Cochon 555: Inside The Belly of The Beast

Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe preaches the piggy gospel. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

“Man, I wish there were more bacon around.” —Nobody at Cochon 555. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Goodies galore at the Range table. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Range bar manager Owen Thomson gives his punch an olfactory examination. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

The High West table—nothing like straight whiskey to pump up a crowd. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Adorable pig napkins befit the celebration of all things swine.

Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Jarred Liverbest from Birch & Barley: a lardo-wrapped breadstick with pickled ramp and porchetta di testa. (Ah, the magic of the Italian language—“di testa” likely sounds a lot better to the squeamish than “of the head.”) Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Birch & Barley had a cool custom sign. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Important deliberations in the punch competition. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Daikaya chef Katsuya Fukushima trying to pick his preferred punch. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Gulp. The butchery demo. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Fans looking forward to chef Haidar Karoum’s new restaurant, Doi Moi, got a tasty sneak peek with these lemongrass pork belly lettuce wraps. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Now you know what it’s like to work for Bryan Voltaggio. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Karoum adopts the classic “I got this” chef stance. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

The happy Neighborhood Restaurant Group team, who just opened GBD and Red Apron in Merrifield and are hard at work on Bluejacket brewery. It’s hard to tell from this picture, but these people literally never sleep. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.

Pig in the sun! Cochon guests took full advantage of the nice day, taking their plates out to the Newseum’s view-boasting deck. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.