Great time in MTL.. [Travel]
2009 Jan 8
Glad you loved PDC...it is my favourite Canadian resto by far, I am sure my friends are tired of hearing me wax on and on about it.
I always read about the foie gras poutine in magazines and newspapers, and I have to say it is by far the most ordinary dish I have tried there. I feel Picard is getting shortchanged with that publicity.
I always read about the foie gras poutine in magazines and newspapers, and I have to say it is by far the most ordinary dish I have tried there. I feel Picard is getting shortchanged with that publicity.
2009 Jan 12
Tracinho: i don't know.. i've seen a lot of publicity also for their signature "canard en conserve" (duck in a can). In fact, that's the dish i heard from first when it came to PDC. If i recall correctly, it's what was served to Anthony Bourdain the first time he went there.
And THAT dish is great. :))
And THAT dish is great. :))
Daft_diner
Lunch was at Chez Jano right beside Schwartz's, a little churrasco place. Awesome chicken and squid, top notch. Seriously good.
Dinner was at Au Pied de Cochon. OMG, it was simply amazing. A real eye-opener. Just amazing excellence of execution.
Sat at the bar right in front of the app prep counter, I'd say it is arguably the best seat in the house. Wife and I had the foie gras au pommes, a sort of caramelized apple danish with gruyere and a balsamic reduction, topped with a generous chunk of seared foie gras. Now, I've had my fair of foei gras in my life, and this piece was by far and large the best EVER. Silky smooth, and the most intense rich taste. Alot of the foie I have had has had a metallic\offal-ish finish, which is not always a bad thing, but this was just pure flavour and richness.
Next up wereer the cod croquettes, excellent.
Mains were cassoulet and lamb confit. The lamb was exquisite, and a very very generous portion. The fire-roasted cassoulet was ridiculous, probably the richest food I have ever had. Made the foie gras feel like a salad...Full confit duck leg, chorisco sausage, huge chunk of pork belly. The beans and sauce were just perfect, so intense. An excellent creme brulée finished off the Jenny Craig meal.
So his sous-chef was in charge of the kitchen, but Picard was hovering around, having a good time and often keeping an eye on his cooks...Their headsare definitely down when he is around. Saw him chew out a bunch of cooks for various things, like not having enough cheese on the soup and skimping on the pork belly and juice in the cassoulet. After one particular outrage he took the young chef aside and told him 'If I am mean it is because I am drinking. But the point remains the same, pay better attention please'.
Got to talk to him, great character and a nice guy. Has true pride and passion for his craft.
A funny thing was that the people beside us were cooks at Jamie Kennedy's wine bar. They ordered a ridiculous amount of food and were dying with how goood and rich everything was. They talked to Picard and he was veot checked any priocry happy to have them and told them to tell Jamie that he just bought a sugar shack.
So all in all it was a fantastic experience. It was some of the best food I have had, and I gotta say it has to be the absolute best value I have ever experienced in a restaurant, bar none. We had not paid much attention to prices, and were simply shocked at how low the bill was, even with a 60$ bottle of wine, given the quality and quantity of food we had. I've paid triple for meals that would pale in comparison.