Cochon

[philadining]

Cochon

801 East Passyunk (at Catherine)

215-923-7675

We dropped by opening night at Cochon on friday. In all the excitement, I managed to forget my camera, so, sorry, no pics. We think they were very smart in taking only a limited number of reservations, and turning away walk-ins, so that they could start out at a reasonable pace. We really appreciated that they preferred to concentrate on getting it right, rather than packing people in.

And they did indeed get it mostly right. There may have been a few opening jitters, but nothing major, overall everything was very smooth. There were no specials this night, but plenty to choose from on the regular menu, about 7 starters and as many mains. (And yes, the menu grammar is pretty clean!)

We skipped the onion soup, mussels and mixed green salad to start, and opted for scallops, escargots, chicken livers, and haricots verts salad. These were all very good, but we especially liked the scallops, seared perfectly and placed atop a frisée salad. The haricots verts salad was really terrific too, with crunchy green beans, shallots, tomatoes and a vivid vinaigrette.

Escargots were tender, accompanied by wild mushrooms and a concassée of tomato in a garlic Pernod sauce. We could have used a touch more of that anise bite from pernod, but perhaps we're just hung up on the old Pif version. A couple of the snails were a little gritty, I'm not sure if they just hadn't been disgorged properly, or if we got a little shell, but a couple of them were a little crunchier than is ideal. Still, flavor was good, we soaked up the sauce with bread, we just say, more Pernod!

Chicken livers were fried crispy, accompanied by crunchy walnuts, in a slightly sweet sauce. These were nicely done. We weren't totally knocked-out by them, but none of us were huge fans of chicken livers, we just thought we'd give them a try. They were good, I'd be interested to hear what others think.

For mains, we felt there was no choice but to try both of the pork dishes, the place is called Cochon after all... The braised pork shoulder was large, tender and full-flavored, sitting atop lentils du puy, some chopped roasted brussels sprouts mingling around the bowl. This was very satisfying, although we found ourselves wanting more of those brussels sprouts, so we'd lobby for more, and bigger chunks, of the sprouts. I could really see eating this all fall and winter...

The pork chop was gargantuan, served over a fennel hash. The chop was so huge that there was a bit of variation of doneness from bone to edge, but it was mostly very juicy, and even the more-done outer edges were pretty enjoyable. The pork had really good flavor and the hash, spiked with a little bacon, was addictive.

Sea Bass was perfectly grilled - it actually looked a little over-done to me, but I was wrong, it was pleasingly moist, and the assertive char on the skin-side was delightful. The risotto underneath was inoffensive, but unmemorable.

The braised Lamb Shank looked like something from a medieval royal buffet: a huge knot of tender meat with a long bone protruding skyward. A dark, intense sauce was pooled in the bottom, along with sliced fingerling potatoes and diced rutabaga. It had a pleasingly assertive lamb flavor, developed over the long, slow cooking.

We were so stuffed that we didn't have room for dessert, and the offerings were pretty sparse: a creme brulée, a black and white cake, a cheesecake. Presumably there will be more eventually.

It's a little loud in there, even in a less-than-packed house, but that seems unavoidable these days. Service was very friendly, if a little rough around the edges, but hey, it was the first night!

Overall, a very auspicious beginning. We liked it a lot and look forward to trying the rest of the menu, and whatever specials will be offered eventually. This looks to have the potential to be an almost ideal neighborhood spot, with comforting, delicious food.

More reports, and hopefully pics, to come!

Edited October 6, 2007 by philadining (log)

[philadining]

What? You need proof?!?

Seared Scallops with Frisée, Lardons, Roasted Peppers, Fingerlings, Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

Haricots Verts Salad w toasted Almonds, Shallots, Tomato, Mustard-Vinaigrette

Mussels w Tomato-Leek Saffron Broth, Grilled Baguette

Escargots w Shitake Mushrooms, Tomato Concassé, Pernod Garic Butter Sauce

Onion Soup

Crispy Chicken Livers w Balsamic Vinegar, Candied Walnuts, Raisins

Duck Breast w White Bean Ragoût, Hericots Verts

Steak Frites w Red Wine Sauce and Aoli.

