Au Pied de Cochon is a temple to gluttony and foie gras from chef Martin Picard in the Plateau neighborhood of Montreal. If you like foie gras, I think about half of the items on the menu have it in one form or another (a slight exaggeration, but there is a section on the menu devoted purely to foie gras). There was even a foie gras sushi on the menu!
The Food Menu
Short and sweet. There were also some daily specials written on a wall, including a pâté chinois main course that night.
Bread and Butter
Crusty bread with a moist crumb.
Since I was solo, my server suggested that I perhaps stay away from the mains - as they are quite large - and stick to the appetizers and the foie dishes, which is what I did. I think this was a good choice as it was a good amount of food and I got to try a few different things. This is what I had:
Foie Gras Cromesquis (C$6)
Not quite a croquette, this was liquified foie gras, encased in dough, rolled in bread crumbs, and deep fried. Two to an order. Was suggested to wait a few seconds for it to cool down before popping it into my mouth. Delicious, crunchy explosions of liquid foie gras.
Foie Gras Poutine (C$24)
A signature dish, and really delicious. Nicely fried fries covered with a slightly creamy brown meaty gravy with chunks of foie gras and squeeky cheese curds. I think this was my first proper Quebec poutine even though the foie topping isn’t exactly traditional.
Plogue à Champlain (C$31)
This was even better than the poutine. So good! A buckwheat pancake topped with some sliced potato, bacon, melted cheese, and a big hunk of seared foie gras. All of this sitting on a pool of a maple syrup sauce. Fantastic. Great mix of textures and flavors. In one bite you get the plain buckwheat pancake base, some starchiness from the potatoes, salty meaty bacon, melty sharp cheese, and of course the rich decadence of the foie gras. And then the sweet maple sauce just put it over the top. Worked really well even though there was nothing really to cut through the richness other than my glass of wine.
Maple Tapioca Pudding (C$7)
I probably shouldn’t have gotten this as I was absolutely stuffed after. It was served with a large oatmeal cookie. The pudding itself was slightly warm and had some good maple flavor.
In case it wasn’t clear I really enjoyed this dinner. Excellent food and excellent service. Great recommendations from my server. I think I should have ordered a side of vegetables or something though to balance all the richness.