Au Pied de Cochon --Website problems

[VivreManger]

I checked the aPdC website just now. They have yet to replace their winter with their summer menu. As the French site claims, "Presentement, Marcel Picard vous offre un menu en harmonie avec l'hiver." The English makes the same claim that currently the winter menu is on offer.

Admittedly the weather has been reluctant to recognize the date, but next week the thermometer is supposed to hit the high twenties (celsius) eighties (Farenheit).

I love lamb shank, cassoulet, and venison, but I can't believe it will dominate the menu when it is so hot.

The lack of updating is particularly ironic since the restaurant claims to offer "Gastronomie temporelle" which is rendered in English with literal cluelessness as "Temporal Gastronomy". Perhaps it should be more accurately renamed "Dated Gastronomy" or "Yesterday's Menu"?

I suspect the cochonnailes plate will stay the same -- is it basically sliced sausaged and cured ham, or does it have more challenging items like innards and guts spilled across the table, a la St. John's in London?

Can anybody update the menu since the website can't?

In addition to being out of date, the website is too graphically sophisticated to be useful. Flying pigs and carousel restaurant logos are all well and good, but the website should allow the viewer to down-load useful information, like menu items, coordinates, etc. I can't copy a single word out of that website. It refuses to accept my cut and paste commands.

Increasingly website designers are sabotaging their basic purpose, providing easily accessible information, in order to indulge in graphic razz matazz cluttered with bells and whistles. Zaytinya in DC falls victim to this self-indulgence. Too bad the flying pig's foot does the same.

I have been trying to post the website in this message, , THIS IS WHERE I ORIGINALLY POSTED THE SITE WITHIN ANGLE BRACKETS, BUT THE EDITOR SIMPLY REMOVED THE DATA AND LEFT THESE HANGING COMMAS INSTEAD www.aupieddecochon.ca, but it seems that when I put it within angle brackets <>, the version that appears on eGullet removes the data. I will try it again with this new version.

+++

VivreManger:

Is this what you are trying to do?

http://www.aupieddecochon.ca

It's doen like this

[URL=http://www.aupieddecochon.ca/]http://www.aupieddecochon.ca[/URL]

http://www.aupieddecochon.ca

Or like this

[URL]http://www.aupieddecochon.ca[/URL]

Bux

Edited June 22, 2003 by Bux (log)

[Lesley C]

Vivre, this is a common problem.

I went through about 50 Montreal restaurant sites this week, and they all have dated menus. I think the original push to get the menu on line is commendable, but little effort is made to keep it up to date. The wine lists are even worse.

I see these sites as a marketing tool that gives the customer an idea of a restaurant's style. APdC crazy site is quite appropriate.

Most of them don't even list the restaurant's hours of operation.

And don't even get me started on spelling mistakes and translation errors.

[jersey13]

You both make good points. Having done a restaurant web site myself, I can tell you that it is not always easy to get the updated info from the owners, etc, especially if the resto isn't their only gig. I am not knocking the people I have worked with but just getting enough info to launch the site is a challenge. Things change so fast and I think alot of webmasters are freelancers that come and go and people don't have the money to keep them on retainer, which could well be the case here. That's not a bad thing if your site is basically a static online brochure, but I suspect that once the site goes live, it gets lost in all the other responsibilities of running the business.. Nothing new...it happens in alot of industries. The problem with the web in general is that anybody can publish online. You could have a site up on a couple of hours, but keeping it current is a different ball of wax.

I agree completely that function often is sacrificed for glitz. But that can be said for alot of sites. As new techniques pop up, web monkeys want to be the first to use them etc and the viewer is forced to sit through the webmaster's latest technological innnovation, but still can't locate the address of the restaurant.

As for translation etc, yup, it's a problem alright. But I guess a budget is not always set aside for translation services, which is unfortunate, because they would never try to get away with that in print.

[Lesley C]

Oh they get away with it in print allright. You should see some of the menus I run into.

[Bux]

Increasingly website designers are sabotaging their basic purpose, providing easily accessible information, in order to indulge in graphic razz matazz cluttered with bells and whistles.

