Every year, one of my favorite restaurants in Montreal, Au Pied de Cochon, hosts a popular Sugar Shack version of their down-home Quebecois comfort menu. Tickets are a tough score but, this year, my sister was able to secure a half dozen. And so, as an early birthday gift for your truly, she elected to treat me – and our assorted cast of eaters: Daisy, mom, my high school buddy Lawrence, and Lawrence’s wife Mel.
Ready?
Foie gras and goat cheese apples. And…something sweet. The room was so loud and our servers spoke so quickly (and in French to boot!) that I missed most of what they said. Suffice it to say, this was one of my two favorite plates of the evening.
The tomato tart. Sure looked pretty.
Smoked mackerel. This one was a hit. Spoiler alert: the two fish dishes trumped any of the meat dishes served on the night.
My sister was a fan of their version of the thin crust pizza.
The blood pudding agnolotti and the…was it lobster fettuccine? Meh.
The sturgeon. Another surprisingly strong fish preparation.
I’m not a fan of Shepherd’s Pie, so this dish didn’t do it for me. My sister IS a fan, and it didn’t do anything for her either.
Beneath this layer of caramelized apple slices is a pool of pork.
The stuffed zucchini squash. ‘Nuff said.
And then, it was on to dessert…
The apple pie.
Some fruit cobbler. You know how I feel about fruit-based desserts.
Maple syrup-topped maple ice cream. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!
Overall, I thought the meal started and finished strong. In between were some hits but a lot of misses. Sis was disappointed with the meal, but I nevertheless enjoyed the experience and the company.
Andria and Daisy.
Lawrence and sis.
Thanksgiving lunch today (as is the Italian way) and tomorrow, I’m homeward bound! I miss my gals!
P.S. A Happy Birthday Weekend to one of this blog’s most vocal regulars! Happy Birthday, Drea!
I’ll have the apple pie and the maple ice cream topped with maple syrup. I’m not into goat cheese, and I’ll pass on the other items. A new Gatecon convention was announced for June 2020. Dates have to be determined, and it’s still at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.
EDIT Oct 8 Just heard about this and I’ll be making some changes..https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/google-is-shutting-down-googleplus-following-massive-data-exposure/ar-BBO7kQL?OCID=ansmsnnews11
wow, that food selection sure looked awesome . Did you eat all that? 🍷👍
Looks like a wonderful evening!
I’ve gotten so used to being disappointed in the seafood here in the Midwest that I tend to avoid it (even though I love seafood). Thus, I’m glad to see a set course meal that has seafood plates that were obvious hits. That gives me hope to keep looking…
And a preemptive Happy Thanksgiving to you, Akemi, and your family. I assume your mom is going all out as usual?
With a title like “Sugar Shack” I was expecting more sweet dishes!
Well, Its definitely been a fun week here filled with lots of treats
and wonderful little surprises.
I think my fav was the chocolate with orange cream mousse birthday cake
in the shape of an atom.
~Delicious!~
Thanks so much to everyone who helped me celebrate all week
with all the funny cards and messages in my in box.
It definitely made up for hurricane Matthew Prep
and Post Hurricane Irma (packing and moving due to structural damage)
ruining the last 2 years birthday’s.
And, as always,
much love and thanks, Joe!
Safe journey home!
Happy Thanksgiving
To All!
XO
Looks good !
I would go with everything except for the first dish. The mackerel and pizza look nice.
And of course, DESERTS !!
That meal looks amazing! You’re sister is pretty special for treating you this way.
Happy Birthday Drea 🎂🌺
Oops, your, not you’re. In my defense, I’ve been plagued with insomnia. Heading to the pool to swim laps. I’m awake so I might as well 🙁🖖🏻
Oooh, I think the goat cheese apple, followed by apple pie and maple ice cream, would be more than enough to fill my tummy. Delightful. Now I wonder if making maple frozen yogurt is worth a shot. I have a ton of homemade yogurt, so why not?
Happy Birthday, Drea, have a most excellent year ahead!
And thank you again for the thoughtful gift. Still savoring the apple cider caramels from Lake Champlain. Yum.
Oh, an update on the scoundrel who ripped off the GoFundMe. The detective and I gave him a two week grace period to come up with the missing funds. Nothing, no communication, zip zero nada. The detective reached out to me, and yes, I am pressing charges. It is up to the prosecutor to decide if it is a worthwhile case to pursue. I have notified GoFundMe, and as I understand it, they will guarantee the missing funds now. At this point, it is not about the money, but rather that he used my husband’s ill health and death, abused the goodwill of friends and even well meaning strangers, to grab some cash. Apparently he put money down on cars, his female bought fancy wigs and make up kits, and they were partying and buying weed. Idiot. That’s not that much money at all, and given he has a record, could be the worst payoff for a bad decision in his life.
I’m sorry you have to deal with this gofundme stuff Maggiemayday! I wonder about people that never look ahead. Did it ever occur to him that he might have to pay this back? Sounds like both of them are idiots.
I have a hard time understanding people like that. There’s a few of my family that fits in that category too. It’s sad to see them flitter away their lives. They leave a path of destruction in their wake. I’ve learned that I can’t change them but I can stay out of their way.
On the bright side, I swam two miles this morning. It’s great exercise for my back and it seems to have meditating qualities, as well.
Is there any news you can share about this new project?
It all looks delicious, especially that apple pie. I want that! You have a very sweet sister!
@Drea – glad you had a wonderful birthday week! …..and many more!!
@maggiemayday – What?! Who stole your go-fund-me money? All of it? What the hell?! Press charges. Don’t let that scum get away with it!