Gastronomic Inns of the Laurentians

by Margaret Swaine | Sep 2, 2003

Gastronomic Inns of the Laurentians
By Margaret Swaine

I called my husband the first night in Quebec’s Laurentians to tell him about the bucolic place I had discovered. My bed and breakfast or “gîte” in French was in a land dotted with apple orchards, vineyards and ancient farmhouses of stone and sloping tin roofs. It was in St-Joseph-du-Lac a mere half hour north west of downtown Montreal, yet I felt like I was stepping back into early Quebec history.

“I thought the Laurentians were ski hills, Mont Tremblant and other snowy slopes,” said my husband. Neither a skier nor fond of winter, he’d declined to join me on my expedition to discover the gastronomy of the area. “Well yes they are partly that,” I’d replied, ” but take a look at a map. The area is huge and diverse.” As it happened I’d chosen to begin my journey in apple, maple syrup and vineyard country.

La Roche des Brises where I stayed is a hive of activity year round. In spring the maple sap runs and sugar shacks open their doors to the public. People flock to them to watch sap turn into maple syrup and enjoy a meal of scrambled eggs, hot dogs, beans and more all drenched in it. In fall it’s apple and grape harvest, the leaves turn brilliant colours and people come to pick their own apples, picnic and sample apple cider and wine. Year round food lovers come for fine regional dining. The 125-seat restaurant at Brises des Bois is beside their wine tasting room with a view of the rolling farmland hills. Owners Gina Pratt and husband Jean-Pierre Bélisle have hired well. Chef André Martin and sommelier/maitre d’ Ivan Blanchette create a truly gourmet dining experience. Accommodations are in a house across the street, really more a small inn or Auberge, with seven large quite luxurious rooms. One of a few five star gîtes in the province, it’s a country gem that needs to be booked ahead. Ditto for the restaurant – Québécois love their fine food.

The next day I stopped at Ciderie Lafrance to sample a range of their strong (alcoholic) ciders, from sparkling, to still and dry, to sweet apple cider ice wine and a port style one aged in wood. All delicious, I buy a champagne method one and some artisanal cider vinegar to take home. In the fall this place attracts 2,000 visitors on a weekend with its café, live folk music and picnic areas.

My next stop is the nearby Intermiel Family Farm of 2000 beehives and every possible honey product imaginable including eight different honey wines and cosmetics made from royal jelly. A guided tour here takes two hours with a 20-minute film and tasting as just a part. Equipped to handle groups of kids, it has a learning centre, animal filled barn and puppet shows for them.

After a leisurely drive through backcountry roads, I end my day at Le Clos Joli in Morin-Heights. This family owned Auberge and restaurant is just five minutes from the ski hills and shops of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts. Mother Francine Roux greets me while daughter Claudine, sommelier and dining room server, prepares us cocktails. In the kitchen is daughter Marie-José Roux, recently awarded chef of the year for the Laurentians. Mom points out she also won the top provincial award for kitchen cleanliness. The place was once a farmhouse and the nine bedrooms have basics such as in-suite bathrooms and a cupboard for cloths but not much else. It’s the dining and the package deal of room, four-course meal and full breakfast at $160 for two that draws. The table d’hôte without accommodation is $25. My forty-eight dollar dégustation menu features venison terrine, seabass on fennel, wild mushrooms flambéed with cognac, local veal with herbes salées, Quebec cheeses and a strawberry and cream dessert with almond butterscotch crisps. I’m glad I can just roll into bed.

Next morning on Mme Roux’s recommendation I head for the nearby Ofuro Spa to rejuvenate. Built into the woods where two streams meet, with natural waterfalls and bathing pools, it’s an oasis of peace. It draws inspiration from Asia and Scandinavia with ice cold natural streams to dip into, Zen energy saunas with windows to the outdoors, cedar stoves, a cave built to resemble the inside of a human thorax and an outdoor hot tub heated by a wood fire. A day pass gets me access to all this and more as I do the hot and cold number of sauna to cold stream, steam room to outdoors, hot tub to relaxation room.

