Call it fate … call it luck … call it kismet – whatever you wanna call it, IT seems to have been on my side when I grabbed a Metro newspaper on the way to work one day – which I never do (grab the paper that is….I do have to go to work everyday), and on the corner of the front page, LA CABANE À POMMES catches my eye … and my stomach. 

I mean, Cabane à pommes = APPLE SHACK. Think about that for a second. You got the Sugar Shackconcept (which they also offer in the spring), but instead of maple themed … it’s apple themed. Why have I not heard of this before??? I quickly pull up the website for Domaine Labranche, scan the menu, forward to friends and by the time I get to the office, a reservation is made for 8 people that weekend. So glad we went – it seems like a 30-minute drive away (from Brossard, only a 45-minute drive from downtown Montreal) was enough travelling to keep me sane for another week!

PLAISIRS À TABLE
Owned and operated by the Desgroseilliers family for eight generations in Saint-Isidore-de-Laprairie,Domaine Labranche, believes strongly in the local food movement. The Apple Shack menu consists purely of ingredients sourced from their own farmlands, orchards and vineyards as well as from other local farms in the Montérégie.

Served family-style, the lunch menu we had consisted of four courses. Everything was oh-so-delicious, and the favourites of our crew definitely were the braised pork with cider, the gigantic apple-cranberry BBQ turkey wings and the desserts – OMG – the desserts! Apple-cinnamon beignets, strawberry “ti-moune” and apple crisp with pecans and maple syrup.

Did I forget to mention the ciders? They’ve got a decent wine list – all made by the domaine – but it’s theliquors that won over the sweet-tooth and semi-alcoholic in me! We managed to go through a couple of bottles of their Sparkling Cider during lunch. After lunch, we were offered an informative tour of the domaine by their super friendly staff, followed by a tasting of their Labranche White Wine, Maple Liquor,Ice Cider and Fire Cider.

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