Too bad indeed. A site I once worked on, now announces quite empahatically that you can't enter unless you are using the latest version of Internet Explorer. While that almost guarantees you will see the site only as intended, it also guarantees the owners of the restaurant are excluding all those whose computers can't run the latest version of IE, or run other browsers for any number of reasons. The site is now focused on how it looks rather than communication of information, but it looks good to the owner on his machine and I assume he's pleased.

[VivreManger]

Thanks for all the website responses. Perhaps it will do some good.

However, I am also interested in the gastronomic questions? Any more menu info?

[jersey13]

If their website is a disaster, try giving them a buzz. It's low tech, but it's been known to work. (and be sure to let them know their site sucks).

[jersey13]

Oh they get away with it in print allright. You should see some of the menus I run into. 

Point taken. I spoke too soon.

[Lesley C]

Trust me, I've seen a lot of sites and that site doesn't suck.

It's outdated and a bit eccentric, but it sure doesn't suck.

[jersey13]

Okay, so "sucks" may be too strong a word (especially for something I haven't seen ),although you wouldn't know it from the tone of VM's post(yikes!) .So how about if he "airs his concerns about its timeliness and accessibility" while he has them on the phone?

Edited June 22, 2003 by jersey13 (log)

[VivreManger]

Actually I thought my comments represented a mild expression of annoyed bemusement. I don't think the site sucks. I do think that it is an example of technology run amok.

I don't know why it did not allow me to cut and paste useful information so I could download it to a more user-friendly document, something I have been able to do with almost anything else I examine. I would prefer to do that than to see pigs fly. (If you check the site, you will understand what I mean).

This site is hardly the only example of one that has outdated information. Most other so-called Information Technology sites never keep up either. Since that is almost a given, site managers would be much wiser if they did not fill their pages with datable information.

However I would much prefer to hear about the new menu than to comment on the site's techno-foibles. Once again I return to that question.

Thanks in advance to anyone out there who wants to respond to that point.

[eat2much]

Well, the website may have some weaknesses but the food is pretty amazing! After not having been there for over a year I have been back 2x in that last 2 weeks. The summer menu has a number of seafood platters as well as clams and oysters available by the piece. Lobster is available, but at $30 a pound. There is a fresh fish of the day and the full battery of cholesterol classics.

Tonight I had a half dozen oysters served with a nice red wine vinegar and shallot mignonette followed by a venison hanger steak and fries. The pouding chaumeur is not to be missed.

[identifiler]

It's pretty simple, this restaurant offers a pretty large menu. You shouldn't worry about anything other than what is on your plate. You won't be disappointed. The produce's Martin uses are extremely fresh, I'd really like to know were he gets some of it because the sea food platter is pretty impressive. Fairly soon, he will add the salt marsh lamb if not done already.

I wouldn't worry much about technology and other things. Go ask Picard about this kind of stuff, he'll probably show you one of his skillet and explain what he is best at. Also, check out some of the market offering he has sometimes to take out. Sometimes they all go nuts and make about 10 boxes of home made ketchup for sale in 500ml mason jar. I'm sure he's done something crazy with rasberrie's or is selling the 60 or so japanese hybrid lilies that clutter the bar area...

[carswell]

The produce's Martin uses are extremely fresh, I'd really like to know were he gets some of it because the sea food platter is pretty impressive.

APDC receives twice-weekly air shipments of seafood from the Magdalen Islands, where Picard has developed contacts. The quality is extraordinary and the seafood platters are indeed things of beauty. Why few (no?) other Montreal restaurants offer them is beyond me, especially as they're all the rage in Paris and NYC. I also wonder why so few restaurants feature local seafood beyond the ubiquitous Matane shrimp and Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crabs and lobster. Some of APDC's Magdalen fish are among the best I've ever eaten anywhere. Why do so many places ignore superb local produce in favour of fish sourced in NYC or the Mediterranean?

[riboflavinjoe]

i havent been to rosalie of late, but i've seen splendid seafood platters there. maybe at globe, too.

(EDIT)

<---fresh white fish and trout netted from the kuujjuaq river, july, 2002...mmm!

