It’s close. Spring is on its way, and what better way to celebrate than sugaring yourself into a comatose state? I’ve been going to the same cabane a sucre for about 22 years now, La Goudrelle in Mont St-Gregoire (which seems to be Sugar Shack District), and it hasn’t changed one bit. I’ve heard rumors that there might be better sugar shacks, particularly, "gourmet" ones. But I’m happy with La Goudrelle’s plentiful all-you-can-eat menu, the strange mountain-goat-humping-a-llama petting zoo, and dance floor filled entirely with 4-year-old kids.

It’s pretty hard to find something better than maple syrup, and that’s what a sugar shack’s menu revolves around. Most people dump maple syrup over their entire plate, coleslaw and all, but I am a bit more discriminate (or blasphemous, according to some sugar shack pros). At La Goudrelle, you sit down at a table already supplied with cold milk, water and a jug of that liquid gold.
Immediately, warm buns and creton is in front of you, quickly followed by some sliced pickles and a perfectly creamy coleslaw.
The pea soup was a very bland, needing a good dash of pepper to wake it up. The texture was perfect though, thick and chockful of peas.

I attempted munching on a curl of pork rind and found it mostly unappetizing, until a stroke of genius hit – I crumbled it into my pea soup, and then the two became a great dish as one.
A platter of puffy thick eggs hits the table, with maple-syrup-cooked ham slices. The eggs seems to be prepared as a means of absorbing more maple syrup; not tasty on their own, but once dripping in maple syrup, very nice. The ham is simply wonderful.

A bowl of potatoes (greasy and great, I’m sure I polished off bowlfuls of these) and a bowl of beans (also slightly bland, like the soup) completes the meal. Did I mention you can keep asking for more and more and more food?
And then there’s dessert. My favourite were the sugar tarts, with a filling so potently sweet and creamy that I could feel my teeth aching. The doughnuts were less enthralling, a little dry and boring. And then there’s the grandperes (pictured on top), fried balls of dough that suck up maple syrup like sponges.

Finally, tire – boiled sap poured across snow and rolled onto a popsicle stick. I ate four of these, and they were sticky pieces of heaven.
After the meal, we kind of rolled outside for a ride through the forest and a trip to the petting zoo (this is when the mountain goat humped the llama). What better way to say hello to spring?

La Goudrelle
Autoroute des Cantons de L'Est, Sortie 37
Mont-St-Gregoire
450.460.2131