Offal for Oana! Places to get offal in Montreal

[moh]

On another thread about offal, Oana requested the names of restaurants that provide yummy offal dishes:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/585451

So let's get started, shall we?

Asian restaurants are a great place to find offal, but you have to get past the English menu. Cuisine Szechuan has an excellent selection of offal on their English menu, including an excellent pork tongue and heart appetizer. Dim sum places are a great place to find offal like chickens feet, pork blood sausage, tripe, etc. I have seen these things at Kam Fung, Le President (now Tong Por), New Jing Hua, just to name a few places.

Latin American/South American restaurants have good selections as well. I loved anticuchos, marinated Peruvian cow heart on a stick, and had a delicious version from Chicos. Here is a thread on this topic:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/425695

I have had Soon dae (Korean blood pudding) at Kagopa, and it is pretty tasty. I had a fabulous Morcilla tapas at Pinxtos recently done in a phyllo pastry and with apple. Boudin Noir is present on many french menus as well.

Sweetbreads are usually available (Ris de veau) as are kidneys (Rognons) in most French bistros/restaurants. I have enjoyed the sweetbreads at Bistro L'Entrepont, but they are the most common offal dish available in French restos in my experience.

I love the chopped liver at Bouchonne, the wine bar. Really fabulous.

I am a fan of the calf liver at Lemeac. It comes with delicious mashed potatoes.

Pig's foot is very delicious at Au Pied de Cochon. I also had some very tasty tongue there in their Choucroute, although they left the surface on, and I was a little creeped out by the sight of taste buds on my meat. But It was delicious.

Well that is a start. Let's hope others will pitch in!

[blond_america]

On the south side of Ste. Catherine between St. Mathieu and St. Marc is a place called Nord Sud Café ( the sign is a little hard to figure out because the exact order of the words is Nord Café Café Sud). They seem to serve pekinese and cantonese style food. A quick glance of the menu reveals several interesting dishes including fried pig intestines, pig intestines with chili, duck blood soup, braised goat and yuxiang eggplant. I'd love to try them out but with the sudden explosion of quality chinese food in the Concordia ghetto they'll have to take their place in line!

[mainsqueeze]

Also, an honorable mention to the Treasure Bean Curd dish at Hong Kong wich contains pork stomach and other offal.

[bigfellow]

For Pigs Feet, try the Dominion Pub (Montreal's oldest BTW) on Metcalfe just south of St Catherines next to Dunn's. They really do it well.
The chef is from France, with 20 years in Germany before coming to Canada.

[carswell]

Whoa. The former Dominion Square Tavern. For the longest time serving a mainly gay clientele, much like the Peel Pub (aka the Real Rub), until that demographic abandoned downtown for Le Village. Great decor (if you can ignore the TVs, it's like stepping into the pre-World War II era). Had heard pig's trotters (with sauerkraut, right?) were a specialty but never followed up on it. Anything else of interest on the menu?

[bigfellow]

They have a newish Chef from France who worked in Germany for 20 or so years. They seem to have a very busy lunch crowd of local business people.
Last week one of the lunch specials was home made german sausages (bratwurst) mit spatzelle. Vey nice. Today I had a nice veal cutlet (I think it was really pork, but it was only $9.95) with a cream sauce made with bacon & onions. I go about once a week.

[oana]

Wow. This is fantastic. Who knew there were so many places :) Long live organ meat! :) Thank you again for starting this moh.
happy eating, oana

[lagatta]

bigfellow, that sounds fantastic. Only $9,95 in the central business district? This is worth a trek.

[porker]

Speaking of pigs knuckle (feet), Mazurka on Prince Arthur does a good Polish rendition.

Along the lines of mainsqueeze, you can find a few items in Ruby Rouge dim sum - pork blood, tripe, pork intestine, chicken feet, sliced pigs feet, beef tendon (my favorite), sometimes duck feet.
There's also a stew of various innards which escapes me, but its served from a stainless steel cart.

[blond_america]

Mazurka might also serve flaki which is basically a polish tripe soup. I never thought to check because i can't stand the stuff myself.

When i was young and my parents would cook some up i would have to leave the house because of the smell.

[porker]

When I was a kid, my mom would clean then cook pork kidneys for my dad. I'd close my bedroom door as the house would fill with the smell of urine.

[blond_america]

A friend of mine has informed me that Wawel sells frozen containers of flaki in case somebody wants offal "to go". Not sure if every location has it though.