Edited July 10, 2003 by riboflavinjoe (log)

[Slipstream]

Some of APDC's Magdalen fish are among the best I've ever eaten anywhere. Why do so many places ignore superb local produce in favour of fish sourced in NYC or the Mediterranean?

I've never been to APDC but with what you just wrote that will be on my to-visit list in high priority. Being from the Magdalen Islands I'm totally open to eat fresh stuff coming from there :)

What fishes do APDC usually offers?

Martin

[carswell]

What fishes do APDC usually offers?

It varies greatly according to the arrivages, so you never know until you sit down and ask. A few that stand out in my mind are a baby flounder (sweet, clean taste, impossibly flaky texture), a monkfish (taste and texture miles beyond those of any monkfish you'll find at a fishmonger's), a mackerel and an intensely flavoured crab. Not all the fish and shellfish offered at APDC come from the Magdalens, but the ones that do are in a league of their own.

By the way, the Magdalen fish are available only in the summer months; the season ends in early September. And I think I was told that Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are the delivery days (you could call them up and ask).

[identifiler]

Mmmm That reminds me, I read somewhere that Tuesday and Thursday nights are the real nights to check out a restaurant since most of them get their grocey in that day... Is that true ? I think I read it in the naked chef, who also said friday and saturday customers are usually loosers...

[mcmillan]

in montreal the fish comes in on monday,teusday evening and thursday evening,monday for all the florida fish,tuna, sword ,mahi ,pompano ,tile,grouper,american red snapper,teusday the fish arrives from fulton fish in nyc,and thursday the same,all other fish or all your standard atlantic seaboard fish and sea food,all maritime fish and seafood comes to montreal whenever by midland transport,oysters ,halibut ,fundysalmon,mackerel,clams.......

[champignon]

Since we are on the subject of fish, I'd like to recommend an excellent restaurant experience I had at DelFino on LaJoie which is west of Parc and one block south of VanHorne. This is a little neighborhood place where the husband is the chef and the wife is the maitre'd, so the concern for your pleasure is genuine and thoughtful. The fish is the freshest I've ever eaten at a restaurant except for Al Covo in Venice. The main courses are $25 plus or minus, but are very generous portions of fish. Fish is the only thing on the menu, and when I dined it included snapper, pompano and about 3 other choices, all prepared to order, from intact fresh fish to fillet, to supper.

The other amazing element to this restaurant are the wine prices. All of you Globe- trotters and Rosalie -goers would drool at the mimimal mark- ups on Chianti Classicos and Brunellos, and other Italian gems. I almost regret posting this; I wouldn't want this place to get too popular. I drank a bottle of Alois Lagerer Pinot Nero Krakuss (I think that's the spelling) with supper for $65 and later found it at SAQ Signatures selling for $50. The other offerings are similarly marked up; ;this is a restaurant that encourages rather that discourages drinking better wine. There is very little in the way of white wine which is disturbing for a fish restaurant, (perhaps storage issues??) and the list is heavily Italian, but the pleasure in seeing these prices makes up for its narrowness of scope.

The atmoshere is very cozy, and romantic; really like being in an antique boat, all of the walls wood panelled and mirrored. Okay the food isn't flashy. You won't find exotic micro-greens and towering verticality. You will find fresh fish, and honest preparations, for a fair price, and the best wine prices in Montreal.

[carswell]

Since we are on the subject of fish, I'd like to recommend an excellent restaurant experience I had at DelFino on LaJoie which is west of Parc and one block south of VanHorne.  This is a little neighborhood place where the husband is the chef and the wife is the maitre'd, so the concern for your pleasure is genuine and thoughtful.  The fish is the freshest I've ever eaten at a restaurant except for Al Covo in Venice.  The main courses are $25 plus or minus, but are very generous portions of fish.  Fish is the only thing on the menu, and when I dined it included snapper, pompano and about 3 other choices, all prepared to order, from intact fresh fish to fillet, to supper.

