About halfway into my first bite of my first Butcher muffuletta, just past the crunch of the bread, where the warm cheese and salami grease and olive oil just begin to ooze onto the tongue, I knew that I was eating the best muffuletta I'd ever had. This revelation struck me as sacrilege. Everyone knows that the best muffuletta in New Orleans is at the Central Grocery in the French Quarter, right?
They invented the darn thing there, didn't they? And yet, here I was, just about twitching with joy over the flavors and textures in my mouth.
My first instinct was to nudge my dining partner, whose elbows bumped mine as we squeezed in at the crowded lunch counter. But I held back. If I told him how good it was, he'd want a bite, wouldn't he? I really didn't want to share, but then I eyed his Cubano and realized that I'd probably be needing a bite of that, and fair's fair...
Butcher is the casual side of celebrity chef Donald Link's original restaurant, Cochon. Tucked around the corner in a pretty small space, Butcher serves up a simple, lunch-and-casual-dinner-friendly menu of sandwiches made with house-cured meats and spruced-up traditional sides. But I'll be damned if every sandwich on that menu isn't the best version of a classic you've ever had.
Cold roast beef with horseradish? Exquisite. Pastrami with sauerkraut on rye? Transcendental. BLT? It'll blow your mind. And the aforementioned muffuletta and Cubano are tear-jerkingly delicious.
In a town of astounding sandwiches, these are the best.
Sides are equally slammin'. Try the brussels sprouts (really), and don't miss the snappy, spicy pancetta mac-n-cheese. If you've never had boudin, this is the most authentic you'll find in New Orleans (Chef Donald Link is a Cajun boy who grew up near Lafayette, and he knows his classic Cajun sausages, no question). Drinks are also good: craft beers and a small but forceful wine list are available, as are a variety of soft drinks and iced tea.
It's an easy place to feed a kid, and because of the ultra-casual atmosphere, a good choice for dining out with particularly rambunctious young'uns. Mine's partial to the head cheese small plate (because he is weird), but also loves the often-available stuffed soft pretzels, overflowing with ham and cheese. The house-made hot dog is also a safe bet for the younger set. I'd be remiss not to mention the always-abundant house-made cookies, which are always worth the extra calories.
Everything at Butcher is available for takeout, and you can buy the house-cured meats deli-style and take them home for your own experimentation. Fresh sausages are also available, if you're staying somewhere with a grilling rig (or driving straight home to wherever you came from with a cooler full of ice, in which case, get some andouille, too). The house line of hot sauces, mustards, pickles, and other condiments and treats are also yours to browse and purchase. The pickles are killer, don't hesitate there.
The downsides? Well, I'm not the only one who thinks that Butcher serves the best sandwiches in town, it turns out. The small storefront tends to be packed to the gills and it can be hard to find a seat, especially if your party is larger than two people. The best bet is to go at slightly off-hours, though even that doesn't guarantee a table. And if you do find a table, the place can be noisy, so it's not ideal for a business lunch. If all else fails, get it to go and find a bench somewhere.
930 Tchoupitoulas St. / (504) 588-7675 / cochonbutcher.com
Cochon Butcher is open Monday-Thursday, 10am-10pm; Friday-Saturday 10am-11pm; Sunday 10am-4pm
