Cochon Restaurant and its sister joint “Butcher” are well known in New Orleans for serving some great meaty grub.
My friends and I went in a big group, so we got to try a lot of items. Here’s the full menu (minus the daily specials).
We started with some fried gator.
These bites were excellent. Gator meat, if you haven’t had it before, is like a cross between catfish and chicken in texture: tender but springy. These were spicy and saucy but still fried up nice and crisp on the outside.
Next up, probably one of the best dishes of the meal, braised pork cheeks.
Incredibly tender, and again with a bit of spice. Awesome way to begin the meal. I could eat this over and over.
Next up, a gorgeous charcuterie board.
The standout here was the pork rillette (in the tin cup). So smooth and tasty. But everything else was really nice as well (head cheese, coppa, prosciutto, homemade bologna, and even the pickled veggies).
Liver and onions, also well executed and delicious, is what my wife ordered to start. This had a great pepper jelly that really popped. It went nicely with the fresh mint.
Fried boudin (sausage) and rice balls. These were so soft inside and crispy outside.
For my entree I ordered a rib eye (of course) that was on the list of daily specials. It was essentially the center eye part of the rib eye only – no cap at all.
While this was very small, it was priced accordingly ($28). They misfired my first cut and went over, but they were smart enough not to bring it out to me. The second one, however, was slightly under from medium rare, and it felt rushed.
No matter, though. I’d rather eat a rare steak than a well done steak. The issue for me was that it just wasn’t very good. The sauce didn’t quite do it for me, and it was described as being roasted. I was sort of expecting prime rib given the description. 5/10.
My wife ordered the winning dish here. Ham hock.
It had a delicious dry spice rub on it that was a cross between sweet and spicy, and it was cooked perfectly throughout. The veggies, yogurt and quinoa underneath was a nice touch to make the fully composed dish well rounded and complete.
Their famous dish here, the cochon, was tasty but way too salty for my liking. One or two bites was all I could do. It also wasn’t that pretty so I didn’t bother trying to get a great shot of it.
Their oyster and bacon sandwich was massive.
It was loaded with tons of fried gulf oysters and smoky bacon. And it went nicely with some of their spicy vinegar and hot sauce.
Overall this was a pretty great meal with the exception of the steak. I would definitely go here again.
COCHON RESTAURANT
930 Tchoupitoulas St
Suite A
New Orleans, LA 70130
