Let me start with the disclaimer that I have an almost inexhaustible love of duck. Duck breast, duck confit, duck prosciutto: I love it at all. (Though I must admit, I am not so big on foie gras, for a variety of reasons.) I, a former vegetarian, with a solid loyalty to my early-morning gym visits, just can’t say no to the richly glistening, fatty loveliness of crispy duck skin. I would shun any other carnivorous delight for the sake of it. Keep your rib-eyes – I am a fan of the dark prince of fowl.

So naturally, when I an a couple of close friends decided on weekend trip to Montreal, my mind immediately turned to duck. Yes, yes… there’s the nightlife, the shopping, the cinq a sept, the beauty of the architecture, the overall stylish, social nature of the city and it’s occupants that I looked forward to. We planned destinations to enjoy all of this. But if there was one thing that I insisted on doing over the weekend, it would be to eat duck, and it would be eating said duck at Au Pied De Cochon, Martin Picard’s temple to Quebecois cuisine and all things swimming in saturated fat.

For those of you unfamiliar with Chef Martin Picard, he’s a pretty delightful character. Most recently he’s been seen on Food Network Canada promoting the traditional cuisine of La Belle Provence (with a side of humour) on The Wild Chef. Since opening Au Pied de Cochon in 2001, his aim has been to bring pure pleasure through food to his customers. According to the website www.quebeciscooking.com “One thus goes to Au pied de cochon for the comforting pleasures of a meat-plentiful and generous kitchen, terroir inspired. Keep in mind that Martin Picard is a larger-than-life character, for whom eating well means eating a lot, and drinking well means drinking a lot.” Add to that the large amount of duck on the menu – and it was a done deal. The resos were made. Saturday at 9:30 pm. Joy!

Incidentally, Friday night’s dinner at the very trendy Leméac at 1045 Laurier Ave. West did not disappoint at all. In fact, it was delicious. My ragoût d’escargots, portabella et tomates confites beurre mousseux au basilic was a lovely starter, and for a main….yes you guessed it…. cuisse de canard confite, pommes de terre rattes rôties au gros sel et salade (duck confit) were an incredible warm-up for the main event.

(That’s right….duck two nights in a row. I may have a problem.)

Fast-forward to Saturday night (past the partying, obligatory trip to Schwartz’s and shopping), and we arrive at Au Pied De Cochon for our resos. The restaurant is a warm space, just rustic enough to lend the right amount of charm but with the progressively cool vibe that Montrealers so love. It’s buzzing that night, and we get a great table with a view of the room and the great collection of wines available. The service was nothing short of expert and very friendly. We started with deep-fried zucchini blossoms (a personal favourite) and a classic french onion soup, mercifully NOT over-salted as I have often found at other restaurants, but with a layer of gruyere about an inch thick. Deeelsih. Maybe I was just happy to be there, but even the bread and butter at the table was incredible. But I was trying to reserve a bit of room for the main event. Trying. And it was worth it.

What I had been looking forward to for so long was Au Pied De Cochon’s legendary Duck In A Can or “canard en conserve” to be correct. With a side of poutine.

Essentially, Duck in a Can," is actually cooked in a can, served at your table in a can, then opened in front of you. Inside is half a magret (duck breast), which is at the center; they also manage to fit in a lobe a foie gras, roasted garlic, sprigs of thyme, cabbage, and venison demi-glace. The whole thing cooks into a rich concoction, served over mammoth slabs of grilled toast which are covered in a celery root puree. I can pretty much assure you that it was heaven. Or at the very least, I was in heaven. Add to that the perfect poutine with frites cooked in duck fat (natch), perfectly rich gravy, and the biggest, squeakiest cheese curds ever – and of course great wine and company, and it doesn’t get much better than that.

My only regret? Not having enough room for tarte au sucre for dessert.

Au Pied De Cochon is located at 536 rue Duluth Est. For more information go to www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca.

Michelle Jobin is the host and producer of Toronto Dining and a Weather Specialist for Global News. She is especially fond of duck confit, dark chocolate ganache, and thunderstorms.