Au Pied De Cochon - The Father Of All Foie Gras Goodness (Montreal, QC)

Au Pied de Cochon

As I conclude my tour around Toronto and Montreal (with a stop at Niagara Falls), what better way to end my meal than a dinner at Au Pied de Cochon? What's so special about Au Pied de Cochon you might ask? Loosely translated as a foot of a pig or pig's feet, there's definitely nothing light about my upcoming meal here. When Chef Martin Picard tried to "kill" Anthony Bourdain with foie gras on the Quebec episode of No Reservations seen below, I quickly made my reservation as my "last" supper in Canada.

Cromesquis de foie gras (Foie Gras Cromesquis)

What is this you might ask? How does fried foie gras sound? The foie gras, liquified in the middle and crispy on the outside. It's "obscene, in a good way," to quote Bourdain. This made the perfect mouthful, and was richly delicious we had to order a second order!

Gin Martini (Top: w/Olives, Bottom: w/Twist)

What better way to wash down the richness of the foie than with some alcohol, and in this case, gin martinis. I went with the twist, due to my dislike of olives. Ahhhhh...what a complement!

Accras de morue (Codfish Fritters)

We needed something healthy and diverse, so what's better than fried fish? I did mention we're going for healthy, right? Beautifully fried, and crunchy, I could have ate a whole basket of these things. The addition of lemon added a much needed acidity and balance for the fried cod. I wish I have some right now as I'm typing this post up.....

Langue de bison à l'estragon (Tarragon Bison Tongue)

Bison tongue? Yes please! The tongue was cooked, oh, so tender. Yet, the flavors of the tongue and the sauce meshed beautifully. I was tempted to get seconds of this as well, but sadly, we had a lot more courses coming our way.

Poutine au foie gras (Foie Gras Poutine)

I loved my meal at Animal in Los Angeles, and its poutine. I loved the poutine at La Banquise, but those were the minor league compared to the poutine served at Au Pied de Cochon. What's better than cheese curds, rich gravy, and crispy fries? Why, a large piece of foie gras of course! I don't think I need to describe this particular dish much (Good, since it's from over a year ago), but this was truly a memorable experience.

Canard en conserve (Duck In A Can)

What's better than foie gras poutine? How about duck in a can? I don't know how it's done, and I don't know how it could taste this good, but this was simply amazing. Foie gras, duck, pomme puree, and other ingredients, can it get better than this? This is not your entree for those light eaters, and I hope there was a cardiologist present when I ate it. This was a truly a fucking amazing dish!

Plogue à Champlain

Do you like breakfast? I usually don't eat it, but I could deal with this. What is Plogue à Champlain? Call it a mix of maple cured bacon, lard, potatoes, apples, and of course, a generous piece of foie gras onto of a buckwheat pancake. On top of everything it's served in a bed of maple syrup. Waking up to this daily would be heavenly, though I don't know how one could survive eating this on a daily basis.

Potée du PDC (PDC's Melting Pot)

Still not full, my buddies and I decided to add the PDC's Melting Pot through the recommendation of our waiter and it was a fantastic way to finish the savory portion of the meal. Pork hoc, sausages, boudin noir and other delicious items in one cast iron pot. Rich and delicious, what's better than that? Now, with the little space we had left, it's time for dessert!

Pouding chômeur (Pudding Chômeur)

I should have gone with my gut and ordered the creme caramel or creme brulee. The pudding chômeur was just way too sweet. We were barely able to finish this one. Definitely my least favorite thing we ordered all night.

Panna Cotta

The special dessert of the day was the panna cotta, thus we had to order it, being one of my favorite dessert options, and it did not disappoint. Simple, creamy, and the fruit on top added a nice tartness to the dish we desperately needed after this meal. I can't quite remember what the fruit was, I want to say rhubarb, but I don't think that's correct. Whatever it was, it made one helluva dessert.

Tarte au Sucre Pour 2 (Maple Syrup Pie for 2)

Finally, a nicely portioned maple syrup pie with vanilla ice cream. Since we're in Canada, we had to order this one. The ice cream was definitely a welcoming addition to this dessert. While I didn't love it, we finished every last bite.

Dining Room

Au Pied de Cochon was such a wonderful experience, I'm hoping to visit Montreal again in 2012. The food scene in this city was pretty fantastic, yet underrated. Although more people talk about the food scene (especially the Chinese food) in Vancouver, I personally don't have much of an interest in visiting, especially with the San Gabriel Valley so close to me. Montreal is definitely the star of Canada. With the abundance of people communicating in French, with its old cobblestone streets, it feels like you're in France instead of North America. This was such a great way to cap off my trip with the amount of foie gras we consumed, it was quite a challenge getting back to our hotel. The meal at Au Pied de Cochon was easily one of the top 5 meals all time for me. I can't wait to go back. Bring it on Chef Picard!

Note: If you ever decide to go, they do take reservations online via e-mail!

