#ham sandwich

Cochon Butcher in New Orleans
http://www.cochonbutcher.com/new-orleans

Muffuletta Sandwich REVIEW:
This was the best sandwich (non-burger) we had in New Orleans. I still have the video of my friend taking her first bite, and the look of sheer joy and pleasure which crossed her face. Nothing can be wrong in the world when you’re eating this sandwich. Let me break it down. Cochon scratch makes all of it’s cold cuts and sausages in house, makes its own olive salad, and bakes its own bread fresh every day. It really comes down to not only the symphony of the flavors that should work together simply because of the ingredients complementing each other, but the quality of the ingredients themselves. The bread was crispy and moist, with the flavor of the sesame seeds adding nicely to the flavor profile of the sandwich. The mortadella, salami, ham and cheese added varying shades of saltiness and soft textural differences. The olive salad was also fresh and delicious, with just the right amount of marinade and seasoning. You guys, this sandwich is, as Guy Fieri would say, ‘the bomb dot com’. It is so good that we tried this before going on a food tour later that day, because on the food tour we tried some shitty hipster version of a muffuletta with focaccia instead of traditional muffuletta bread (created exclusively for this sandwich!), with ridiculously stingy amounts of filling and with a sad SAD excuse for an olive salad. I made a point of telling everyone on the tour not to let that be their first impression of the sandwich, and to go to Cochon to get a taste of the real deal. It is a perfect bite of warm, melty cold cut sandwich. The heat from the griddle elevated the cold cuts and melted the cheese which added a very pleasant creaminess to the sandwich. It was lovely and juicy, as can be appreciated in the second picture. I could go on forever, but the only way to truly appreciate this masterpiece in its full glory is to head down to Cochon in New Orleans and try it for yourself. Fair warning, it is a pretty generous portion, so go hungry, and you will leave not only with a full stomach, but with a happy heart and a smile on your face.

Epilogue
Quote from my friend: “That fucking shit rocks”.
Staff were friendly and order came in a timely manner straight to the table after ordering at the deli counter.

*****/***** five stars out of five

ORIGINAL PICTURES

Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans
http://www.mothersrestaurant.net

GENERAL REVIEW
- Ralph Sandwich (Famous Original Ferdi with Swiss Cheese)

This was a very good sandwich. When the sandwich first came out, to tell you the truth we were worried about cramming that first bite into our mouths, but as you can see from the progression of the pictures, once the gravy from the debris (like vinegar-y pulled beef) soaked into the bread, it shrank down right to size. This was a great example of a simple concept with relatively simple ingredients being elevated to another level. Mother’s makes their own debris and cures their own ham, so having both of these meats layered with roast beef and Swiss made for a tasty little sandwich. Not the best sandwich we had in Nawlins (review to come!), but it was very tasty, and we would definitely recommend it. Mind you, even the standard sandwich portion is pretty overwhelming for one person, so maybe consider ordering one sandwich between two (which is what we did) if you’re saving up stomach space for beignets. But in all seriousness, the combination between the vinegar of the debris, mustard, beefiness of the roast beef, and saltiness of the ham worked beautifully together, and was accentuated by the creaminess of the Swiss (the true original doesn’t come with cheese, so make sure you get the Ralph). Make sure you put some of their spicy smokey house dressing on too for an extra kick! A great find for us, though it wouldn’t be the absolute end of the world if we missed it next time we went. Not a complete must on the Nawlins bucket list, but highly recommended if you’re in need of a home-style, rough and tumble joint with friendly, lovingly brusque service!

**** four out of five stars

ORIGINAL PICTURES