LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2017

Here’s our hit list of can’t-miss CanCon experiences, where dreamy brunches and blissful dinners are par for the course, be it on a frozen river, in the woods, overlooking a lake or tucked into a downtown neighbourhood. This is event dining. Bucket List

1 AU PIED DE COCHON SUGAR SHACK  Martin Picard’s wild take on the cabane à sucre, just north- west of Montreal, is where appetites come to die. Salmon tartare, lobster, foie gras, omelettes, baloney, pig’s foot, boeuf Bourguignon, pudding chomeur and maple syrup everywhere! 2 TOQUÉ!  The godfather of modern Québécois cuisine, Chef Normand Laprise was doing local in Montreal circa 1993. Languid meals are food escap- ism into a world of DuckMagret, Venison Loin, Sweet Clover Pudding—and oh, the wines! 3 ATELIER Exquisite multi-course tasting menus by the molecular mind of Chef Marc Lepine, in the nation’s capital. Over three hours and 12 dishes later (with names like Polkaroo and Snow Globe), you won’t know what hit you. 4 RGE RD This Edmonton restaurant has a wood- burning oven and an in-house butchery that doubles as a private dining room. The frequently changing menu has featured such delectables as wood-fired Brussels sprouts and tart flambé with creamy clams and pastrami—bizarrely delicious. 5 RAW: ALMOND Pop-up feasts on the frozen Red and Assiniboine rivers in Winnipeg. For 21 nights each year (sometimes at -21°C degrees) chefs from around the city and country cook up exquisite brunches and dinners for bundled-up guests. 6 LIGHTHOUSE PICNICS In Ferryland, Nfld., you can enjoy a picnic spot nonpareil harkening back to local “mug ups” in the woods, with changing items such as Crab Cakes and views of whales and icebergs with Fresh Strawberry-Rhubarb Fool for dessert. 7 EDULIS RESTAURANT Sunday lunches are a dreamy downtown Toronto escape fueled by bottles of wine and carte blanche menus that change daily and can run from lobster to porcinis and octopus cooked à la plancha. Black and white truffle seasons boast their own menus. 8 JOY ROAD CATERING Farm fresh feasts at an alfresco communal table overlooking Skaha Lake in Penticton, B.C. As the sun dips behind the hills, the table glows warmer and louder while wine glasses are refilled, plates are licked, and dusk turns to night.

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AU PIED DE COCHON SUGAR SHACK BY DAVID ZILBERMAN; TOQUÉ! BY HANS LAURENDEAU, SHOOT STUDIO; ATELIER BY MIV PHOTOGRAPHY