Yasssssss, finally I got my arak bottle I wanted!!…read more When I asked my sister where to go and buy it she told me: SAQ This location is in Carrefour Mall at Laval and their prices are wonderful. They accepted my USA credit card but the only thing I didn't like about this place was that they do not give plastic bags or any bag at all. You have to buy your own.

I have never been to a sugar shack before and since we were in prime sugar shack season, we decided…read moreto go. It's so neat because you could see all the buckets on the trees where they have tapped them. They were cooking the maple sap, which is pretty watery, down to maple syrup. They had a drink they made with gin and then hot maple sap water and hot maple syrup. Oh my gosh! It was pure deliciousness which surprised me because I did not think that I liked maple syrup. Perhaps I've never had a good maple syrup. After all, I grew up on Aunt Jemima. They had wine which they make, too. So much food that it would be hard to eat it all, however, if I were to be honest it was fairly plain. Afterwards, you go out to the main area and they pour the hot maple syrup onto snow and it turns into this most delicious candy. Again, I was shocked how great that tasted ! I even had a second one. Loads of information about how maple syrup is so much more nutritious than corn syrup, etc. I think that I would try another one next time if we go this same time of year.

OMG, how could I not write about this experience!? I've been to the Cabane à Sucre and it's pretty…read morestandard. So I won't write about that. However, last year, I discovered their Cabane à Pomme (Apple Shack) and that, my friend, you must absolutely try!!! It usually runs from late September to October. You must call to reserve because they prep the food just for you as it's not cooked or served in bulk. While you book, they include a complimentary wine tasting of their maple wines and ciders (yay)! All you need to do is show up 30 min before your meal and head over to the boutique to taste. I always buy the Maple Wine which is a dessert wine with a delicate hint of maple. It's not too sweet, very refreshing and aromatic. You can choose between the 4 or 5 course meal. You must go with the 5 course because the Cold Cuts Platter is totally worth it with: Pork rillettes, Salted St-Isidore Turbot with Herbs, Beef jerky, Reinvented apple pie, Garden marinades & eggs in balsamic vinegar, Cornbread. My favorite was the deconstructed apple pie with cheddar, scallions, apples, cinnamon and I could not get enough. I could order a whole pie like this and eat it myself! The balsamic eggs were delightful with a slight tang from the vinegar, beautifully colored soft-boiled eggs. The turbot was delicate and delicious. Cornbread was covetable and we finished all the pickled veggies. Pork rillettes were so good we needed more bread! They served 3 salads: green beans & sweet corn, carrot & celeriac, romain. The beans and corn salad was sooooo good, I took them home. The dressing was sweet like a Dijon mustard and honey mix which really brought out the flavor of the beans and corn. The other two salads were ok. The soup. Cream of roasted cauliflower and garlic croutons. The soup is on the thinner side so you can eat a whole bowl. The flavor is perfectly seasoned and there are tiny bits of cauliflower giving it a nice texture. The main course. Deep fried turkey wings (omg) were so so good. The outside was golden brown and the meat inside was juicy. It was served in a basket and with a sauce. The braised pork was melt in your mouth served on a bed of barley with apple compote. They had a plate of sauteed purple cabbage that was so tasty, I tried recreating it at home. Just was not as good as theirs! I'd pass on the parsnip puree though as I'm not a fan of parsnips to start with. Then dessert: apple fritters! apple crumble and a strawberry ''ti-moune''. All were top-notch though the texture of the ti-moune is slightly surprising, it's mostly a whipped cream confection but nice nevertheless. Even though the food isn't served as 'all you can eat' it is definitely plenty. We left there stuffed and sleepy because of the turkey so maybe don't plan anything after your meal for the next 2 hours :) I referred a colleague who went the weekend after and also had rave reviews. No apple picking season is complete without a Apple Shack at Domaine Labranche. Yes, I am a fan.

Out of the 3 SAQ's here, it comes in second, but it's not saying much…read more It feels like the selection has improved a bit, but you still have to go to Beaubien for the good stuff. There is only 2 cash registers which means lineups and the layout makes it look very ordinary compared to other locations. They should really use the location a bit better, I don't know if they're allowed or not but the front of the store in the summer would be awesome for wine tastings.

Visiting this craft beer store was one of the highlights of my most recent trip to Montreal…read more While the space is small, the beers are very carefully curated. We ended up talking to one of the guys who works here for over half an hour, learning about different beer styles (broadly), Quebec beer laws, and some special brews in Quebec. You can tell this store is special, as many locals were coming in and out while we were there. There also seems to be a nice rapport with the people who work here, who are obviously willing to help. For any American coming to this store - they will do trades for special, highly-coveted beers (think Treehouse or Alchemist), and you'll get a very nice trade with what you bring. This opportunity is definitely something we plan to take advantage of when we inevitably return to this store.