Final Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Avenue Duluth Est
Montréal, Québec, Canada
(514) 281-1114
Website

Les Délices de l'Erable - Great Little Tourist Stop (Montreal, QC)

Les Délices de l'Erable

It's our last day in Montreal, and the last meal that awaited my buddies and I would be the main reason I had suggested Canadian trip in the first place, Au Pied de Cochon. Since we had to finish the smoked meat plate from Schwartz from the night before for breakfast, none of us were hungry and would rather save our appetite for the foie gras feast that awaited, thus we stopped by this rather lovely gelato and maple syrup shop while we were strolling around the streets of Montreal.

Inside Les Délices de l'Erable

This was a very clean and neat shop. You were able to not only purchase the various flavors of gelato available, but also maple syrup to take home. I would have to say though, an French speaking Asian girl was pretty hot!

Various Flavors of Gelato

While it may not be the best gelato I've ever had, it was definitely very good. One of the flavor I chose was maple syrup and I love the flavors in the gelato. Even though the temperature in Montreal was awesome, there's never a wrong time for gelato. As we continue to stroll the city, I was eagerly awaiting the upcoming meal, but let's take some time to look at the sights around Montreal:

Montreal

Final Rating: 7 out of 10

Les Délices de l'Erable
84 Rue Saint Paul Est
Montreal, QC H2Y 1G6, Canada
(514) 765-3456
Official Website

Pintxo - The Second Of My Three Part Montreal Dinner Crawl (Montreal, QC)

Pinxo

After our quick snack earlier at L'Express, we headed to our late night tapas reservation at Pinxo since our earlier walk in attempt was a fail. With the pleasant description on Lonely Planet Montreal and Quebec City we went in with pretty decent expectation of good food.

Cava Codorniu

Since we were at a Spanish tapas place, we figured it's appropriate to start off with sangria, but to our dismay, we didn't see any sangria options on the menu. After flagging down a server, we were told Pinxo does not serve sangria. "WTF??" I thought, so after going over the wine list, I picked out a bottle of cava. I liked the cava, it's refreshing, as always, but I wanted my damn sangria. Fail.

When people ask me, how do you manage to remember meals from a year ago? Usually, looking at the picture will help me remember the taste and my reaction to the dishes. Sadly, this was one of the few times I might have to go with a picture rundown of the meal my friends and I had at Pinxo:

Falsa Lasana de Sardinas (Fresh Marinated Sardine Filet with avacado and peppers)

I enjoyed the flavors of the sardine, but the dish itself wasn't too memorable.

Foie Gras y Gazpacho de Fresa con Pimientos (Foie Gras & Sweet Bell Pepper and Strawberry Gazpacho)

Definitely not my favorite preparation of foie gras.



Salpicon de txangurro del Puerto de Zumala (Dual of fresh marinated crab and shrimp with peppers)

I really enjoyed the use of the crab meat and shrimp here.

Tartar de Salmon y Escalera de Verduras a la Parrilla (Salmon Tartare & Quintet of Grilled Vegetables)

Salmon tartare, been there, done that. The grilled vegetables were nice, but nothing too special.

Vieira y Chorizos (Scallop and Chorizo)

Quite a tasty delicious. Hard to go wrong with chorizo added to any dish, right?

Higo Relleno de Jamon Serrano y Queso Mahon (Stuffed Figs with Serrano Ham and Mahon Cheese)

Wasn't one of my favorites, but it's probably due to the fact I'm not that keen on figs in the first place.....

Alcatxofas con almeja y jamon serrano (Artichokes with clams and serrano ham)

Clams, artichokes, and serrano ham. Great mix of ingredients, and it was one of the favorites at our table.

Marques de Caceres Rioja

After finishing the cava, we decided on a simple, and light rose to accompany the rest of the dishes.

Bakalao a la Bizcaina (Filet of Basque Cod served with a tomato and pepper sauce)

Another delicious dish. The fish itself was tender and I enjoyed the tomatoes and peppers used in the sauce.

Carrillera en salsa de Rioja (Braised Beef Cheeks served with Mustard Potatoes)

Delicious. Simply delicious. The beef cheeks were tender and flavorful. Not much more I could have asked for.

Txori Morci (Chorizo Sauce with Black Pudding Surroundings)

Sadly, I don't remember much about this one....

Morcilla de Burgos (Black Pudding w/ Apple Chutney)

This one was quite good, but I'm a fan of black pudding, so it's hard for me not to like a black pudding preparation.

Although I was slightly disappointed with the lacking of sangria of a tapas restaurant, Pinxo was a pretty good spot to munch on some Spanish tapas in the streets of Montreal. While the meal has a few misses, it was definitely a good experience. Was it memorable? Probably not, but not all meals needed to be that way. Since we didn't get any dessert at Pinxo, we were off to the streets of Plateau Mont-Royal in search for some sweets. What did we get you ask? How about dinner #3? A large takeout plate of smoked meat for each one of us from Schwartz, to savor in the comforts of our hotel room.

Smoked Meat from Schwartz

Did we finish the smoked meat? Hellz Effing no. It did make for one helluva breakfast the next morning though! There you have it, 3 dinners in one pleasant Montreal evening.

Final Rating (Pintxo): 7 out of 10

Pintxo Montreal
256 Rue Roy Est
Montreal, QC H2W 1M6, Canada
(514) 844-0222
Official Website

Schwartz's
3895 Boulevard Saint Laurent
Montréal, QC H2W1X9, Canada
(514) 842-4813
Official Website