusive reservations to acquire. Some other accolades? Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon was featured on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, was named in enRoute magazine's Dining Guide 2013 and Dining Guide 2014, and most recently was listed as #21 in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2015.

Why are people so ravenous for this place? Because the meals at the cabane are of legend. For $65 per person you are treated to an epic, ultra over-indulgent maple-themed feast that lasts roughly 15 dishes long. There is no menu whatsoever and Chef Martin Picard creates a new feast for each year. You simply show up and the meal that comes your way is a complete surprise.

I made our reservation for mid-March, which seemed like a pretty good "middle of season" time to go. Our group of four piled into the car and headed to St-Benoît de Mirabel and it felt like food Christmas. The cabane itself is a large, low building, with fire pits burning out front and even the PDC Food Truck was out there (although I have NO idea how anyone would have room to buy any food from them! Maybe it's for people who just show up without being aware of "the process"). Inside, the cabane has the most amazing atmosphere and even more amazing aromas wafting through the air. The whole room is wooden, with long communal tables which are very typical of any sugar shack. There are taxidermied coyotes balanced on the rafters and the space is absolutely buzzing. We were seated at our table, which we shared with another party, however we did not share our food with them. The food is served family-style per party. We had several servers tending to us, and despite the (organized) chaos of the room, they were all friendly and took the time to explain each dish carefully. Chef Martin Picard himself was there too! He emerged a few times to gaze over the space, like a king surveying his kingdom.

We were offered drinks first and they had a few special cocktails to choose from. I chose the Coconut Piña Colada because it sounded the most fun! Served in a hollowed out coconut shell complete with umbrella, I really enjoyed the real chunks of coconut that would come up the straw.

Many people try to devise eating strategies for this event, and my best advice is to arrive on an empty stomach and to pace yourself.
It began.
First to arrive was Hot & Sour Soup. The soup was made up of fish, sausage, tofu and noodles. It was delicious, but I could have used for it to be even hotter and sourer.
Next was Dumplings. Things were obviously off to an Asian-inspired beginning! The presentation of the dumplings was beautiful, served in a maple leaf-lined bamboo steamer. The server explained that we were supposed to pour some sauce onto our spoons, put a dumpling onto the spoon, and eat the whole thing in one bite. We did! The perfectly cooked dumpling was filled with shrimp, pork and foie gras, and we all agreed that they were exceptionally excellent.
Next up was Egg Soufflé, a very traditional cabane offering, but of course this one was next level. I loved this light and airy dish and deemed it one of my favourites of the night. Topped with smoked shaved pork and beef tongue as well as iceberg lettuce and avocado. Our server explained that the inside was stuffed with a homemade version of Valveeta cheese, as well as cream cheese and béchamel sauce. It sounds rich and creamy, but it was surprisingly fluffy and I loved everything about it.
White Cake with Foie Gras! Chef Picard is famous for his use of foie gras (in everything) so we were eagerly prepared to see a lot of it. This dish seemed to get mixed reviews among my group, but it was also a big favourite of mine. The warm white cake had been soaked in rum and housemade maple alcohol and towering atop the cake was a slice of aged cheddar cheese, blueberry compote and a huge slab of seared foie gras. It was a thing of dreams. Every flavour and texture worked so harmoniously with the next creating a piece of Quebecois heaven.
And finally, the last appetizer, yes, we're still on appetizers... Lasagna with Cotechino & Lobster. This one wasn't my favourite. It sounded like it should have had the makings of the best dish ever, but there were better dishes. Lasagna cylinders were rolled around cotechino (an Italian charcuterie product, similar to salami) and lobster and topped with cottage cheese and peppery arugula. I did like that the dish was served on top of baked beans (another sugar shack must) and that the beans were made with lobster bisque. There were also cubed chunks of pork within the beans that was to die for. Overall I found the dish a bit too filling and it didn't seem to deliver as much as I felt that it should have.

Alright! Appetizers complete! Time to move onto the main course! The pièce de résistance of the whole meal, easily, was the Pig Leg with Maple Glaze. This dish was incredible and the highlight of the entire meal. Served with cocktail sausages topped with mustard. This pork was cooked to absolute perfect, tender perfection and the outside was absolutely lacquered with candied maple syrup. There are no words. This was one of the best things that I have ever eaten in my life.
We were also served Duck Fat Crepes and a Fennel Salad. We were instructed to pile some of the pork onto the crepe and then to top the pork with some fennel salad. Yup. This is a foodgasm. The pillowy deep fried crepes cooked in duck fat were extremely indulgent and are currently haunting my dreams. I'm pretty sure that I was moaning with pleasure as I ate them. The salad was a beautiful way to freshen up the meal and I enjoyed the way that the anise flavour played with the pungent blue cheese, crisp slices of apple, and sweet caramel popcorn that also made up the dish.
Next was Rabbit Loin Stuffed with Foie Gras. This was served in a blood sauce that was made out of the rabbit's blood and everything was laid onto a bed of pasta. Rabbit is one of my favourite meats and I loved how tender and juicy this one was. The big chunks of foie gras only made it better, and the blood sauce was decadent. This dish was no competition to the pork however.
And finally, the last main course dish, Duck with Calamari. This dish was served in a squid ink sauce, which makes great sense along with the calamari. The calamari itself was stuffed with more foie gras, I'm pretty sure. Duck is one of my other favourite meats and this one was cooked perfectly and brimming with flavour. I loved the way that it absorbed the sauce surrounding it.

Just when we thought that we couldn't possibly continue, there was still dessert. I almost wish that I could go back just to eat the dessert round again, so that I could appreciate it a bit better. First was Queue de Castor (beaver tails). Served with a thick maple sabayon that tasted like a toasty marshmallow. These were sugary, warm, drenched in syrup, and even a little bit tart. A great alternative to the traditional sugar shack pancakes.
Pineapple Split! Served with maple and pineapple ice cream with a maple glazed slice of pineapple on top. This one looked terrifying to tackle, but once you got in there the homemade ice cream was perfectly creamy and sweet.
Baklava and Maple Cotton Candy! It doesn't get much more fun then this. We were told to pour some milk into the shot glasses along with the cotton candy, and it turned into a sweet and mapley drink that looked adorable. The baklava was crispy, nutty, and drenched in maple.
The last dessert was Lemon Meringue Soufflé with Pudding Chômeur. These were served piping hot and were to die for. The soufflé had risen perfectly and was effortlessly light. Meanwhile the rich chômeur base was the quintessential of Quebec desserts. I wish that I had had more room left to shove more of this into my stomach!
Did I say that that was the end? We can't forget the traditional tire d'érable (or maple taffy), a must at any cabane. Warm maple syrup was poured onto snow, wrapped around a popcicle stick, and it was served as the perfect ending to a wild and exciting meal.

The dishes speak for themselves in terms of quality and originality. This was a meal unlike anything that I had ever experienced before and everyone should get to ride this insane food roller coaster at least once. I definitely want to return next season so that I can do it all again!