text: Upon learning that Au Pied de Cochon likes to inject foie gras into everything from poutine to pancakes I knew I had to give these people some businessnnOne of my friends scored us reservations at the bar which adjoins an entirely open kitchen where Chef Martin Picard and his capable cadre of culinary alchemists created their inimitable dishes mere feet away from usnnPicard is handson and oversees or participates in every aspect of the food preparation all while getting wasted in plain view of his customers Watching Picard chug an Irish Car Bomb two glasses of wine and three pints of beer in the two hours I was there was unreal By the time I left the dudes body was rocking back and forth and one of his eyes was permanently closed It was awesome they should give him a reality TV shownnI began the meal with the bison tongue appetizer tender strips of meat prepared with tarragon The meat itself was sweet and had a powerful and distinct flavornnMy dining partner ordered the venison tartare which she let me taste Nicely seasoned with capers shallots lemon and a hint of capsicum it was probably the most delicate and lean of all of the food that I samplednnMy entruee however was a unique and innovative achievement of culinary gluttony Canard en Conserve or Duck in a Can Duck in a Can is half a duck magret with a hunk of foie gras tucked under the skin buttered cabbage bacon roasted garlic two sprigs of thyme and venison demiglace sealed and cooked in a cannnThe can was opened by the server in front of me and dumped over toast covered with celery root puree Yes it tastes as insane and rich as it soundsnnMy duck magret was not the only tantalizing piece of meat at Au Pied de Cochon prepcook Emilys derriere thrilled as she calmly executed Picards grand scheme such a full wonderfully shaped backside for a white woman that I slurred on about it ad nauseum even as my friends eyes rolled each time I did sonnEmily and all of the kitchen staff were friendly occasionally stopping inbetween chopping vegetables to ask how we were enjoying our meals or to answer our questions about dishes they were working onnnThe only negative thing I can say about this place is its lack of quality singlemalt scotch but this appears to be a systemic problem throughout Montrueal I happily settled with a Macallan which went well with the Pouding Chufmeur dessert literally translated as a poor mans pudding This resembled a bread pudding made with a maple syrup custard and sponge cakennI look forward to returning to Au Pied de Cochon on future visits to the city I would recommend this experience to anyone who loves food and would also suggest that you try to score a bar seat reservation so you can watch Chef Picard get piss drunk in front of you