a new chapter in a 120-year-old story

When Marie-Josée Labbé took over the Hôtel Mont-Tremblant and its iconic pub in 2017, she didn’t realize she had become the main character in a story that began in 1902. The Lac Mercier Inn, as it was known then, was built to lodge employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway company.

Labbé, who studied hotel management in Montréal and always dreamed of owning a small hotel, yearned to offer clients a more elevated experience… without alienating loyal regulars.

To help her strike this balance and bring the gastronomic-pub concept to Au Coin, Labbé brought on restaurant manager Marie-Soleil Charette to keep the pub menu exciting yet consistent.

Pub classics are still offered, with a twist. Au Coin’s fish and chips, prepared exclusively by the in-house expert, is made with Boréal IPA and remains a top seller. The house burger is a tender and deeply flavourful bison burger. Another staple, the Caesar Salad, has been reimagined with roasted Brussel sprouts, lardons and fried capers.

New stars on the menu include an outstanding roasted bone marrow with arugula, and a decadent warm Périgord salad with duck confit, foie gras and caramelized walnuts.

Labbé’s personal favorite is the braised lamb shank with grilled vegetables.

The popular Sunday brunch consists of three inventive dishes that differentiate Au Coin from its counterparts: a gorgeous cassolette with potatoes, mushrooms, feta, coriander and egg; grilled cheese made with country bread and Gruyère cheese; and a buckwheat crêpe with apples, Gruyère, arugula, eggs and chives.  Of course, mimosas are readily available – Labbé and Charette wouldn’t dare change that.

The railway tracks have long disappeared, but at Pub Au Coin, where generations of regulars can still be found at the bar, the past is alive and well. As for Labbé, the first heroine in this epic story, her chapter continues to unfold.

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