Stir Pairing: French-Canadian films call for Cabane à Sucre–inspired dining
Catch a flick at the Rendez-Vous French Film Festival and head to Vancouver’s St. Lawrence Restaurant for chef J-C Poirier’s seasonal sugar-shack menu
Valérie Lemercier in Aline.
St. Lawrence Restaurant.
Every week, Stir Wine Pairing suggests locally available food and drink to go with a local arts event.
The event
Rendez-Vous French Film Festival, in person and online to March 31.
The food and drink
St. Lawrence Restaurant’s Cabane à Sucre Table d’Hôte dinners.
Nour Belkhiria in Une révision (The Review). Photo via CINÉMAGINAIRE
The lowdown
The Rendez-Vous French Film Festival is now on with an extensive lineup of titles in French with English subtitles. Organized by Visions Ouest Productions, the 28th annual event is dedicating its programming to acclaimed Québécois filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, who died late last year.
The Montreal-based artist executive produced Comme Une Vague (Big Giant Wave), and his 2005 drama C.R.A.Z.Y., about a young gay man facing homophobia while coming of age in 1960-’70s Quebec with four brothers and his father, screens on February 19.
While the fest features numerous releases from abroad—be sure to catch France’s Délicieux—we’re intrigued by so many other films coming out of Quebec. Take Aline, Valérie Lemercier’s buzzy feature inspired (but not authorized) by Céline Dion; Catherine Therrien’s One Révision (The Review), about a philosophy professor who’s challenged by one of his students; and No Trace, which was shot in an experimental infra-red black and white format in remote locations on the north coast of the St. Lawrence River.
See more festival details here.
St. Lawrence Restaurant.
The pairing
In keeping with the French/French-Canadian theme, we can’t think of a better culinary experience than a visit to St. Lawrence Restaurant. Chef-owner J-C Poirier is currently offering Cabane à Sucre Table d’Hote dinners, back by popular demand.
The three-course menu pays homage to Poirier’s home province and the annual tradition of families flocking to maple forests to tap trees for syrup and feast on hearty, rustic meals together.
You get a choice of starter, main course, and dessert. Options for appetizers include split pea soup with smoked bacon and foie gras torchon; slow cooked maple-smoked steelhead trout with soft scrambled eggs and Brussels sprouts; duck pâté en croûte with maple, pistachio, and Grand Marnier; and crêpes with mushroom ragout, fine herbs, and cheddar.
For les plats principaux, pick from venison tourtiere; maple-glazed pork chop; maple-glazed scallops and beef-cheek croquette with apples and sunchokes; or roasted duck breast with sausage, barley, turnips, and grilled scallions.
To finish, there’s cheese from Quebec with brioche and jam, a traditional sugar pie with vanilla ice cream, maple mille-feuille, or maple crème caramel with currants and meringue.
Start it all off with a Dubonnet, Noilly Prat, or classic cocktail like French 75 (described as le vrai, seeing as how it’s made with cognac, not gin). The drinks list is almost exclusively French, with the exception of handful of beers and Japanese whiskies, the latter being a nod to the building’s history. (Once part of Paueru Gai, or Japantown, the former Komura grocery store was forced to shut down during World War II.) Ask bar manager Sarah Hawkins for a French-wine recommendation.
St. Lawrence’s Cabane a Sucre Table d’Hote dinners run Wednesdays through Sundays until February 27 for $75 per person; pre-booking is required. Snag a spot at the chef’s counter if you can—the best seats in the house just opened up following the recent lifting of certain COVID-19 restrictions.
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