Martin picard restaurant montreal

By Matt Holt

I wanted this, badly. I’ve been hearing about it for years. I finally made plans to go and experience it. It is Au Pied de Cochon (“at the foot of the pig”), the swine-centric Montreal restaurant opened in 2001 by visionary chef and entrepreneur Martin Picard.

First, let me start by saying that the food here is very, very good and very, very rich.

It is all about flavors, the dining experience and excess. You feel like you’re in the know when you first enter this rustic French-Canadian bistro.

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You see eager diners huddled, talking excitedly about the nose-to-tail experience awaiting them. It’s that place.

Au Pied de Cochon is a small, warm and utilitarian place, tables are close together and the kitchen is open and lively.

Fires are going and the staff is hustling. There are a lot of people, cooks and wait staff, working for a relatively small place.

I sat in the back at the narrow bar, along with some other folks that quickly bec