The Room
Au Pied de Cochon opened in 2001 on Avenue Duluth in the Plateau and has spent the twenty-three years since defining what Quebec gourmand cuisine means at the international level. Martin Picard's premise: foie gras with everything, indulgence as a virtue, and a kitchen that refuses to apologise for any of it. The dining room is small (60 seats), the kitchen is open and visible from the floor, and the booking window is four to eight weeks ahead.
Service is bistro-warm, well-paced, and unceremonious. Picard is frequently in the dining room. The bar (six seats) is walk-in only.
The Food
The menu is the menu — foie gras poutine, foie gras tarte tatin, the cromesquis, the plogue à champlain, the duck-in-a-can — and rarely changes. The portions are generous; the cuisine is French-Quebec with an indulgent register; the wine programme leans natural and Quebec-friendly.
The Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon (Picard's sugar shack outside Mirabel) is the country-house extension of the Plateau room and the booking that defines Quebec-spring.
Best Occasion Fit
Birthday: Au Pied de Cochon handles birthdays with the warmth a Plateau institution should — a candle, the foie gras tarte tatin, Picard frequently in the dining room. Mention the occasion at booking.
Team Dinner: Au Pied de Cochon for a team dinner is the Montreal version of doing it correctly — a long table, the duck-in-a-can passed around, the foie gras shared, Picard's hospitality.