[mainsqueeze]

Here are my favourites from around town:

• tongue with thyme appetizer at Au Pied de Cochon - absolutely melt-in-your-mouth fantastic
• tongue at Maria Bonita (a mexican resto, 5269 avenue Casgrain)
• fried sweetbreads at Club Chasse Et Peche
• tripe pizza at APDC
• boudin at Leméac (even a boudin hater like me had a bite and I have to admit it is good!)

[carswell]

«boudin at Leméac (even a boudin hater like me had a bite and I have to admit it is good!)»

Aside from you, me and SnackHappy, no one here raves about the boudin. And yet it's one of the best and most unusual (astoundingly spiced, loose textured, sans casing) in the city, and the cider sauce is perfect. What's more, it's on the post-22:00 menu.

[blond_america]

My first boudin experience was at Lemeac and i enjoyed it. I liked that it kinda looked like a chocolate dessert square. I was expecting it to have a casing so i was surprised when i saw it. But i have no other blood sausage reference to compare it to.

[oana]

This is making me salivate :).
happy eating, Oana

[souschef]

Does Le P'Tit Plateau deep-fry or braise their sweetbreads?

[emerilcantcook]

Most Pho shops will have tripe, and (not sure all but some) will have congealed blood. My favorite is Pho Bac 97, though last time I had the broth wasn't as good as before. Well, perhaps a bad day.

Gryphon d'or serves haggis, but I think only on special days. Perhaps you can also pre-order.

Some Greek restaurants might offer kokoretsi (a meli melo of fabulous lamb organs and intestines, spit grilled) and tripe soup; but I cannot direct you to specific menus. Can anyone help me with this, I think I just started craving. Me want intestines.

[hungryann]

Patsas (tripe soup) can be had at Tripoli in Parc-X and kokoretsi i susually available on the week-ends at Panama. I am not sure if Atomic in Chomedey has it as well.

[emerilcantcook]

Thank you. Mmm smelly offal...

[BLM]

Moh, you mentioned you liking the liver & onions combination. Have you seen any Montreal restaurants servings it?

[lagatta]

Not a restaurant, but I bought some rabbit livers, and tiny kidneys, at Boucherie du Marché this week. Just a matter of when they've dressed rabbits.

Wonder if Le Canard libéré does duck livers with onion?

I confess that offal pizza does not appeal, but I don't usually like any meat on pizza, except perhaps some seafood, or good Italian sausage. I'd make two courses, even if the offal one is awfully small.

[bigjeff]

anyone read that gorgeous recipe book from Martin Picard? gorgeous photos, such offal food porn!

[oana]

it is sitting in my kitchen in all its fatty glory :) have you made anything from it yet?
happy eating, oana

[bigjeff]

oh my. that is a bad-ass book and I've yet to try cooking any of the main dishes. its not so much a functional cookbook for me as much as offal porn; intrigued with trying some of the bread recipes though. and definitely its influenced me to try using a lot more of those ingredients in other recipes.

[oana]

it is pretty crazy :) you have to get to know some farmers to make a lot of the dishes in there so that you can get the best quality offal around.
that is so wonderful - then its goal has been satisfied :)
happy eating, oana

[oana]

This is gold. :) Pure gold :). You are the best :).
Thank you moh! :)
Happy eating, Oana

[carswell]

Recent sightings/hearings:
- sweetbreads and brains at Au Cinquième Péché (though neither is currently on the menu)
- sweetbreads at Le P'tit Plateau
- venison liver, kidneys and tripe pizza at Au Pied du Cochon
- calf's liver and sweetbreads at Les Infidèles
- foie gras just about everywhere <sigh>.

[moh]

Oh yeah! I forgot about the wonderful sweetbreads at Le P'tit Plateau! My mind is weak (but my stomach strong).

[oana]

lol! :) thank you :)

[BLM]

The offal pizza at Au Pied du Cochon is a special, or is it on their winter menu?

[oana]

That might explain whay I have never seen it there ...have you had it BLM? If so can you kindly describe it in detail? :)
Happy eating, Oana

[BLM]

I didn't know about it, until carswell mentioned it(you probably realize now).

[oana]

yup :) lol :)
happy eating, oana

[carswell]

On ze menu. See for yourself: www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca

And, no, I've not tried it.

[oana]

I can't believe it :) my eyes have gazed upon this menu countless times and I never noticed it before today :) Chapeaux BLM :)

[oana]

Nooooo! :) Offal Pizza?! I have never seen that on his menu...God bless him and his originality :). Thank you carswell!
Happy eating, Oana

[blond_america]

Club Chasse et Pêche also has sweetbread. A dining companion ordered it and i tried a bite. That was the first time i had ever heard of it and it was great!