My destination in Val David is Edelweiss, a charming auberge with large rooms, most with fireplaces, balconies and double person therapeutic multi-jet tubs. The award winning dining room on the second floor is presided over by owners Nathalie at front of house and her Belgian husband Olivier, the chef. The meal is another extravaganza perfectly matched with a selection of wines by the glass from their comprehensive wine list. I decide not to call my husband to tell him about the warm Quebec foie-gras, young deboned Belchasse squab, terrine of three Quebec cheeses and Belgian chocolate mousse. I feel he’ll be too envious. Instead I fill my spa tub and let its 16 jets simultaneously caress every strategic point in my body. I don’t miss my man one bit this night.

Day four I pay a visit to Gérald Le Gal, owner of the Gourmet Sauvage, a ten year old company that harvests wild edibles from Canadian forests. His products such as cattail hearts, milkweed pod ketchup and cedar jelly can be found in stores throughout the Laurentians. In the future he hopes to build his own store along with a country-style restaurant to be called of course, Gourmet Sauvage.

I’ve always wanted to eat at La Sapinière ever since as a kid I spent winters with my family at a ski chalet in nearby Val-Morin. I’d cross country ski to the place and peer through the windows, longing to join the diners. Even then I knew its reputation for gourmet food. Founded in 1936, it’s the granddad of Laurentian resorts, today with most of its 70 rooms recently renovated. Chef Daniel St-Pierre, a much awarded chef who worked at L’Eau à la Bouche and other renown establishments is heading the kitchen now. The place is so well loved that almost half their customers are repeats, some reserving for the next year before they depart. The menu changes daily so no fear of boredom. Chef St-Pierre is working with others in the area on a gastronomic route for the Laurentians that will link fine restaurants that use regional products in at least 75 per cent of their menu. After an impressive meal, maitre d’ Gilles Godbout takes me on a tour of the equally inspiring 10,000 bottle wine cellar. Alas the Pétrus is gone however – Godbout tells me an American cleaned them out of it, spending twenty-five thousand on wine in two days.

My final night I spend at Auberge Le Clos Rolland, a three story Victorian home in the village of Mont Rolland that once belonged to a lumber baron. Sylvie Garcia fresh from the Montreal hotel business is now the gracious host and owner. From the nine bedrooms, most with en-suite bathrooms, I choose La Grande Dame with its old fashioned claw-footed tub. Garcia employs a local caterer Bernard Minguy who owns a nearby retail food shop Chez Bernard for the gourmet meals she serves to groups. He’s very good indeed.

As I drive back home in the morning I remember the tip that Garcia and Minguy gave me about Le Bec Fin. I stop in at this gourmet outlet on route 158 between Saint Jerome and Lachute and load up on foie gras, tourtière, fresh and smoked duck breast, duck confit, pintade terrine and rabbit in mustard sauce. It’s a peace offering to my husband that I know will thrill his taste buds.

Laurentians – Contacts
Accommodations – all listings/general information: www.Laurentides.com

La Roche des Brises
Contact : Gina Pratt (owner)
2007 rue Principale
St-Joseph-du-Lac, Que J0N 1M0
Tel : (450) 472-2722
www.rochedesbrises.com

Le Clos Joli
Contact: The Roux family (owners)
19, Chemin Clos Joli
Morin-Heights, Que J0R 1H0
Tel: (450) 226-5401
www.aubergeclosjoli.com

Edelweiss Auberge & Restaurant
Contact: Nathalie Chenier & Olivier Sadones (chef/owner)
3050 Chemin Doncaster
Val David, Que J0T 2N0
Tel : (819) 322-7800
Toll free: 1-866-355-7800
www.ar-edelweiss.com

La Sapinière
Contact: Marie Paule Richard (General Manager)
1244 chemin de la Sapinière
Val David, Que J0T 2N0
Tel : (819) 322-2020
Toll free: 1-800-567-6635
www.sapiniere.com
Part of an excellent network of independent resorts and inns called Hôtellerie Champêtre. For a guide to the packages offered call 1-800-714-1214 or visit www.hotelleriechampetre.com

Auberge Le Clos Rolland
Contact : Sylvie Garcia (owner)
1200, rue Saint Jean
Ste-Adèle, Que J8B 1E6
Tel: (450) 229-2797
Toll free: 1-888-409-2797
http://www.auclosrolland.com
Right on near a linear park known as “Le P’tit Train du Nord”, a former train route that’s now a 200 km long pathway, which stretches from Saint-Jérôme to Mont-Laurier. The park’s open to cyclists, cross country skiers, snowmobilers and hikers. Le Clos Rolland offers meal and accommodation packages with two other B & B’s for people who want to do the route and have their luggage transported to the next stop. Information and registration at 1-877-688-6422.