I'm not a big beer afficionado so I guess I'm missing the main attraction to this cramped little…read moreboutique. I find myself coming back for the pretty jars and delicacies. As the name indicates, the shop makes an effort to offer products from Quebec, which is great to calm my conscience after splurging. :) The selection of maple and maple-derived products is great and full of surprises. I'm a big fan of the caramel-themed shelf: caramels, caramels and chocolate spreads, caramel and ginger spread etc..etc..Don't miss out on the delicious dips and jellies on display on the back wall and their tea selection from Camelia Sinensis!

I was shocked to find out one of my favorite SAQ is not listed on Yelp, had to remedy this one…read more It is in the Rockland mall and they unfortunately do not have their own entrance so we have to go by the mall. The layout for this location is really amazing, the wine section is mesmerizing and so well laid out it does not feel like a store but more like a gigantic wine cellar. The other half is mostly liquor, and they will have more items available than most other SAQ, the lineup is normally not an issue. It is incredibly busy on holidays and i've been forced to go to other locations since there is security on those days that might not let too many people in all at once. They might even start shutting down early to avoid staying past their limited hours. It would be 5 stars if it wasn't for that.

Lots of saq are running low on bottles, the large 40 oz or even simple good wines. This place…read morewasn't huge but wasn't the best saq I've been to. Sometimes it's nice to have help on the floor but this location was pretty quiet. Quick in and out but crappy thing the email I got said I would get extra points didn't say when so when I went to saq she said it started Friday. Not her fault but that's the location I went to after getting the email. Tricky

Outside of two traumatizing experiences related to language (English / French) it has always been a…read moregood experience shopping at the Morin Heights SAQ. One such experience was when a customer flew into a huge rage because English was being spoken in the store. The other very recent experience unfortunately came from an employee I'd never seen there before. He said something very fast in French as a customer was entering the store. She did not understand him and she just nodded and continued toward the interior of the shop. He kept shouting the words in French until the customer asked if he spoke English. He angrily explained that he needed to see proof of vaccination. He went on to accuse the customer of ignoring people who speak French. The customer apologized at least three times and even said that she appreciated that vaccination proof was required. The man never accepted or replied to the apology. Each time she apologized he continued in silence to give the customer a very angry expression and this made the customer cry.

A run of the mill SAQ. Although this one does seem to have shorter opening hours because this is…read moreNun's Island after all. On the handful of times I visited the lineups were short, the staff was there, and the store was clean.

One of the best SAQ! Always welcoming faces and nice workers! Last time when they runout of my…read morefavorite sake they told me when will be the delivery and the manager put aside one bottle for me

"So goodbye yellow brick road Where the dogs of society…read morehowl" (Elton John) The SAQ stands for the Société des Alcools du Québec. It's the network of government-run liquor stores in Quebec. It manages the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages across the province and operates its own retail stores. We were fortunate enough to win a gift card to SAQ at a charity event last week, so one of our final visits in Montreal was to walk over to this small store at the Place D'Armes and pick up whatever we could for our C$50 prize. Although the store wasn't very large it was very neat and fully stocked, with prices clearly marked for every bottle and can in the store. One of their sales associates was very friendly and helped us find what we were looking for. I'm a big Bloody Mary fan, and from previous trips to Canada knew that "Bloody Caesars" are favored up here. The differ from a Bloody Mary by using Clamato juice instead of a tomato juice base. So, when I saw a shelf with plenty of Clamato choices, I knew one would be coming home with me. I selected a 16 ounce can of Clamato Caesar "With the Works" (Le Tour Garni) with extra spices, seasonings, hot sauce and horseradish (C$3.80). We rounded out our purchase with a bottle of Cliff 79 Shiraz (C$11.75), a bottle of Folonari Pinot Grigio (C$14.95), a bottle of Casa Santos Sangria (C$12.45), and a nifty little branded tote bag for (C$2.95). The only down note of our visit concerned a bottle of SIVO blueberry liqueur I had hoped to buy. I had some at a social function on Thursday night and liked it so much I took a photo of the bottle. When I showed the photo to the sales associate, he not only told me they didn't carry it, but he also told me it was just syrup, and not alcoholic. He said any grocery store would have it. I learned that he was wrong, it is an alcoholic product made in a Canadian distillery.

Excellent selection and what seems like decent prices. I found what I went for: maple whiskey and…read moremaple cream liqueur.