Every year just as winter begins to ease up, the sap starts flowing and people begin heading out to get their maple fix at various cabane a sucres/sugar shacks outside of the city. Back in the day, the only way people would get their maple syrup addiction fed was to head out of town and hit up a sugar shack. Normally people would associate sugar shacks with very simple/traditional meals. The standard lineup at most sugar shacks include baked beans, eggs, mini sausages, potatoes, pork rinds, beets, and loads of maple syrup, in almost every dish. Pretty much basic dishes that haven’t changed or evolved in years. Things started to change when Martin Picard’s Pied de Cochon cabane a sucre made waves by taking these traditional dishes and making them fancy, combining them with modern dishes while keeping you full and having a steady supply of maple. They did such a good job that people started getting inspired and lots of places started looking at bringing this cabane a sucre experience into the city and having fun with these traditional dishes. (more…)

Best Brunch Terraces 2011

With summer in full swing, winter is but a distant memory. In Montreal, when the sun comes out so do the people and they head to terraces where they can have a tasty brunch and a great view to enjoy the weather. Fortunately, Montreal offers us loads of brunch spots with terraces. We have scoured the city in search of the perfect brunch terraces and have found some you may like. The list is not exhaustive and is intended to give you a spot or two to go to in each of the respective areas. We took a look at Outremont, the Plateau, Old Montreal and NDG.

Outremont has, arguably, the most options for brunch terraces in the city. All one needs to do is walk down Bernard street and see an ocean of people all seated in a variety of terraces. The list includes spots like Café Souvenirs, Senzala and Les Enfants terribles, La Moulerie, and Bistro Le Republique. There used to be le Petit Italien but they recently stopped serving brunch. Les Enfants terribles has one of the largest terraces, while Café Souvenirs is one of my favourite on the street. The menu offering at the majority of these spots is similar with the exception of Senzala, which has a Brazilian theme and is located west of du Parc. Though they may offer similar brunch options, the taste and overall satisfaction varies from person to person. If you wish to know more, just click on each link above and read the reviews (because right now we’re only talking about the ones that look pretty). (more…)