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| - We were in town for a party this weekend and Au Pied de Cochon was highly recommended by a friend of ours. We arrived just in time for opening hours. And the restaurant was full within 10 minutes. There was a buzz of activity.
The restaurant itself has a clean, rustic lodge look and feel. Warm colors throughout. The kitchen area is exposed and is buzzing with staff. We walked in to the aroma of baking bread and what I believe to be hickory chips smoking in the wood burning oven. For those of you not fluent in French, the staff speak excellent English and switched over instantly to it once they realized which language was going to be more "comfortable" for us. I myself can understand and read French but I am severely out of my element in conversing in it. My kudos to the waiters and busboys for accommodating us so easily. I will also add the staff were very friendly, attentive and professional. There is nothing pretentious about this restaurant. It delivers on the quality of their food. The pricing is very reasonable given the ingredients used and the portions.
Now. On to the food.
We were told that this is the place for foie gras in Montreal. And while I do not have it that often, this place change my mind about it. There were six of us so we ordered five foie gras appetiziers to set the tone. Amongst our choices. The FG poutine, cranberry FG, balsamic reduction FG and their special FG appetizer on a buckwheat pancake, potatoes, maple syrup and a big of egg yolk. While we gorged on the appetizers, time passed to allow our mains to be cooked. We shared a veal shank, which was good for 3-4 people. It took about 45 mins to cook but the wait was barely noticed due to everyone dipping bread into the various foie gras sauces left over from the appetizers. Two others shared duck in a can and one person had a French Onion soup that smelled great. The veal rack was loaded with veggies as well so it was a balanced meal. There was some left over due to the size. We did manage to consume about 90% of it. After that, we had no room for the desserts, which were tempting.
To conclude, this is a fabulous restaurant. I really appreciate the focus on the food and the service. The dishes here are quite unique. Feeling adventurous? In the mood for some seared veal heart or Pig's Head for two? This is your place. If those dishes don't appeal to you, there is some standard far as well, such as pork chops, ducks and fish. As much as I love the cuisine of my home city (Toronto) I am saddened that it does not have a restaurant of this calibre. At least, none that I am aware of. I admire Montreal's gastro scene. This is a shining example of it.
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