536 East Duluth, Montreal, QC, H2L 1A9
Rated this place:
This little piggy had foie gras...: “Get ready friend for the most rich, outrageously over the top, titanic-sized opus dedicated to all things fatty, porky and delicious” – Anthony Bourdain re: Au Pied de Cochon, No Reservations
Truer words were never spoken. Restaurant Au Pied de Cochon is the definition of delicious, gratuitous, lavish, gluttony, the likes of which I’ve never seen. However, it is certainly not thrown together without serious thought from Chef Martin Picard. He is meticulous with his art, from concept to preparation, to presentation. Picard hand-picks his locally grown organic ingredients, and personally selects the animals for slaughter and has them butchered, aged and prepared as he likes.
PDC is an experience not to be missed. Reservations are a must, and make sure to ask for a spot at the bar to take in the craziness that is the PDC kitchen. You’ll have a rollicking good time chatting up the cooks and discussing choices with your fellow diners, sure to be food enthusiasts and chefs in their own right.
My boyfriend began his fat-filled journey with a mouth watering appetizer of Bison tartare, hand-wrapped in a seaweed cone. The first bite was heaven, spicy and delicious, and as we progressed further down the tapered roll it became more distinctly seaweedly – becoming more and more reminiscent of a sushi hand-roll. The Carpaccio de canard was melt in your mouth decadent, complete with a raw egg yolk to be mixed in like a sauce. The Poutine au Foie Gras, an ode to the provinces quintessential staple at every casse croute, corner restaurant and fast food joint from here to Lourdes de Blanc-Sablon, was also thoroughly enjoyed. French fries and squeaky cheese curds topped with foie gras and two different kinds of gravy (one was the regular beef gravy, and the other consisted of a mixture of egg and melted foie gras) – how could you go wrong? My main was the Plogue à Champlain which was a layered dish of potato, cheese, foie gras, and bacon served atop a pancake and drizzled with maple syrup. Out of this world.
I understand the desserts are meant to be equally delicious, but after those two mostly finished courses we could hardly think of consuming another morsel. As we rolled out of the restaurant for a refreshing walk down Duluth and St. Denis in an attempt to walk off some of the damage incurred, we couldn’t help but reminisce about what a great time we’d had. Highly recommended for a fun date and a great night out. Make sure you go with someone who likes to share, because once you start, you are going to want to taste everything that passes through your field of vision.