#InTheLoop | Sweet Music! Queens Hosts Maple Syrup Celebration
BY QEDC It's In Queens
It’s a batch made in heaven.
The Sugar Shack and Pickin’ Party returns to M. Wells in Long Island City on three consecutive Sundays: April 9; April 16; and April 23.
After a three-year, Covid-influenced break, this maple syrup celebration mixes festive communal fun and decadent foods with a healthy dose of live music and games. And as always, the Taffy on Snow steals the show.
Tickets cost $95, but youngsters (ages four-to-12) can indulge for $35. All three brunches run from 1 pm to 5 pm.
It might change a bit, but the opening menu features Tortilla Québécoise Pâtisseries Logger Salads, Cipaille Bines au Lard, and Ice Cream Sirop d’érable Jack & Sap.
Trip Henderson, who is arguably NYC’s best Old Timey harmonica dude, leads the music portion with accompaniment from harmonies, mandolins, and other acoustic strings on April 9. Hockey and lawn sports are also on the program.
And then there’s the Taffy on Snow (aka Maple Syrup Taffy or Snow Taffy), a Canadian treat made with maple syrup, snow, and wooden pop sticks. Hugue Dufour, who co-owns M. Wells with his lovely wife Sarah Obraitis, grew up on a farm in Lac-Saint-Jean, about six hours north of Montréal, and prides himself on his Taffy on Snow expertise. (Obraitis, a proud Queens native, is improving her taffy skills.)
M. Wells began as a diner near Hunters Point Avenue in LIC in 2010. Serving Québécoise cuisine with an endearing French Canadian accent, Dufour created buzz with maple-smoked meats, apple-scented blood pudding on savory kraut, and other north-of-the-border specialties. After the lease ended, the restaurant bounced around LIC a bit while earning a prestigious Michelin recommendation before landing for the long haul at 43-15 Crescent St. It’s a short walk from the Court Square/23rd Street (E, M, 7 trains) and Queensboro Plaza (N, W lines) stations, and bicycle racks are outside.
Images: M. Wells