Manoir St Sauveur-La Tablee
246 Chemin du Lac Millette
St Sauveur, Québec
J0R 1R3
http://www.manoir-saint-sauveur.com
450-227-1811
Cost: $ 76.80

There is nothing like day tripping in the summer months. Long country drives to admire all that nature has to offer, with wind in your hair and sun shining strong and warming up the soul. It is during these long drives venturing out to the unknown, that I can work up quite an appetite. Eventually, stopping by a roadside café to grab a bite to eat and maybe experience something new. For me and many city folks it is a great way to unwind from stresses of daily life, to get away from the city buzz and totally unplug for a day without venturing too far or spending lots of money. Many times we are looking for a particular experience to satisfy our immediate cravings and are at a loss on where to go and what to do. I will enlighten you, with a few places that I have discovered over the course of the year that have pleasantly surprised me. This is the first in a series of articles I will write about places I have really enjoyed discovering. Some will be very local and some a few hours from Montreal.
Today we visit the town of St. Sauveur about 45 minutes from Montreal. It is not unfamiliar to us as it has been a ski Mecca since its discovery in the 1930’s. It has its charms as a four season playground for many of us. For those skiers who often frequent the Laurentians in winter to ski, many of heard of Le Manoir St-Sauveur since its opening in 1992 as the place to stay. It has been renovated with modern themes to make it one of the swankier hotels in the area for lodging and gastronomic dining. It has two restaurants and a lounge/bar area, L’Ambiance for fine dining, La Tableé with an Outdoor Terrasse for more casual fare and The Boudoir Lounge for drinks.
In the summer the small town of St Sauveur is very picturesque with its green mountains, you will find its rue Principale lined with restaurants, café and terraces, boutique shops and art galleries. Shoppers also have a choice of factory style outlets where they can spend their hard earned cash. I prefer to spend my money eating on the Terrasse at Manoir St-Sauveur. Its outdoor terrasse leading to the pool area with comfortable seating is very accommodating and inviting and a great place to chill with cold drinks on a hot summer day.
The courtyard leading into the swimming pool area is well maintained with a water garden in the center of the courtyard serving as a focal point with its cascading waterfalls. The feeling upon entering the hotel is one of serenity and peacefulness. The courtyard is very private and Zen. Hidden between the buildings that make up the hotel, you would never know it was there.
The European bistro-style menu at the Terrasse of La Tableé is simple, but interesting for any palate. You can get anything from Salmon Tartar, Fried Calamari or Brie Fondant to Veal Bavette, Mac & Cheese, Lamb and Fish. It also serves pub style food like chicken wings, burgers sandwiches and wraps, salads and pizza for casual day-trippers. Today we worked up a quite a thirst and stopped off at this hidden gem to grab a few frozen strawberry daiquiris and at the same time top it off with a late light lunch.

The strawberry daiquiris hit the mark for this hot day and were very refreshing. Made with fresh strawberries and crushed ice as opposed to the premixed kind. We started our meal with an entree or appetizer of fried onion rings, with a balsamic reduction drizzle. These came served hot and were deliciously crispy. The drizzle gave it a little kick and was not overpowering. It was followed by a Classic Caesar salad, topped with an original light dressing made from scratch and large pieces of croutons. Satisfying and a great balance to the onion rings.

For Mains, I had a pepperoni pizza with cheese filled crust. Not the best in taste as it was too heavy on the Gattuso style tomato sauce which lacked fresh tomato flavors. But the pressed chicken and ham sandwich with side order fries made up for it. It was fresh, tasty and packed with flavors. It came served Italian style with a little tomato sauce, mozzarella slices, fresh basil and prosciutto.

If the terrasse food was this decent, I could imagine the hotel fine dining Restaurant L’Ambiance, would be worth a shot next time. We truly enjoyed our little afternoon snacking al fresco. We lingered for a couple of hours before our drive back to Montreal. It felt like we sat in someone back yard with the convenience of a waiter and chef in a calm and beautiful serene ambiance. Service was attentive.