Sunday, April 21, 2013


Cuchon: Cajun Comfort Food goes upscale

There has got to be a word for what Cuchon does - dressing up Louisiana comfort food into great dishes, served in a sleek, modern restaurant in the heart of New Orleans’ Warehouse District.  For now, I’ll call it upscale comfort food.
We learned about Cuchon when my wife visited with Jan Stern - the other half of Michael Stern and their celebrated Roadfood website.  When Jan Stern recommends a restaurant in New Orleans - it might as well be EF Hutton recommending a particular stock.  We went, and ever since we make sure Cuchon is the first and last restaurant of every New Orleans visit.
The menu reflects its namesake with great tasty pork dishes like smoked ham hock ($23); Louisiana Cuchon with turnips, cabbage, pickled turnips and cracklins ($23); Smoked Pork Ribs with Watermelon Pickle ($12); and Pork Tongue with Charred radishes and lava beans ($9).
Cuchon also offers other small plate dishes of oysters, shrimp heads, crawfish, alligator and rabbit.    For starters we loved the Wood-Fired Oyster Roast ($11); the Smoked Pork Ribs are simply memorable ($12); and for a more adventurous tastes the Fried Shrimp Heads with Roasted chili sauce ($6); and the fried Alligator with chili garlic aioli ($10).
The two dishes that made us swoon with delight and keep bringing us back each time we come to New Orleans is is the Oyster and Bacon Sandwich ($15 - pictured above); and the Rabbit and Dumplings. ($21).  
Cuchon makes the cut for my list of repeat visits to the Crescent City which is a huge recommend in a city that prides itself on cuisine as much as Paris, San Francisco or New York.  
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Cuchon Restaurant
930 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

HOURS:
Monday - THursday 11 AM to 10PM
Friday - Saturday 11 AM - 11 PM
(Closed Sunday)



Wednesday, March 27, 2013




The New Orleans Cocktail Tour 
With such lax open container laws as can be countenanced in the United States, this tour probably can only occur in New Orleans.  Elizabeth Pearce take her groups not only through the French Quarter itself, but the hundreds of years of history imbued, influenced and shaped by our eternal love and fascination with alcohol.  Four drinks are served during the course of the two hour walk while she explains how history shaped the drink and how the drink shaped history.