The other amazing element to this restaurant are the wine prices.  All of you Globe- trotters and Rosalie -goers would drool at the mimimal mark- ups on Chianti Classicos and Brunellos, and other Italian gems.  I almost regret posting this; I wouldn't want this place to get too popular.  I drank a  bottle of Alois Lagerer Pinot Nero Krakuss (I think that's the spelling) with supper for $65 and later found it at SAQ Signatures selling for $50.  The other offerings are similarly marked up; ;this is a restaurant that encourages rather that discourages drinking better wine.  There is very little in the way of white wine which is disturbing for a fish restaurant, (perhaps storage issues??) and the list is heavily Italian, but the pleasure in seeing these prices makes up for its narrowness of scope.

The atmoshere is very cozy, and romantic; really like being in an antique boat, all of the walls wood panelled and mirrored.  Okay the food isn't flashy.  You won't find exotic micro-greens and towering verticality.  You will find fresh fish, and honest preparations, for a fair price, and the best wine prices in Montreal.

Couldn't agree more, champ. The cooking is first rate and (hurrah!) more comforting than challenging, the welcome is warm and heartfelt, and the decor is cozy. The terrasse in front of the restaurant is great on warm evenings. Lunch (on Thursdays and Fridays only, I believe) is a good deal. The menu sometimes includes meat, by the way, but fish rules in more ways than one.

All in all, Delfino is a feel-good kind of place as well as one of the city's value-for-money champions. Don't worry about its being overrun by hungry hoards, however. It may be only a short block north of bustling Bernard, but it's well off the beaten path, out of sight and out of mind, as far as the general public is concerned. I've recommended it on other boards, yet, as far as I know, no one has ever gone there on my advice. If anything, we should fret about the opposite problem, which was one of the things that made staying in business a dicey proposition for the restaurants that occupied that space before Delfino. Still, it has hung in there for -- what is it? -- five or six years now.

(And about the Alois Lageder pinot: close but no cigar. It's Krafuss.)

Edited July 12, 2003 by carswell (log)

[Lesley C]

Hmm, I like Delfino. The owner, a man by the name of George Georgi is very nice. The big thing to try there is the grilled octopus. It's like something out of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Service can be a problem there, though. I think their son waits tables on occasion, and he aint that big on smiles and menu recommendations. Thank God I went three times when I reviewed the place.

But I agree, fish-wise it's excellent. The scallops are also quite something.

[grill-it]

Note to Moderator:

Would it be alright to move the last few postings to a new topic entitled "Delfino" - I had a hell of time finding this thread (I had forgotten the name of the restaurant) ... I'm on my way to Delfino tonight...

[champignon]

Last night I dined at Au Pied de Cochon, after hearing numerous rave reviews. It was my second experience since they opened and was, for the most part, a positive one. The service was much improved from my first visit; we felt very well taken care of, though I suppose our location directly beside the server's station might have lent itself to that. The service was't very polished, or smooth, but it was sincere, and I didn't experience the snobby waiter attitude that has kept me away from PDC for so long. Situations, like being dripped upon by the air conditioner, were handled with humour.

The wine list was quite enticing, though expensive. The usual 100% mark-up seemed to apply accross the board, so no deals; however I enjoyed a glass of okay white, and very good red with my meal.

Foodwise our experience was good, not miraculous. The oysters were fantastic, as were the shrimp from Sept -Iles. The salad of greens, apples, blue cheese was very generous and tasty. The level of the meal dipped from there with cerf onglet, magret de canard, mussel soup and poutine. The duck was competantly prepared, the sauce flavourful, the mushrooms plentiful, but the flavours were a bit two dimensional; it just wasn't lip smacking good to the last bite. Sigh. The poutine was in fine form, though in retrospect I wish I'd ordered the fish. Or more oysters. Unfortunately, the mussel soup was brackish, and saltier than than sea-water. Was this prepared with the water from the mighty St.Laurence river?? I mean, I know I have high food expectations, but my date, who isn't even close to a food snob, couldn't eat it. They were very gracious about it however, and removed it from our bill. Overall it was enjoyable, and I will go back. The atmosphere is relaxed and comforting - no problem putting your elbows on the table. I would be interested to compare the level of cooking I experienced to that on a night when the chef is in the house.

[identifiler]

Does anyone know if Picard has gone to his late summer menu with salt marsh lamb, more oysters and more fish ?

I am going back with a bunch of friends and would hate to miss this by a week or so.