When we talked with Landon Schoenefeld about the influences that have shaped the menu and atmosphere of HauteDish — the restaurant he and his partners plan to open next month — he pointed us to an episode of “No Reservations” in which Anthony Bourdain visits Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal.
In it, Chef Martin Picard serves Bourdain Canard en Conserve — duck in a can. This comes after Bourdain has already consumed some 14 dishes featuring foie gras with everything from poutine to bacon-buckwheat pancakes. The server opens the can and, following a certain amount of gelatinous suction, a huge, indelicate glob of duck breast, foie gras, cabbage, and garlic slides out onto a bed of celery root puree and toast. Bourdain declares it delicious and, clearly overwhelmed by the fatty goodness, asks for something to drink.
“I think Martin Picard’s food is over the top,” says Schoenefeld (pictured above with business partner Jess Soine). “Au Pied de Cochon means foot of the pig, and that’s what you get; it’s nose-to-tail stuff and it’s really rustic but gluttonous. I wouldn’t say our restaurant is going to be that exactly — our food will be more refined and pretty — but I’m going for that feeling.”
[Originally appeared in Heavy Table. Photo credit: Becca Dilley]
Susan Pagani 