Our last night in Montreal (and our honeymoon in Canada!) I had to make sure ended with a memorable meal, and so I made reservations at Au Pied de Cochon. A Yelp search brought it up as the number one restaurant reviewed in Montreal, and a quick glance at their menu provided enough tantalizing dishes that I didn't question immediately picking up the phone.
We arrived for a slightly early reservation, but the restaurant was completely packed and stayed that way into the evening! We waited just a few minutes for our table, but the hostess was lovely and let me take a peek at the Sugar Shack cookbook while we waited. Our waiter was fantastic, super friendly and informative, and congratulated us when he found out that we had just gotten married. We started with drinks: the Pied de Cochon beer for him (smooth, very drinkable) and I had the Cidre du Minot hard cider (slightly sweet, crisp, delicious). Our foie gras comisques quickly came out from the kitchen (warning, wait a little bit before chowing down), and we each popped one into our mouths and delighted in the creamy, almost liquid, piece of deep fried foie gras. They may seem small, but they're the perfect size.
We then had to wait a little bit for the two entrees we ordered, so we admired the other dishes surrounding us (and wished we could've ordered more food). We shared the Duck in a Can and a special stew gratin they had that evening. I have to say, the presentation skills of the staff are fantastic, and they adeptly uncanned the duck into a lovely presentation that we quickly destroyed as we devoured the succulent and tender duck breast, foie gras, mashed cauliflower, and toasted bread (if there's more there, I don't remember/care). SCRUMPTIOUS. The special stew had housemade pork/veal sausage, cannellini beans, spinach and root veggies, and foie gras of course! It was perfect comfort food, warm and filling.
I had to have dessert, and my husband was willing to indulge me since we wouldn't have another chance to dine there, so we shared the sugar pie for two and the milkshake with PDC maple toffee pieces. The shake came out first, and was delicious vanilla bean ice cream blended with the maple toffee that added a teeny bit of crunch. The sugar pie apparently came with 3-4 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, which we didn't expect but thoroughly enjoyed. The sugar pie is delicious, similar to having pecan pie without the pecans, with a buttery crust and warm, sweet, custard-y filling.
Our meal was so delicious, I'm coming back here, with or without anyone else because the food is just too good!