Cochon was one of my splurges while in New Orleans. It's a bit pricy, but it's totally worth it. The restaurant focuses on southern cajun cooking, and it was one of the first reservations I made.

Say hi to Kaitlynn!

AT COCHON, CHEF LINK HAS RECONNECTED WITH HIS CULINARY ROOTS, SERVING THE TRADITIONAL CAJUN SOUTHERN DISHES HE GREW UP WITH. CHEF LINK AND CHEF/CO-OWNER STEPHEN STRYJEWSKI ARE WORKING WITH LOCALLY SOURCED PORK, FRESH PRODUCE AND SEAFOOD, FOCUSING ON TRADITIONAL METHODS, CREATING AUTHENTIC FLAVORS OF CAJUN COUNTRY.

First, we started with these fresh, hot rolls that were unreal. I even convinced Kaitlynn (anti-carb) to eat one!

Then, it was fried alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise. If I didn't think about it, this tasted good. It was similar to chicken, but maybe a bit more firm.

Then, I had to try fried boudin. It's loose mix of ground pork (which includes liver, heart, kidney, blood), rice, onions, and seasonings molded into a ball, breaded and deep-fried. It is in line with "whole hog butchery" so none of the scraps go to waste.

And, it was really tasty! The texture threw me off for a second because it's similar to raw beef, but the flavor was delicious.

Finally, I tried the chicken and andouille gumbo. You can't go to New Orleans and not try gumbo. It has a very deep, rich flavor.


And this was Kaitlynn's, which I believe is fried livers.

Overall, a really fun dinner experimenting with new dishes and trying new things. Every single thing was new to me - and that's exactly how I like it!