During my research for New Orleans, the popular Cochon restaurant kept coming up.
We were on the fence about whether to fit it into our iternary, but after having some swoon worthy sandwiches at their deli next door (Cochon Butcher), we decided we didn’t want to leave New Orleans wondering what we might have missed.
Cochon, which is a French word for pig, is a modern Cajun cuisine restaurant that pays homage to all things pork. Reservations are quite hard to come by, but we managed to snag a lunchtime one during our trip.
Lunch started with some complimentary bread
wood-fired oysters with chili garlic butter
These broiled oysters were swimming in a chili garlic butter mix that immediately woke up my tastebuds. It was a solid start to the meal.
braised pork cheeks with grits, grapefruit & toasted almonds
We choice this on the recommendation of our server. Honestly, it wasn’t anything memorable and I only remember feeling underwhelmed, especially after all the great praise the restaurant has received.
braised ham hock with sweet potato puree, brussels sprouts & pomegranate
This was, without a doubt, the highlight our meal. The braised ham hock had a wonderfully smoky flavor to it and the meat was fall-off-the bone tender. The side elements adding some stunning colors to the plate, as well as all tasting delicious and working in perfect harmony together. It tasted like Thanksgiving. I nearly licked the plate clean. I still think about that ham hock even now.
Overall, we had a solid meal here. However, I felt a little bit mixed about our visit. I think, if you have been to New Orleans before or are spending an extended time there, this place is worth a visit. But, if you are visiting for the first time and have only a limited amount of time, I would skip this, grab a bite next door at their Cochon Butcher, and spend the rest of your time enjoying the legendary eats of New Orleans.
You can read my Cochon Butcher post here. And you can find all my New Orleans posts here.
Cochon Restaurant
930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
https://www.cochonrestaurant.com/
Ah so cool that you visited New Orleans. Cochon is pretty great. When I went, I had turkey Gumbo and macaroni & cheese casserole, it was delicious!
Yum, those sound delicious! I wish I had got to meet you before my visit to New Orleans!