Japanese Black Bass over Sweet Pea Risotto, Saffron Buerre Blanc

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder over Lentils du Puy, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Poached Egg

Braised Lamb Shank with Ritabaga, Fingerlings, Crimini Mushrooms

Grilled Pork Chop w Celery Root - Fennel Hash, Juniper Oil

Crême Brulée

Details to follow, and hopefully my dining partners will chime in, but the short version is that the food was again very good, and both kitchen and front-of-house are amazingly together for only being open a few days. Looking forward to when they add specials, and eventually, we were told, a tasting menu. But we'll let them get settled before pushing for those!

Edited October 10, 2007 by philadining (log)

[Diann]

Smaller menus lend themselves well to ordering EVERYTHING on the menu. After all: six people, six appetizers, six entrees... fortuitous, no?

(Actually, there are seven apps -- we skipped the mixed green salad -- and seven entrees -- but they were out of the cornish hen.)

Standouts:

Scallop/frisee salad and haricots verts -- both dishes sparkle because the kitchen isn't afraid of acidity.

Pork shoulder: give me anything involving pork, brussels sprouts and a poached lovely oozy egg and I am a happy camper.

Lamb shank: the perfect fall dish! It tastes as good as it looks above (and to be fair, Phil's pictures often make the food look better than it was... but not so in this case.)

Fish was perfectly cooked, crispy skin, served with a beautiful rich creamy saffron/pea risotto.

Also, they served us WARM bread and SALTED butter. Usually a sign of good things to come.

A couple of minor issues -- the pork chop was a bit overcooked, the steak didn't thrill me, and the other desserts we had (not shown and also not made in-house -- carrot cake and chocolate cake) were a bit dry. But overall, totally solid, comforting, happy food, and that's all I really want from a BYOB. It's my new favorite French bistro-like place (RIP Pif).

[I_call_the_duck]

Buy how was the duck?

Shame about the pork chop--there's some nice carmelization going on that big boy.

[philadining]

The duck was very tasty, and the intense reduction it sat in was great. If I were to nit-pick, the beans and beans (stewed white beans and haricots verts) that accompanied were kind of blah, and the fat on the duck was a little thicker and less-rendered-down than I prefer (and I have no fear of duck fat!) Still, flavor was great, and there was none left on the plate at the end of the meal!

I can't quite put my finger on what was up with the steak frites. There was nothing technically wrong: it was skillfully-cooked, as you can see from the photo, it had a nice char, yet remained a juicy medium-rare. But it just wasn't all that beefy-tasting. I suspect it might be the particular cut of meat, or who knows, maybe just the one we got that day, but it was just not super-flavorful. I might be over-romaticizing the steak frites at the Blue Angel, but there was something about that hanger steak, with a bit of reduced sauce underneath and herby butter on top, that remains a standard not many have met.

That said, I was musing about this on the ride home with a friend, and he said that he really liked the steak last night. So there you go.

The pork chop was a little dry, but even so, pretty enjoyable, and that celery root/fennel hash (with bacon) is really great.

There was a little debate at the table about the mussels. I quite liked them, thought the sauce was good and loved the toasted bread with aoli. I think someone at the table preferred larger mussels (not me!) and thought the sauce was merely good, but I thought these were a very good version.

The onion soup was good - appropriately cheesey with appropriate cheese. It's not quite as intense as some I've had, but it's a perfectly credible version of that bistro standard. The only real down-side is that there wasn't a whole lot of actual soup, most of the broth had soaked up into the substantial crouton. I've had it like that in Paris, and it's not bad at all, but in a perfect world, I could go for a little more un-bound broth.

Escargots were clean and tender, no grit! Good intense sauce, perfect for soaking up with bread.