Gourmet Food Outlets
Intermiel (Honey Farm)
10291 La Fresnière, St-Benoit
Mirabel J0N 1K0
Tel: 450-258-2713
Toll Free: 1-800-265miel

Boutique des Becs Fins (meats, game birds, prepared foods)
9045, Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier
Mirabel, J7N 1L6
Tel: 450-258-2882
www.becs-fins.com

Chez Bernard (Quebec cheeses, terrines, prepared foods, take-out meals etc.)
411, Principale
Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts
Tel: 450-240-0000
info@chezbernard.com

Fromagerie du Marché (large selection of Quebec Cheeses)
357 rue Parent, Centre-Ville
Saint-Jérôme, J7Z 2A1
Tel: 450-436-8469
fromagerie@marasuca.com

La Vagabonde Boulangerie bio (top baker in the Laurentians making organic breads)
1262, Chemin de la Rivière
Val David J0T 2N0
Tel: 819-322-3953

Gourmet Sauvage
Box 5098,
Ste-Adèle J8B 1A1
Tel: 450-229-3277
www.gourmetsauvage.ca

Les Vergers Lafrance (Cider, vinegars, apple wines)
1473 Chemin-Principal
Saint-Joseph-du-Lac L0N 1M0
Tel: 450-491-7859

Spas
Ofuro Spa
777, Chemin St-Adolphe
Morin-Heights J0R 1H0
Tel: 450-226-2442 (1-877-884-2442)
www.spaofuro.com

Travels Through Quebec’s Wine Country

by Margaret Swaine | May 1, 2003

Vineyards and wine routes in Quebec
Travels Through Quebec’s Wine Country
By Margaret Swaine

Pouring wine in their rustic 1830 fieldstone and wood beam barn, Iréneé Belley and his wife Sandra Moreau explained how they came to grow wine in a province famous for its cold snowy winters. “I think doing a vineyard will keep the landscape beautiful. People tried to discourage us but I just felt that we needed a lot of money or to be very stubborn.
We didn’t have the first so we needed double the second,” said Sandra. Indeed at Vignoble de la Sablière close to the Vermont border in the Eastern Townships, they must bury the vines under earth every winter to protect them from freezing. With their first plantings in 1996, this vignoble joined a small group of about 28 wineries in Quebec. They’re a hearty lot as are the vines. The vines often spend eight months under snow, buried in earth mounds for protection against bone-chilling -30C temperatures.

This summer I decided to check out Quebec’s newly formed wine tourist route. I was born in Montreal and spent the first twenty years of my life enjoying the ski hills, golf courses and horseback trails of the Laurentians and Eastern Townships. Had there been wineries back then, I’m sure as teenagers with a spirit for adventure, my friends and I would have found them. But the wine trails came after us anglos had all moved out of the province in search of better jobs.

The route meanders along rural roads through wooded valleys by vast lakes with the Appalachian mountains to the south. In the Eastern Townships British and Victorian influenced villages meld with Irish and Scottish tradition and a veneer of colourful Quebecois. The loyalists of New England gave the area its architectural heritage and shaped its face starting in 1775. The French Canadians didn’t arrive until 1850, though from the beginning of the 20th century in two generations they became the majority residents. This rich history of mixed cultures is part of the unique charm of the area.
In the villages baker, butcher and food shops offer fresh baked goodies, homemade pâté and other local foods for the picnicking traveler such as artisan made cheeses. Among my favourites was L’Ermite, a tasty blue cheese produced by the monks of Saint-Benoît -du-Lac at their grand Benedictine abbey above Lac Memphrémagog. You can visit the abbey and buy recordings at their shop of their acclaimed choir reciting Gregorian chants.

