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With all the Italian restaurants in this city, I was delighted to hear French bistro Cochon opened on the former site of Caf� Sud in Queen Village. I did some culinary sleuthing and discovered chef Gene Giuffi and wife Amy opted for a cash-only BYOB.
It was a dark and blustery night when Mom, Edward and I entered Cochon (French for pig) through a doorway that was windy and cold because the owners simply hung curtains at the dining room entrance. A waiter had good instincts and showed us to a table away from the door and right up against a high counter, which was part of the open kitchen.
The old tile floor remains although the owners did some repainting, hung colorful French posters and kitted out the 40-plus seats of dark tables and chairs.
Our server opened our wine, a Laurus Rhone that works well with French fare. He brought us overly toasted square rolls with rock-hard, cold butter.
We began dinner with a haricots verts salad ($8), chicken livers ($9) and pat� ($11), which was a special.
The green beans played off nicely against the toasted almonds used in the dish along with shallots and bits of tomato in a light mustard vinaigrette, but I don’t think green beans are worth $8.
The chicken livers tasted better than they looked. Giuffi used balsamic vinegar to coat them and, although he had a light hand as far as flavor was concerned, the dark syrupy acid turned the livers deep black. He tossed in a few walnut and raisins for crunch and sweetness.
The pat� was really disappointing and way too expensive. We received two small triangles of tasteless, dry, rough pat� with a few cornichons, which are traditionally served with this dish in France, a little Mason-type jar of Dijon mustard and several small slices of bread.
We progressed to seared scallops ($12), braised lamb shank ($23) and braised pork shoulder ($20). The scallops are an appetizer, but the portion was such that it satisfied my mom’s 93-year-old appetite. She received three mid-size scallops, nicely seared and served with a mound of fris�e containing way too much lemon juice. The dish was studded with fingerling potatoes and lardons, which should have spent a bit more time in the pan. Lardons are bacon that is diced, blanched and fried. The pieces were on the hard side.
The lamb shank was the type of platter perfect for a cold winter night. It was meaty and nicely seasoned, but I think it could have been braised a bit longer. The tender meat on the outside pulled easily away from the bone, but the middle was a bit overdone. The shank sat atop a mound of whole, small cremini mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and small chunks of rutabagas.
My pork arrived on the cool side and was a bit salty. Chunky slices of braised swine sat on a pool of lentils du Puy — a traditional addition to French dishes — and small bits of roasted Brussels sprouts. The dish was crowned with a perfectly poached egg. The egg white’s color was a nice contrast to the brown and, when I broke the yolk, it oozed over the beans, imparting a pleasing creamy texture.
We all like cheesecake, so we opted for a slice ($7). It was the best part of the meal. The texture was just right — not too creamy, not too dense. The wedge was covered in a bittersweet Belgian dark chocolate ganache, which was a tasty topping. I later discovered the cheesecakes are baked by South Philly resident Harry Arnold, who owns Darlings Caf� just off Rittenhouse Square.
Service was professional and attentive. Silverware was changed for each course and our water glasses were filled often as the waitstaff diligently watches the tables.
Cochon, which opened last autumn, has the right feel for a neighborhood bistro, but it’s pricey even though it’s BYOB.
One-and-a-half tips of the toque to Cochon.
Cochon
801 E. Passyunk Ave. at Catharine Street
215-923-7675