Chicken livers were once again a controversial item. I think everyone agreed that they were good, but just a bit too intense as they are. Someone proposed serving maybe just 3 or 4 of them, each served on a little toast or something. Probably need some sort of accompaniment to mitigate the strong flavors of the livers and the sauce. We found ourselves not being able to finish it, even though it was good.

The Black Bass and the Scallops kept coming up as favorites, and we hypothesized that it's partly because they are bright, light dishes among the stronger, heartier offerings. Of course it could just be because they're really delicious. The pork shoulder and lamb shank really stand out on the other end of the spectrum, as solid, homey, warming dishes.

But most importantly, despite any whining and monday-morning-quarterbacking, everything we had was solid, any of it could make a satisfying meal on any given day. As Diann mentioned, desserts are still a work-in-progress. The creme brulee was a very good example of that standard, the other two offerings (a carrot cake and a black-and-white cake, both from Pink Rose) were OK, but not a thrill. Our waiter used the phrase "for now" when explaining that the cakes were from outside, so presumably, there will be more made in-house eventually.

Again, any of our complaints or suggestions are minor points, overall this was a very satisfying meal, I think any of us would go back and not order too differently.

Edited October 10, 2007 by philadining (log)

[mrbigjas]

Again, any of our complaints or suggestions are minor points, overall this was a very satisfying meal, I think any of us would go back and not order too differently.

←

not order too differently than the whole menu? what else IS there?

[philadining]

Yeah, with 6 or 7 people, I'd suggest doing exactly what we did! If I were to return with that size group, I'd once again get one of everything, rather than ordering 3 lamb shanks or something.

[mrbigjas]

hit up cochon last night. if there's better cooking for escaping from a sick baby on a cold night with flurries of snow, i have yet to find it.

an addition to the above stuff, which is still on the menu, they had a grilled sweetbreads appetizer which was fantastic. crisp, a little smoky from the grill, fantastic. served with a green bean and red pepper salad. man oh man was that good.

[philadining]

We dropped by late on a saturday, so we sadly missed all the specials, which had sold-out earlier in the evening. (There was choucroute!) So we ended up eating the same things as always, and I have NO complaints. The food was fantastic: noticeably better than on our previous visits, and we'd liked it then! It was way too dark where we were for pictures, and everything looked pretty much the same as above anyway.

The escargots were perfect. They finally had the intense, concentrated sauce we'd been hoping for, the tender snails and mushrooms soaking it up. Is it sacrilegious to say they were as good as Pif's?

Mussels were very good, not electrifying, but totally satisfying. A very enjoyable spinach salad featured an intense vinaigrette and some sweet fruits.

The lamb shank was even more massive than usual, and every bit as delicious. The lentils and a few of the brussels sprouts that accompanied the pork shoulder were a touch underdone, but we forgot all about that because the meat was even more flavorful than other times we had it, with enticing crunchy crusty bits. The duck was really nice, with a nice crisp skin, a whisper of barely-there fat beneath, a side of beans studded with leg meat.

The revelation of the night was something we didn't even order. They ran out of the pork chop, so plan B was the steak frites, which we hadn't been that thrilled with on a previous visit. But this one might have been the favorite dish on the table. The medium-rare meat had a serious char, a huge beefy flavor, and sat right at the ideal intersection of tenderness and satisfying chew. Fries were thin, but crisp.

Too full for desserts, and pickings are still slim there.

We were commenting that the food seems to have improved from an already pretty high plateau. And these dishes are great in the cold weather, so I'm heading back there soon. And hoping for choucroute...

Edited January 23, 2008 by philadining (log)

[shacke]

Yikes Philadining.

Seeing your post made me realize that I never reported on my visit there last month. I had a good meal and we are ready and willing to return.

I don't recall my app at this point - but - it was good - does that help?!

I had the steak frites and, while the meat was good not great, the fries were kinda limp. Good to hear yours fared better so there is hope for next time. My wife had the lamb shank which was really good. I know - I ate the rest of that brontosauraus burger the next day.

