Next door cabin | The summer picnic

Through the good shots and, sometimes, the not so good, our restaurant critics tell you about their experience, introduce the team in the dining room and in the kitchen, while explaining what motivated the choice of the restaurant. This week: the picnic experience in the orchard at the cabin next door.

Iris Gagnon Paradise
The Press

Why talk about it?

To take full advantage of summer, what could be better than a picnic in a bucolic setting? The magnificent orchard of the Cabane next door allowed us to live such an experience. And she was outstanding! While the place is usually full, places have been added recently to counter the phenomenon of customers who do not honor their reservations – you know, the so-called “no-shows”. – which has doubled this year. Here is the opportunity to go to Saint-Benoît-de-Mirabel to have a great time.

Who are they ?

Opened in winter 2018, the Cabane d’à Côté is located in the heart of an orchard, from which the ciders of the Cidrerie du Pied de Cochon come from. It is led by Vincent Dion-Lavallée, executive chef and co-owner, with Martin Picard and Marc Beaudin. We first offered meals inside, in the small dining room, but the health situation led the team to imagine another formula. “We had never dared to have picnics in the orchard… The pandemic gave us the little kick in the butt we needed! says the chef, who can count on a loyal and solid team, with him all year round, for the apple and sugar season.

Our experience

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The weekend was exceptional, weather-wise, and for once, customers who failed to cancel their reservations were rare. It’s rolling at full volume under the marquee at the entrance, where customers have to wait a bit to pick up their baskets, adding extras and refreshments along the way. Despite the very busy day and a few pitfalls – including an internet network outage that paralyzed everything for many minutes – all customers were greeted with a smile.

The orchard is magnificent and invites you to relax. The vast space can accommodate some 500 people. A hundred umbrellas are planted and logs provide seating, but it is best to bring your own blankets and chairs. Children can frolic at their ease while adults drink, chat or stroll among the apple trees. Here, no one will rush you to leave.

The picnic basket changes monthly and includes eight small dishes, plates, cutlery and even a bag for waste (everything is compostable). So much for the container.

The content is absolutely delicious! It features seasonal vegetables and fruits, local products from their land or from local producers, often neighbours. The short circuit is strongly favored here.

Everything is impeccably fresh. The flavors are punched while remaining balanced and the products, finely worked. We loved everything: the thirst-quenching tomato water soup, the mackerel in escabeche in its slightly spicy romesco sauce, the irresistible porchetta with its horseradish sauce and crunchy lettuce leaves or the grilled chicken, very juicy, bathing in a tasty pepper sauce.

From one dish to another, we dig in to the fullest of summer and its generous fruits.

Speaking of fruit, the strawberry comes to close this memorable picnic in style. This layered dessert – sponge cake, diplomate, whipped cream, strawberry purée, verbena jelly – offers an eloquent marriage of flavors and textures, without weighing down the stomach.

In our glass

The creations of the Cidrerie du Pied de Cochon are in the spotlight – you can taste exclusive new products, such as the cider La Couleur de l’amour, to which the currants give a pretty pink tint. Kids or those driving can sip homemade rhubarb lemonade. Otherwise, the wine list gives pride of place to Quebec juices: Pinard et Filles, Lieux Communs, Négondos, Joy Hill… as well as estates and winegrowers well known to natural or biodynamic wine lovers, such as Milan Nestarec, Pearl Morissette, Poderi Cellario, Denavolo or La petite baigneuse. The team will be able to advise you.

Good to know

To live the Cabane d’à Côté experience, all you have to do is reserve the number of baskets you want online for the weekend of your choice. We then go there and we only pay once on the spot. In rainy weather, it is possible to settle under the central marquee, which accommodates about fifteen picnic tables. And please, honor your reservation!

Price

It will cost $87 for a basket that can feed two people very well. Those with a sweet tooth can add extras to share, such as the homemade burrata ($30) or the berry tart ($12). It is also possible to reserve the central marquee for an exclusive country menu at a cost of $125 per person (groups of 8 to 14 people).

Information

La Cabane d’à Côté is normally in action until mid-September. Good news: the weekends of September 17-18 and 23-24 have just been added. The service starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m., but it is quite possible to enjoy the orchard until sunset.

3595, Montée Robillard, Saint-Benoît de Mirabel