Cochon Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA
We are big fans of smaller, cheaper branches of upscale restaurants, (Xoco, etc.) since we like good food, but we like it even more when it is cheap. Cochon Butcher is the casual spinoff of more upscale spot Cochon, which has long been a darling of the NOLA foodie scene. It was made even more attractive of an option, being one of the few places in the Central Business District (CBD – where our hotel was) that was open on a Thursday night. The offerings at Cochon Butcher mostly consisted of small plates and sandwiches, though it is also a working deli and a bar as well (you can even see the meats curing right there on the wall). The Cochon Butcher sandwiches all featured the in-house charcuterie and the selection of sandwiches varies nightly. We can tell it’s a popular place, when we arrived at 8PM; some varieties had long been sold out.
Among the remaining options we opted for the Carolina BBQ pulled pork ($10), and the muffaletta ($12). So, one obvious choice and one more adventurous one. NOLA is not exactly known for its BBQ – though it has amazing food. However, we never miss the chance to try some good BBQ from a respectable southern restaurant. The pulled pork had a North Carolina style sauce, and was absolutely perfectly seasoned, right down to the pink smoke rings (yum). On the other hand, ordering a Muffaletta in New Orleans is a very obvious choice. The Muffaletta – probably one of the most famous sandwiches in New Orleans – was piled high with deli cuts on a large focaccia roll with olive relish. Though not perhaps as famous as Central Grocery’s, Cochon Butcher made an amazing Muffaletta, with their homemade charcuterie and olive spread.
We finished off the meal with something else that we cannot pass up at a good Southern restaurant – a bowl of Mac & Cheese ($6). This variety came with a helping of Pancetta. M is much more of a fan of Pancetta than L – so she was a bit wary to try this offering – however we were both pleasantly surprised. – the highlight of all of the dishes was probably the Mac & Cheese. It was extremely decadent and not overpowered by the Pancetta at all. For the price, Cochon Butcher has amazing quality, and for a bit more of an expense-account dinner we’d love to try Cochon.
Eating The World 