Lava cake for dessert - yes it's tired and banal I know - but I still fall for it. It was a small sweet ending to a great meal on a very rainy night for us.

Evan

[Nipsey Russell]

they have a choucroute? hold on, let me get my coat.......

[philadining]

Some of our intrepid gang asked the folks at Cochon if they could do a tasting menu for us, and just told the chef to do whatever he wanted. Around the same time, we had offered compliments on some of the earthy dishes they occasionally offer, like head cheese, sweetbreads and blood sausages, so we're not sure whether they thought we specifically wanted an offal-centric menu, or if this whole-pig approach was just what the chef was in the mood for. Whatever the inspiration, it was fine with us, they had correctly assessed that we were up for anything. The menu looked quite intriguing on paper and turned out to be quite delicious on the plate.

Head Cheese

This was very meaty, and not nearly as gelatinous as I expected. With the peppery greens and tangy sauce, the flavors really jumped out beautifully.

Pig Snout Ravioli

The pasta had a creamy, flavorful filling, which contrasted nicely with the vivid broth, which had a little kick of spice. The crunchy, chewy strips (of ear?) provided another pleasing edge.

Grilled Sweetbreads

lardons, frisee, haricots verts, brown butter vinaigrette

These might be the best non-crispy sweetbreads I've ever had, and rank pretty high for sweetbreads in general. The texture was creamy, but not gooey, with none of the pasty quality one sometimes gets. The acidic and bitter nature of the salad offset the richness of the sweetbreads perfectly. There was a bit of variation among the plates, some getting mostly hefty traditional bacon lardons, others getting more strips of sweet ham. The salty worked a little better than the sugary, but in either case, the porky overtone was quite complimentary.

Tongue stew

capers, conichons, tomato sauce

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this dish was significantly lighter than I had anticipated. The meat was fork tender, subtly-flavored, and nicely paired with the tomato sauce and salty accents.

Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly

fava chick pea ragoût and house-cured guanciale

It may have been roasted at some point, but it was clearly finished in the deep-frier, lending it a bubbly texture and crunch. The fat layers had rendered-down nicely, so while it was not exactly lean, it was not a total fat-bomb. OK, it kind of was, but in a good way... The beans and crunchy pork jowl were good too.

Heritage Pork Loin

blood sausage, sauerkraut, riesling whole grain mustard sauce

AT this point we'd had SO much food that we probably could have skipped this one altogether and gone home happy, so I'm not sure any of us can assess this course properly. It was pretty good, and I think I might like it as an entrée some night, not as part of a tasting menu. Smoked and cured a bit, the meat had a firm texture and assertive flavor that was offset well by the kraut and the mustard. I feel like the blood sausage got a little lost in this setting, but again, it could be that my palate was just pretty burnt... I think a small portion of this might have been perfect early in the meal, perhaps alongside the headcheese.

Overall, the portions were pretty ridiculously large, and the chef knew it, but couldn't help himself!

Pain Perdu

bacon ice cream, maple creme anglaise

Somehow we managed to find some room for dessert. What, you thought we were going to turn down bacon ice cream?!? The pain perdu was more like deep-fried bread pudding than french toast, but had the requisite crisped-up custardy bread thing going on. The bacon component of the ice cream was subtle, but definitely there, and the maple brought it all together in a disorienting zone of sweet/salty/creamy/brunch/dessert. I'm completely in favor of that kind of confusion.

As I think the photos show, the food was significantly more varied than just reading the menu might suggest. Everything was quite tasty, and well-prepared. If I have any complaints it's that the portions were too big!

Big thanks to chef Gene Giuffi for a really delicious meal, and to Amy Giuffi for coordinating everything. And to Dave on our end for getting it together in the first place. I have no idea whether the restaurant thought it was worth all the trouble, we hope so, because we sure did enjoy it!