Samuel de Champlain who planted vines near Quebec City in 1608 was likely the first to try viticulture in Quebec. His vines didn’t last long. However New France was not to go dry. For example in 1736 records show the colony imported the equivalent of 775,166 bottles of wine for a population of about twenty-four thousand. Attempts continued to be made to introduce viticulture to Canada but it wasn’t until the 1850’s that new hybrid plants from the United States solved the winter kill problem. There was even a vineyard in my old neighborhood, the Beaconsfield Vineyard at Pointe-Claire planted in 1877. However only a few tiny vineyards survived this period, tended by the Trappist monks in Oka and the Cistercians near Rougemont.

In modern times, the first licenses to operate vineyards were issued in 1980. About two dozen others have joined Those original five winegrowers. The province’s two major wine producing areas, the Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-L’est) and Montérégie have over 20 wineries, mostly all located within an hour or less of Montreal. Within the Eastern Townships, in Brome-Missisquoi, an all-new tourist circuit with road signs placed every 10 kilometres marks out the first ‘official’ wine route. It stretches over 132 kilometres taking visitors to 11 wineries. L’Orpailleur, which means gold-panner, is on this tour. It’s one of the original wineries and the largest. I learned my wine history lesson from their self-guided historical look at viticulture in the province. I also enjoyed a tasty lunch at their country-style bistro: Toulouse sausages, salad, a plate of locally made cheeses and pâté all ably accompanied by L’Orpailleur Oak Aged seyval blanc 2002, a fresh fruity white. Their Vin de Glace 2002 was a pure vidal icewine with a peachy apricot and honey taste that was delightful with the maple syrup pie dessert. Also worth more than a sip is their La Marquise de L’Orpailleur, a fortified white that’s macerated with fruits and spices for forty days. This winery is well equipped to handle groups (and they do so) with a film, tour and tasting offered to all.

At Vignoble la Bauge first planted in 1987, the property tour included a visit to their menagerie of boars, llamas, emu, red deer, yaks and more. This mini zoo of 15 different fauna helps draw ten thousand visitors in a season. Inside the winery shop they sold emu oil, goat soap, preserves and wine accessories. Outside, picnic table were set up for light lunches. A mere six dollars bought me a plate of boar and deer sausage, goat cheese in celery along with pâtés of boar and deer spread on rye bread. My choice to go with this savoury assortment was Folie de Vigneron 2002, a vermouth like aperitif wine made with a blend of seyval blanc and prairie star grapes flavoured with lemon and orange peel.

Vignoble La Mission in Brigham is a small family centered winery that makes a delicious vidal icewine as well as clean and fresh table wines. Spanish born Alejandro Guerrero greeted me warmly and offered a tour of his vines, then a visit to his small clean garage like winery with its new but quite manual equipment. When we went to the tasting room, his young daughters came to shyly say hello and help. My favourite visit of all was Domaine des Côtes D’Ardoise in Dunham as it had beautiful gardens dotted throughout with sculptures by some of Quebec’s best artists. They also make the only riesling in the province, a French vinifera varietal. They grow another French varietal, gamay, and I got to try some of it freshly made into wine but not yet bottled. It was lively and delicious but alas I couldn’t convince the winemaker, David Cottineau, to bottle it under its own label. It was to be blended with maréchal foch. Most of the wine in the province is made from hybrid grapes, such as seyval blanc, de chaunac, maréchal foch and vidal. With vines planted in 1975 and their first vintage in 1980, Côtes D’Ardoise has the honour of being the very first winery in modern Quebec. In 1984 it was bought by Dr. Jacques Papillon, a plastic surgeon in Montreal who’s often on TV and is famous for having “done” the breasts of stars in the province.

