You can’t go wrong with a restaurant that serves “duck in a can,” right?
The week before my highly-anticipated visit to this often-praised eatery in Montreal, I bumped into a National Post food critic and Montreal native.
He offered me this piece of advice: “A visit to Au Pied de Cochon is best done by starting and ending with a Foie Gras Cromesquis appetizer and then getting out as soon as possible before more damage can be done.”
Heck, if even Anthony Bourdain could be outdone here, how could I even expect to survive?
One of the top spots for dinner in Montreal
It was the last taste of winter and a long weekend when my fiance and I decided that a snowboarding trip was in order. Although we were heading to Lake Placid, New York, we decided that a stop in Montreal for dinner at Au Pied de Cochon couldn’t hurt. Reservations were made for 2 at the bar – the best spot in the whole restaurant.
We arrived in chilly Montreal on a late Friday evening, restless from sitting six hours in a car – and more ready than ever to eat ridiculous amounts of Quebec foie gras. As I would soon find out, the rumours about Chef Martin Picard’s excess of rich, fatty and over-the-top cholesterol and heart-blocking dishes at Au Pied de Cochon are true, but I wouldn’t have traded this meal for anything.
As advised, we began with the “cromesquis de foie gras” – a bite-sized breaded and fried cube of foie gras. Once inserted whole, once you bite down, luscious warm liquid foie gras oozes throughout your mouth. Liquid gold, I called it.
Our next dish was the “salade de croustillant de pied de cochon” (crispy pig’s feet salad) – a salad dish, yes, but one that would make a vegetarian cry. It was made of greens covered with deep fried bits of fatty pig trotter goodness.
Next was a “magret de canard aux champignons” (duck with mushroom sauce) – a flavourful and hearty dish without all the fat. However, the duck specialty here (or rather, novelty) is the “canard en conserve” (duck in a can) – duck meat that has been trimmed, seasoned, sealed and cooked in a can which is opened at the table.
Before you leave, you can’t miss out on the “poutine au foie gras” – a true and respectable ode to poutine; or the “frites au gras de canard” (fries with duck fat). Finish off, if you can, with great desserts like the Creme Brulee, the Molten Chocolate Cake or a Croustade de Pommes with vanilla ice cream.
All in all, a meal at Au Pied de Cochon is like the bad habit that you love, no matter the consequences. I’ll be back, heart pills at my side, prepared and terrified for the amazing meal to come.
Au Pied de Cochon is located at 536 Duluth Est. in Montreal, Quebec. Don’t forget to drop by Les Chocolats de Chloe just a few shops down at 546 Duluth Est. for speciality chocolates and a killer spicy hot chocolate.
For more local and expert reviews of Au Pied de Cochon, go to: http://ourfaves.com/place/1041717/au-pied-de-cochon-montreal.
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