Will they do one for you? Don't know... but you could ask!

http://www.cochonbyob.com

[wkl]

that looks freakin' delicious!

was your tasting menu a noticeable departure from ordering al a carte?

[philadining]

was your tasting menu a noticeable departure from ordering al a carte?

←

Not really, the cooking had the same hearty, full-flavored style as the a la carte menu. This special dinner just offered some things that aren't on the menu, or only make occasional appearances.

Nothing at all wrong with the regular menu, except that desserts are still a little weak. Not that they're bad, there just aren't many of them, and some of those are brought-in.

[Capaneus]

that looks freakin' delicious!

was your tasting menu a noticeable departure from ordering al a carte?

←

Most of the specific items were not on the menu, or not in this form. But if you're just asking whether the regular menu lives up to the promise of this dinner, well, then, yes it does.

I'm still in a porky semi-coma. I'll just let Phil's judgments stand. I liked the sweetbreads and the belly best, I think, but it was a close-run thing.

And the kitchen proved to me that they are capable of tasty dessert creation. I'm going to guess the reason the regular offerings have remained limited is either space or manpower.

And add that I felt a bit overwhelmed by the end of the meal. Which didn't keep me from being the only one who finished that pork loin, mind you.

[mrbigjas]

aw man this makes me sad about how out of the loop i am in rockin dining experiences. when is it that a child can fry up their own dinner? something like age 3 or so? i think that's about right.

[KatieLoeb]

The Pig Snout raviolis need to have two small nostrils drilled into the pasta overcoating. Just so you know they're made with snouts...

[dagordon]

This meal was an exceptional value for $60.

For some reason the tongue "stew" is sticking out in my memory, and popping into my head at inappropriate times. I haven't had a whole lot of tongue that I've been crazy about, but this dish was delicious. The meat was indeed fork tender with great flavor, the tomato sauce was bright and the capers and cornichons provided nice touches of acid.

The sweetbreads were also a standout. The texture was unlike any I think I've ever had, super creamy. Poached before grilled, presumably?

After some pretty disappointing pork bellies lately (Supper, Lacroix), this one was quite welcome. It's always nice when a belly has a top, skin layer of crispiness. But crispiness on every side? Crispiness all round? That's thinking outside of the box. This rocked.

Dessert was also great.

[lfabio2007]

'Now don't say nothin' If you don't have something nice to say'

I think I'm going to carefully avoid that, as usual it seems.

We went to Cochon (ex-cafe sud, still missed) a couple of weeks ago now.

The food was very good, I have to say. It just wasn't.. quite... Pif.

We started off with a pork belly special and the chicken livers. The latter dish was much praised and work has already started on replicating it. The pork belly on the other hand sported a particularly good sear and a creaminess that might have come from SV cooking... and very little flavour. What gives?

As a main, we had the duck, which again, was good, with a nice crisp to the skin and white bean ragout that outshone the duck itself, but .. nothing more, and the pork shoulder over lentils, which displayed severe undercooking both of the shoulder (still tough) and of the lentils (which were actually CRUNCHY...). Excellent combo, great concept.. execution... not so great.

My mood, admittedly, wasn't improved by a vile bottle of ...stuff, from Burgundy (I know, I should know better, but Moore's was already closed and I didn't feel like going back home). Therefore, we subsequently avoided dessert, got back in the car and drove home. From the reviews here, we seem to have had a strongly atypical experience... comments?

[Andrew Fenton]

aw man this makes me sad about how out of the loop i am in rockin dining experiences.  when is it that a child can fry up their own dinner?  something like age 3 or so?  i think that's about right.

pshaw! With a bag of pretzels and the TV, a child can entertain herself for hours while her folks are out to dinner. At least that's what we're planning to try on Friday when we go to Cochon for the first time.

Sounds like the must-try dishes include the pork belly and lamb shank? I do love me some shank...

