Cochon

[TarteTatin]

WAHHOOOOO!!!

[bsims]

Are reservations recommended/required for a Friday night?

[philadining]

Are reservations recommended/required for a Friday night?

←

It's a good idea, they're not that big...

[mattohara]

Karen and I went for our 3rd anniversary (we also went for our 2nd). When she made the reservations she asked for a blue cheese to be included somewhere in the meal. We were pleasantly surprised when we had our own private tasting menu.

The only picture I have of the cassoulet is of it half-eaten and it's not very appetizing.

Everything was fantastic. I may write it up a bit later.

[Jeff L]

Nice touch. I have got to get to this place.

[philadining]

We heard a rumor about barbecue ribs at Cochon, so we had to drop by. And, uhhh, what the heck, maybe we'd get a few other things too.

Pork Crackling

Pickled Tomato, Cornichons

Bibb Lettuce Salad

Radish, Peas, Lardons, Ramp-Vinaigrette

Fried Pigs Feet

Frisée, Violet-Mustard vinaigrette

Pappardelle

Braised Rabbit and Sausage Ragout

Pork Polenta Cake

Poahed Egg, Frisée, Lardons, Fingerling Potatoes mustard vinaigrette

Mains:

24-Hour Pork Shoulder

Celery-root Fennel Hash, English Peas, Mushroom Madiera Sauce

Cochon Plate

Glazed Ribs, House Sausage, Roasted Pork Belly, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Veal Milanese

Celery-root Fennel Hash, English Peas, Mushroom Madiera Sauce

And the ribs...

I think these were actually a special from another night, but chef was kind enough to replicate it for us.

And to finish:

House-made Ice Creams:

Dulce de Leche, Double Chocolate Pecan, Peanut Butter

Poor Man's Pudding

Shortbread, Maple-Bourbon Caramel

As usual, it was all tasty, and indulgent. But those ribs... they're odd, not like any other ribs I've had, but so good that we had some small skirmishes over the last couple of them... They're tender, extremely juicy, and although they're not smoky, I don't miss that. I'm not swearing-off smoked ribs, but I'm also plotting a return to Cochon for more of these while he's still making them!

Other standouts, in a solid meal, were the Pappardelle and its incredible ragout, the salad with its ramp vinaigrette, and the ice cream. Ohhhh that ice cream... We really want them to open an ice cream stand. All three flavors were good, but the peanut butter just about knocked us out of our chairs.

Oh, and the onion rings.

Youch, I'm hungry again...

Edited May 8, 2009 by philadining (log)

[brescd01]

I vote against. My wife and I went for our 7th anniversary tonight. We brought beer (though we were the only ones, everyone else had wine). The service and atmosphere were fine, though the restaurant was way too warm. I had the crostini and steak, and my wife had the oysters and little pig. Nothing was bad, but nothing was that good either. My crostini were pointless, they were big gobs of porc pate on toast. My steak was lean but tough and tasteless. Its sauce was okay. Fries were okay. My wife's little pig was too salty and busy. We skipped dessert because we were too warm and we went across the street to Gosala (sic?), a small place devoted to chocolate, and we had gelato. We preferred Bibou.

[mattohara]

It's now pretty much a tradition to head to Cochon for our birthdays and anniversaries. Everything is *always* stunning.

Menus:

Chicken Liver and Bacon Mousse:

Crispy Oysters with Spicy Gazpacho:

Escargots:

Clams with Fennel and Pickled Corn:

Ribs with Caramel and Mango:

Frisee Salad with House Sausage:

Grilled Quail:

Onion Rings:

Veal Cheek:

Dessert Menu:

House Glaces (Caramelized Pineapple, Raspberry, Mango):

[mattohara]

^Pictures^

I opted for the (30$!!!) tasting menu. The missus wanted to try a few other things.

The mousse was amazing. Light, airy texture and chicken livers and bacon are a match made heaven. Funnily enough we had had the Pub & Kitchen chicken liver mousse just a bit earlier. It's very good but this is more decadent obviously.

The crispy oysters got a little soggy in the gazpacho, but what can you do. The gazpacho was nicely spiced, very fresh and summery.

The escargots were their typical superfluous selves. Nice and garlicky/buttery.

The clams and the ribs were a treat. They made me think of the other Cochon, in New Orleans, for some reason. Probably the pickled corn and the idea of caramel sauce (not quite praline) with the ribs. The clam dish was very rustic and we'll be making our own pickled corn soon, inspired by this dish. The ribs were about as tender as they come.

Calling the frisee salad a salad was, as you can see by the pic above, a bit of artistic license. This dish was all about the awesome sausage. Just a teeny bit sweet, it tasted of apple and the balsamic drizzle. It had been crisped up nicely on the grill and the poached egg was like a savory frosting.

We were stuffed by this point so it was with furrowed brow that I took in the veal cheek, grilled quail and bowl of onion rings. I didn't even taste the quail and only had a few bits of the cheek. It had a different texture from most cheek that I've had. Usually it's falling apart from braising, this had a more steak-like quality but was more tender than a filet.

The onion rings are absolutely awesome. The batter is soft, light and cakey. They weren't greasy, overly fried, overly salted or overly seasoned in any way. The doughy batter just covered the monstrous rings and the onions were cooked just enough so that you still had some resistance when biting in. I somehow ate almost all of these.

Then we changed up the dessert at Tim's suggestion, and opted for the house ices. Just perfect. Don't sleep on their Sunday Brunch!

Edited June 26, 2009 by mattohara (log)

[TarteTatin]

We ate at Cochon tonight. Pretty good!

Potato and Leek soup with bacon. Tasted like a pork belly (lots of pieces), and cream soup. Not complaining.

I had Berkshire pork ribs with a vincotto glaze, fennel slaw, french fries. Every table around me exclaimed, as it was topped so high and looked huge.

It was actually 5 ribs and a ton of fries, topped with the slaw. Very good. Don't expect southern BBQ here. They are very good pork ribs, ala French style, remember, you aren't getting a southern BBQ with sauce here. Deliciousl.

Mr. Tarte Tatin had the special of Porcelet pork belly with brussel sprouts. It came over lentils, but the pork is enough for gout, so he asked for a substitute to not give the whole thing overkill. He had dauphenois/gratin instead of the lentils, which was delicious.

Glad we split an appetizer, the entrees were huge.

We split a chocolate mousse cake surrounded by lady fingers soaked in cognac and berries.

We brought a bottle of Marigny Neuf from Poitiers/southern Loire, and a Rhone.

Bill before tip was $68. We never eat for that price. GREAT value, and we have leftovers.

[Furious Flav-or]

Would any of the regulars know or be able to find out whether or not the lamb that they use is halal? I haven't had merguez since forever and if the sausage is still on the menu I'm there, as it's a comfort food to me from another time and place.

[philadining]

I kind of doubt that the lamb is halal, and even if it were, I'd think that anyone concerned about that would be bothered by the rather overwhelming presence of pork in the place. I mean, it's pretty pig-centric...

That said, the folks there are very nice, and they have a phone: (215) 923-7675. Ask them.