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The farm-to-table orchard picnics of Au Pied de Cochon's La Cabane d’à côté return for another summer season

Folks talk a lot about dining destinations, but few can draw as many reservations as this rustic chic restaurant's pivot to the outdoors.

It appears it will be some time before Montrealers can once again indulge to the fullest at Au Pied de Cochon’s sugar shack. Until it’s safe to be seated alongside strangers at its long tables weighed down with plate after plate, diners can settle for the curated picnics found in the orchards of the nearby La Cabane d’à Côté.
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All visitors need to do is bring their own blankets and chairs to sit below the boughs of this farm and restaurant in St-Benoît de Mirabel. The rest is taken care of for the princely sum of $85 for two people, which includes menus that shift as summer progresses.

June, for example, includes dishes such as spinach cheddar brioche, ham and sausages from the cabin’s own pigs, the first vegetables of the season, whelks in an herbal oil, and a rhubarb cheesecake.

Those excited by the prospect might be dismayed to see that all reservations from now until the end of July are booked solid, but there’s a bit of light at the end of the tunnel: New dates are being released as time goes on, starting June 4.

The destination has included one new development as well: Groups of up to 8 people can reserve tables under tents for a private experience, where a server is assigned to the party to make sure they have everything they need, with services prepared on the barbecue.

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Those new group lunches and dinners are offered twice a day from Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and cost $760 before taxes and service.

“It’s a surprise menu,” the restaurant said in an email. “Our menu is subject to vary regularly depending on the products of the moment, which is why we prefer not to reveal it before your arrival.”

Alcohol isn’t included in either the picnics or the private dining options, but the orchard has been developing bottles of its own fermented ciders to purchase in addition to a growing wine cellar and non-alcoholic, fresh lemonades.

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