[mattohara]

I enjoyed the snails very much but not as much as Pif's. I thought there was something a bit too sweet and thick about the sauce, almost like a barbeque sauce. The lack of presentation was very bistro-y but I like a little color and style with my food. If given the choice between some goop in a bowl and some snails swimming in a garlic bulb pool accompanied by tomatoes well, you know which one I'd choose. But the goop in a bowl was still pretty tasty.

We also had the duck pate (i think liver and confit and cognac were some of the ingredients) which was mild and complex. The aformentioned livers were a highlight as were the fried oysters which were on special (giant, tender, served with some aioli). The frites with the steak were great but the steak itself, apparently a specialty of their butcher, was not my favorite cut. Perfectly cooked MR though.

I should also add that it was our anniversary and the service was wonderful. Gracious, accomodating, not overbearing, etc. He apparently told Karen at some point that he remembered me from Pif, so he obviously has good taste as well.

Edited February 21, 2008 by mattohara (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

Last night was really a perfect night to head to Cochon for some nice old-fashioned slow-cooked meats. We started with the escargot (which are definitely gloopy, but tasty as heck) and the country pork pate special (also good- and served with plenty of bread, which as we all know is the most important thing, right?)

The lamb shank is indeed tremendously good: toothsome and with a really luscious sauce. We also ordered the pork shoulder, which I was less crazy about; the texture was ideal, and I loved the vegetables and (and egg!) that accompany it. But for some reason, when I have pork shoulder, I want it to be more intensely-flavored: like barbecue, or a Szechuan preparation. This is much more subtle; if that's what you like, you'll love this.

We finished with the chocolate cake; nothing that blows the mind, but great on a snowy night.

Oh, as others have mentioned, portions are indeed enormous: I've got some nice leftovers awaiting me in the fridge. Good stuff.

[shacke]

Last night was really a perfect night to head to Cochon for some nice old-fashioned slow-cooked meats.  We started with the escargot (which are definitely gloopy, but tasty as heck) and the country pork pate special (also good- and served with plenty of bread, which as we all know is the most important thing, right?) 

The lamb shank is indeed tremendously good: toothsome and with a really luscious sauce.  We also ordered the pork shoulder, which I was less crazy about; the texture was ideal, and I loved the vegetables and (and egg!) that accompany it.  But for some reason, when I have pork shoulder, I want it to be more intensely-flavored: like barbecue, or a Szechuan preparation.  This is much more subtle; if that's what you like, you'll love this. 

We finished with the chocolate cake; nothing that blows the mind, but great on a snowy night.

Oh, as others have mentioned, portions are indeed enormous: I've got some nice leftovers awaiting me in the fridge.  Good stuff.

←

Glad you finally made it. Last time I was there I had the pork shoulder also and was not thrilled. I should have told you. I am weak.

[philadining]

March 1st was National Pig Day, so it seemed appropriate to head to Cochon to mark the occasion.

I don't believe the restaurant was doing anything specifically for pig day, but we did avail ourselves of several of the daily specials, as well as a few of our faves from the regular menu.

Apps:

Scallops (with spinach substituted-in for a frisée-averse diner.)

Pork Croquettes, Blood Sausage

Crispy Fried Oysters

Sweetbreads

Mains:

Pork Shank with Mustard sauce and Napa Cabbage

Pork Shoulder with lentils, brussels sprouts and poached egg.

Steak Frites

Quail stuffed with Foie Gras and Truffle Butter

Once again, all quite delicious. I especially liked the fried oysters, the sweetbreads, the pork shank and the quail. The oysters had a light, ungreasy coating, and remained incredibly juicy inside. The sweetbreads had a creamy texture, and a great smoky edge from the grill. The pork shank was falling off its bone tender, its richness offset by the bite of mustard and cabbage. Quail, foie, truffles, need I say more?

[Capaneus]

Man-o-man, I'm hungry all over again. The only thing I didn't like about this meal was not being able to eat a full portion of everything.

I love sharing. I hate sharing.

That quail was outstanding: butter stuffing - Pure Genius!

I still haven't tried the cow 'n' fries. I sort of fear I might never.