Montérégie by the south shores of the Saint Lawrence River, is so close to Montreal that it’s home to many commuters. It’s also the number one region for production of apple cider with 14 producers, number one in sugar shacks with 35 and home to 11 vineyards. Clos Saint-Denis in the Richelieu Valley about half an hour from downtown Montreal, makes a fabulous ice apple wine (Pomme de Glace) from their 2,000 apple trees along with a selection of grape based wines and hard ciders on their mile long farm. Among their over 8,500 vines are some varieties that I’ve rarely seen grown anywhere. The eona variety created in South Dakota is winter hardy to -40C, hence the vines don’t need to be buried. They sell it as Cuvée Saint-Denis and it’s fruity, rounded, quite aromatic and certainly interesting to drink. While in this Montérégie area, a must stop is La Cabosse d’Or Chocolaterie where Belgian style chocolates, ice cream and light lunches are made on premises. Their chocolate making is cleverly done behind a glass barrier to allow the public to view. Watching the employees make some of the 60 types of small candies from imported Belgian chocolate certainly motivated me to buy.

Half an hour just northwest of downtown Montreal on the other side of the River is La Roche des Brises in St-Joseph-du-Lac at the start of the Laurentians. One of a few five star gîtes (an upscale bed and breakfast) in the province, this country gem needs to be booked ahead. Its backdrop is another pastoral paradise. The land is dotted with apple orchards, vineyards and ancient farmhouses of stone and sloping tin roofs. It felt like I was stepping back into early Quebec history.

Like elsewhere in the province, La Roche des Brises is surrounded by activity year round. In spring the maple sap runs and sugar shacks open their doors to the public. People flock to them to watch sap turn into maple syrup and enjoy a meal of scrambled eggs, hot dogs, beans and more all drenched in it. In fall it’s apple and grape harvest, the leaves turn brilliant colours and people come to pick their own apples, picnic and sample apple cider and wine. Year round food lovers come for fine regional dining. The 125-seat restaurant at Brises des Bois is beside their wine tasting room with a view of the rolling farmland hills. Owners Gina Pratt and husband Jean-Pierre Bélisle have hired well. Chef André Martin and sommelier/maitre d’ Ivan Blanchette created for me a truly gourmet dining experience. My accommodations were in the gîte across the street in one of their seven large luxurious rooms.

Nearby Ciderie Lafrance offered me samples of a range of their strong (alcoholic) ciders, from sparkling, to still and dry, to sweet apple cider ice wine and a port style one aged in wood. All delicious, I bought a champagne method one and some artisanal cider vinegar to take home. In the fall this place attracts 2,000 visitors on a weekend with its café, live folk music and picnic areas.

Eventually, reluctantly I had to head back to my place in Toronto. My suitcase was stuffed with bottles of ice wine, cider, preserves, chocolates, pâtés and condiments. My nostalgia for La Belle Province will be well soothed by these tasty goodies. And I won’t miss the bone-chilling winters. Those are best enjoyed in small doses as ski vacations. But that’s another story.

Contacts:
L’Orpailleur: www.orpailleur.ca
Vignoble La Bauge: www.labauge.com

A good way to experience regional cuisine is to visit the three elegant country inns of Lake Massawippi; Manoir Hovey, Auberge Hatley and Ripplecove Inn. They all offer fine dining, excellent wine lists and easy access to the nearby wineries.
Hovey Manor: www.hoveymanor.com
Ripplecove: www.ripplecove.com
Auberge Hatley: www.relaischateaux.fr/hatley

Other accommodation in the area:
Auberge Quilliams: www.aubergequilliams.com for large sized rooms, an indoor pool and decent dining
Auberge Knowlton: https://en.aubergeknowlton.com is an historic property right in the heart of the picturesque town of Knowlton
Hostellerie Rive Gauche www.hostellerierivegauche.com is in Beloeil on the river and well situated for touring Montérégie. It’s part of the Hôtellerie Champêtre, a fine group of independently owned Quebec resorts and inns www.hotelleriechampetre.com
La Roche des Brises: www.rochedesbrises.com

For details on the wine route, maps and wineries, visit www.bonjourquebec.com
Quebec details: www.bonjourquebec.com (1-877-266-5687) Eastern Townships: www.easterntownships.org (click on vineyards for winery details) or call 1-800-355-5755 and ask for the new Eastern Townships Tourist Guide that shows the wine route in detail. For the Laurentians: : www.Laurentides.com