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 business.\n\nOne 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 us.\n\nPicard is hands-on 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 dude's body was rocking back and forth and one of his eyes was permanently closed. It was awesome, they should give him a reality TV show.\n\nI 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 flavor.\n\nMy 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 sampled.\n\nMy entr\u00e9e, 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 demi-glace, sealed and cooked in a can.\n\nThe 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 sounds.\n\nMy duck magret was not the only tantalizing piece of meat at Au Pied de Cochon; prep-cook Emily's derriere thrilled as she calmly executed Picard's grand scheme -- such a full, wonderfully shaped backside for a white woman that I slurred on about it ad nauseum, even as my friend's eyes rolled each time I did so.\n\nEmily and all of the kitchen staff were friendly, occasionally stopping in-between chopping vegetables to ask how we were enjoying our meals, or to answer our questions about dishes they were working on.\n\nThe only negative thing I can say about this place is its lack of quality single-malt scotch, but this appears to be a systemic problem throughout Montr\u00e9al. I happily settled with a Macallan 18, which went well with the Pouding Ch\u00f4meur dessert, literally translated as a poor man's pudding. This resembled a bread pudding made with a maple syrup custard and sponge cake.\n\nI look forward to returning to Au Pied de Cochon on future visits to the city. I'd 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.