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Other Feature Destination StoriesSpringtime in QuébecBy Anthony KinikA sweet escape in the Laurentians.
There’s no reason to wind down at the end of ski season in the Laurentians: Cool bands, arty parties and extreme-sports contests herald spring here. And the sugar-shack high goes through the roof at chef Martin Picard’s new maple-syrup mecca. Don’t forget to detox – Nordic-style – before heading home. Tremblant’s last hurrah At Mont Tremblant – Québec’s biggest resort, with 14 high-tech lifts and 95 trails – the ski season stretches until mid-April. By then you can lose the thermals and take to the slopes in short sleeves under a warm spring sun. Telus Spin – a high-octane festival of sports, music and arts – keeps things exciting to the end. Outdoor screenings of the latest snowboarding movies by homegrown and international filmmakers will inspire you to cheer for the competitors later on in some intense yet friendly winter sports contests, or to try jumps and tricks for yourself in the likes of the half-pipe, a semi-cylindrical snow tube that lends itself to adrenaline-fueled acrobatics. At the end of the day, you can take in live music, in the resort’s lively alpine village, by high-profile local bands and artists. Previous acts include Malajube (short-listed for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album) and singer-songwriter Dee, whose work has underscored the drama in TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy. Looking for your own creative outlet? You can add your personal touch in streaks of color, collage or even words to Mass Montage, a giant collective-art piece at the foot of the mountain that blazes with energy.
Sugar, sugar If you’re already hyped from Telus Spin, wait till you try Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon. Chef-owner Martin Picard revolutionized fine dining in Montreal when he opened the audacious Au Pied de Cochon, serving such instant antiestablishment classics as Foie Gras Poutine (a ridiculously rich take on the Québécois dish of fries, cheese curds and gravy). Team PDC’s newest venture, the logical next step, is a sugar shack in the Laurentian village of Saint-Benoît, just north of the city. Sugaring-off season is a rite of spring that helps you cure cabin fever in a most peculiar way: by heading to an oversized cabin and gorging on rustic Québécois cuisine doused with copious amounts of maple syrup. Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon is the real deal, a fully functioning sugar shack complete with boisterous dining room, wood-fired evaporator, industrial kitchen and its very own sugar bush – no bells and whistles. Where it differs is in the imagination and the execution. You get the deep-dish, oven-baked omelet, but here it comes chock-full of tender scallops and flaky sea bass. You get the tourtière, but here it’s the tourtière of your dreams, complete with hunks of braised pork meat and a truly superlative buttery crust. You get the oreilles de crisse (pork cracklings), but here they adorn a mixed-greens salad with smoky toasted hazelnuts and a racy mustard vinaigrette. And then you get things you never dreamed of finding at a cabane à sucre: tempura-fried lobster and foie gras maki rolls; maple-glazed magret de canard with a luscious, Parmigiano-Reggiano-laced polenta; and pan-fried Brussels sprouts. People aren’t buzzing about this place for nothing.
Get it out of your system You may need to detox after such excesses, and fortunately the Laurentians have just the place: L’Eau à la Bouche, a gorgeous Relais & Chateaux hotel and spa in the forest near Sainte-Adèle. Believe it or not, maple is full of antioxidants and leaves the skin soft and supple, which is why they slather it on guests in a rich butter for their signature maple-sap wrap treatment. Bonus: As you let the sweet stuff work its magic (snug beneath your wrappings and a heated pad), your therapist will massage a rich moisturizing treatment into your scalp. Later, a dip in a bracing saltwater bath and a stint under the heated waterfall will leave your skin glowing. The comforting aromas of fresh pine, warm cedar and burning logs complete the Nordic experience – the outdoor pools and sauna are nestled among spruce, and you can lounge or even snooze outdoors on the terrace by an open fire. What better way to ring in the season of renewal?
Getting here Mont Tremblant, 1-866-356-2233, tremblant.ca
Anthony Kinik is a film professor by day and a food lover and food writer by night. Photo: Michael Blann / Getty Images |
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