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Editor's Note: From time to time, a guest blogger will appear in Relish. Recently, the founders of Rogue Underground Dining Society Event (commonly known as RUDSE), one of several Underground Dining restaurants in St. Louis, ventured to Montreal for some relaxation and inspiration. "The Rogue Chefs" visited several famous dining destinations, and some not so famous. Once a week for the next several weeks, their observations will appear in Relish (and we're betting some of the dishes therein may appear at a future RUDSE dinner.)
The relevance of Montreal’s seminal head to tail restaurant Au Pied De Cochon can still be felt far beyond the doors of its unassuming storefront. It can be hailed as one of the first farm-to-fork restaurants to break into the mainstream, but to do so would mean undermining its singular achievement, that of simply being an outstanding restaurant whose main goal is to provide a definite integration of patron and establishment. And it's done so with skill and whimsy, as even their t-shirts attest (shirts so cool they were virtually sold out at the time of our visit).
The food, prepared with Quebecois-influenced ingredients, is a wonderment. Keen, exacting dishes, some inspired (like a risotto prepared tableside in a hollowed-out parmesan wheel), others inspired and still relevant (like the now famous duck Magret, a half-duck with foie gras, partially cooked in a soup can, its contents emptied at the table).
Au Pied De Cochon's raison d'être lies not only in its sick array of foie gras dishes (like the foie-gravy topped trotter, below left) and obscure menu selections, like squab heart with poached egg, spicy greens, and pan jus (below right), but in its connection with its clientele. Never have we experienced restaurant dining where the patron becomes as relevant as the food. There is no disconnect as servers and assistants gather plates from the small, busy counter and transport them to the compact, but well-arranged, tables.
The mirror that covers the opposite length of the restaurant lends a hint of illusion and widens the actual size of what's now known simply as "Au Pied." Even the restroom facilities are within the field of the constant server traffic. The wine room looks like it is about to fall out of itself, with half-open, stacked boxes perched so precariously that only the window glass contains them.
Traveler tip: do not even entertain arriving at Au Pied without a reservation and always make sure you are very, very hungry.
