Cochon

I'll be sharing a few photos over the next few days of our trip in New Orleans.  Actually, parts of the trip are connected to the farm and I'll be explaining the connection.  We were in NOLA (New Orleans) for my brother's wedding.  New Orleans, it goes without saying, is one of the great 'food' cities, among other things, in the world.  On Friday night the rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant called Cochon.  Here is their website: 
Cochon Restaurant 

This restaurant has been the recipient of numerous awards and its part owner and Chef, Donald Link, was raised in Lake Charles and brings a southern/cajun flair to New Orleans cuisine.  Cochon is a french word that means pig.  The way that this is tied in with the farm is that Cochon works with local farmers to supply pork, fresh produce and seafood from which to create authentic flavors of Cajun country. 

Here is a shot of a couple of pretty ladies that caught my eye in NOLA. 



Tricia and Laura stylin' & smilin'



Laura gave Tricia a fancy hairdo for the event



Russ & Laura ready to go



Laura Lee, Russ & Benjamin about to dig in


 The photo below shows Kristian and Emery during the toast.  If you look closely at the pictures on the wall, they show the tops of rice bins.  Those odd-looking hoods are vents that allow air to pass out of the bins without the rice inside getting wet during rains.  Rice, when harvested, has around a 20% moisture reading.  You fill up the bins with rice and blow heated air through the grain to dry it.  You normally turn off the heat when you get it stabilized between 10 - 12% moisture.  At that point it is dry and won't mold or mildew on you.  It is neat that Chef Donald Link celebrates his southwest Louisiana roots and incorporates it in his restaurant's decor as well as its recipes.


The toast!

Chef Link has another place right around the corner called Butcher, in which you can buy numerous types of bacon, sausage and other meats.  One thing that is simply amazing there are Bacon pralines.  I know that sounds a little weird, but the sweetness of the praline and the saltiness of the bacon cause a flavor explosion that addicts you with one taste.

The rehearsal dinner was held in a private dining room at Cochon called Calcasieu.  Calcasieu is the name of the parish that Lake Charles is in.  Calcasieu is an Attakapas Indian word that means "crying eagle."  As legend has it, there was an Attakapas Indian Chief named Calcasieu who was named "crying eagle" after the peculiar sound he' make as he would go into battle that sounded like a crying eagle. 

The menu was a taste of Cajun Country and is shown below.  It was delicious and filling!

Family, food, fellowship and fun.  It was a fantastic evening.