[Montreal] Au Pied de Cochon

Mr_Happy · September 2, 2018, 9:14am

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.

ieatalotoficecream · September 2, 2018, 3:23pm

I’m really really impressed you were able to eat that all! We went to Joe Beef (couldn’t get a res at APDC) and one of th APDC sugar shacks in April and learned what true gluttony is! Haha.

Mr_Happy · September 3, 2018, 2:48am

The dishes were quite rich, but not of an overwhelming size. Also the cromesquis were two little bites. How was the sugar shack? From pictures online it looks like quite a meal. It’s funny that you couldn’t get a res to APDC, I couldn’t get a res to Joe Beef! Maybe because I ate later in the evening (APDC is open until midnight).

BoneAppetite · September 3, 2018, 8:35am

Well played. Savoring the menu (duck in a can) led to this:

If you saw the sturgeon ballotine go by or spied it nearby, did it recall salmon coulibiac? And speaking of out of the box nigiri, quite a while ago a local sushi boat place topped the rice with medium rare steak.

Captcrunch · September 4, 2018, 4:54pm

Thank you for the good read!

ieatalotoficecream · September 19, 2018, 11:10pm

I just saw I never replied to you here. We were not thrilled with Joe Beef at all. All I wanted was the lobster pasta I had heard so much about. Unfortunately because of the weather they couldn’t source Maine lobster so had some sad substitute. The sugar shack, however, was absolutely incredible. I will try to post up some of our photos this week.

_gossamer · September 20, 2018, 12:46am

Looking forward to reading about your sugar shack experience. I’d love to go there someday!

SteveR · May 22, 2022, 10:21pm

When an older thread exists on a place, I figure I might as well use it. Summary: our dinner at Au Pied de Cochon was fine but I wouldnt run back for another go as we are doing at Joe Beef (see write up on that thread). Everything was more than good, but I thought that they’re a little gimmicky with the foie gras and that they overdo it with this (like the duck in a can, which we saw on another table but didnt order). However, the foie gras appetizer we ordered w/maple syrup was excellent & highly recommended. We also got the whelks and calamari dish and this was also very good. Unfortunately, I would’ve rather have had a really good burger and, if they must, they could’ve offered it with foie on top; instead, the foie was cooked into the burger and the result, in my opinion, was a more poorly textured burger without gain from the foie. Other things added to their burger got lost, like the taste of the bacon and cheese, due to the foie inside the burger and the foie sauce. There’s a part of me that cant believe that I’m complaining about too much foie but, hey, that’s my impression. Maybe we should’ve ordered the pork chop instead. We also ordered a side of asparagus and fiddleheads, which was very good, albeit a little light on the fiddleheads. My teeth are still rattling from the “pudding chomeur” (maple cake w/syrup… lots of syrup). But, it was good. With sparkling water, glasses of wine (several each), espresso, etc the bill was just below CA$200 plus tip. I’m glad we went and enjoyed the food. But the “wow factor” that I think they are going for wasnt there and seemed a little forced. Just my impression.

Candace_Collier · May 31, 2022, 12:21am

You should have ordered the duck in a can. The first time I went to APDC, I ordered the duck just cuz I always do when in an expensive restaurant. When the server came to the table with a tin can and proceeded to open said can with a can opener, I was shocked and extremely skeptical as the dish flowed out of can and across my plate, but I tell you what, it was absolutely delicious. I have been ordering this ever since. I don’t love the presentation but who can argue with preparing a fabulous meat and sauce combination that can be cooked probs by warming up in a Bain Marie? I love this place for meat!

Phoenikia · May 31, 2022, 12:33am

My favourite thing to order at APDC in the summer is their lobster roll with foie gras , which I usually share. It’s amazing. They get fresh seafood from the Gaspé daily in the summer.

I’ve also enjoyed a rhubarb pouding chômeur.

I’ve been several times, haven’t been interested in trying duck in a can.

Lots of seasonal specials in the summer months. I’ve had a nice burrata, as well.