Las Vegas Weekly

Porking out with the ladies at Vegas Cochon

Stephanie Izard’s peanut and pork soup.

Photo: Sarah Feldberg

From the pig-shaped balloons marking the entrance to the Cosmpolitan’s Chelsea ballroom to the animals being butchered on demo stages and the bacon-infused cocktails and confections at the afternoon party, Sunday’s All-Star Cochon belonged to swine. But if mere humans were going to stake claim to the event, the ladies had it in the bag.

The Vegas Cochon, a follow-up to founder Brady Lowe’s national competitive food tour Cochon555, featured 10 varsity chefs from around the country, whipping up dishes using snout-to-tail preparations of 14 heritage breed pigs. While chef David Varley of Michael Mina (SF) offered a scrumptious ham-burger and master butcher Michael Sullivan of Tennessee-based Blackberry Farm put on a serious show on the trim demo stage, it was the Cochon’s pork-loving ladies who made the most lasting impression.

Top Chef-winner Stephanie Izard laughed about making guests at Girl and the Goat restaurant “eat pig face and animal tongues” while she served up a Mangalitsa pork face banh mi and bright, spicy pork and peanut soup. Izard said she goes through 60 pig heads a week at her Chicago restaurant, so the girl knows good face.

One of the best bites of the night belonged to 2011 Grand Cochon winners Duskie Evans and John Stewart of Zazu in Sonoma. Stewart and Evans, sporting a bright pink beehive, handed out bacon batter waffles topped with a dollop of barely bacon gelato and a crumble of bacon brittle on top. The salty, sweet snack would be delicious at any hour, and I for one can imagine making the gelato and brittle staples at my house—if the duo wants to start shipping to Vegas.

On the trim stage, ex-vegetarian Amelia Posada narrated for her Lindy & Grundy partner, Erika Nakamura, as she butchered her way through absolutely beautiful meat. With a spread of cuts before her, Posada marveled at a massive loin, then picked up one of the most easily recognizable pieces of pig: the tail.

“What do you do with that?” asked a guy in the crowd.

Twirling it around like a toy, Posada suggested braising and barbecuing the meaty end piece. “Or,” she said, “you could use it as a party favor for New Years.”

That’d be some party indeed.