La Table des Jardins Sauvages

We had an incredible dining experience last night, on par with Michelin-starred restaurants in New York. Our expectations were high after meeting master forager François Brouillard at the Jean-Talon market in Montreal five years ago, and this meal exceeded them. The five and seven course tasting menus were inventive, beautifully presented, and delicious. The ingredients, sourced locally in Quebec, highlighted the region's flavors, with some grown on site or foraged nearby. Chef Nancy Hinton's originality and technique showcased wild horseradish, edible flowers, local game, and extraordinary mushrooms. Service was impeccable, with both Nancy and François explaining each dish. This treasure of a restaurant, located about 50 minutes outside Montreal, is a must-visit for foodies. Reservations are required and you can bring your own wine. The menu changes frequently, so check the website before visiting. Don't miss out on this amazing dining experience.

I had been wanting to go to A La Table des Jardins Sauvages since hearing about it from a group who went there a few years ago and raved about it. You need to know what to expect. The setting of this country restaurant is rustic and simple. It attracts people who are interested in a five-course meal based on foraging. The excellent chef, Nancy Hinton, and her partner François Brouillard,a famous forager, clearly have integrity, skill, a love of nature, and a great knowledge of wild foods. There is only one seating, at 7 p.m. on Saturdays. (Some months it's open Fridays and Saturdays. And Les Jardins Sauvages offers only one fixed menu, a menu that changes according to what's in season. The variations are five courses or seven courses, regular or vegetarian. Our group included both vegetarians and non. We all enjoyed and admired every course and were intrigued by learning about the different wild ingredients from François who came to our table to offer explanations. It is worth the trouble to find this place, and people go there from far away. You can buy some of their products (derived from wild foods and made with artisanal methods before leaving; they make great gifts.

We visited this restaurant once again for one of their special themed 7-course dinners, this time featuring duck. Four different breeds of duck were showcased, with even the lemon meringue pie being made using duck eggs. Since we were a group of 8, we requested to be seated in a square setup so that everyone could easily converse with each other, and our request was happily accommodated. This showed their commitment to providing excellent service. The dishes were flavored with wild plants and herbs, adding a unique touch to the meal. Although it is a bit of a drive to get there, it is worth it for the delicious food. An added bonus is that the chef is willing to come to your table if asked, although it would be nice if she made the rounds to all tables. I am looking forward to visiting in the summer, as they have a lovely garden with a small stream and footbridge where guests can take a leisurely stroll and work up an appetite. Another perk is that it is a BYOB restaurant, making the dining experience even better.

We dined at this restaurant in late September, with a group of 5 couples. Our decision to eat here was influenced in part by a positive review in the Montreal Gazette by food critic Lesley Chesterman (you can look it up online). Additionally, we had recently visited Montreal's Jean Talon Market, where Jardins Sauvages has a wonderful stand offering fresh forest produce - we had discovered fresh fiddleheads there in the spring. The meal completely lived up to its reputation. Each of the 5 courses was presented with a description of the incredible ingredients on our plates. Along with local items like potatoes and duck, we also enjoyed pickled daisy buds, young cattail shoots, lobster mushrooms, tempura milkweed broccoli, and butter with edible lily petals and mushroom salt. It was truly an extraordinary experience, not only for our taste buds, but for anyone interested in unique and innovative cuisine. Kudos to Nancy (the chef) and Francois (the forager) for creating such a special and inspiring establishment. I can't wait for next month's Mushroom festival!

Our two couples ate last evening at Jardins Sauvages. Our wives are avid mushroom gatherings, and so we made the drive from Vermont to St Roch de L'Achigan specifically for this experience (staying at B&Bs before and after . The four of us were delighted with the marvelous new tastes (to us which chef Nancy Hinton created. E.g. the starter, after crostinis with mushroom butter (superb , was sea scallop ceviche with wild ginger and lady sorrel, tomato peach salsa with sea parsley, coriander and sumac. Each taste grew and changed as if one were drinking a fine wine. Accompanying this were sea asparagus (a great discovery and cattail pollen farinata. The taste adventure went on from there! The atmosphere is casual we arrived early and walked across the river on a swinging footbridge to the lovely forest trail with markers for plants. Guests talked with each other, as co venturers on a special experience. E.g. a delightfully mad Scot from Montreal greeted us as exceptional because we made our way from Vermont to this somewhat obscure destination, and he had gotten lost coming from Montreal. The charming Francois Brouillard was present everywhere, with his mother and aunts seated at the next table. The lovely Nancy Hinton came by each table to chat. For those who love superb and out of the ordinary cuisine, this is it. This was a 5 course prix fixe at $75 plus tip; one brings one's own wine which we thoroughly enjoyed and avoided the usual higher priced restaurant wine. (Definitely call ahead; reservation a must: dinners are normally on Saturday evenings, but there are special things also.