This review is for the Cochon 555 2019 edition in New York City. I noticed there were no reviews yet for this year so thought I'd share my experience. The venue - This year's Cochon 555 was held at the Weylin event space in Brooklyn. The building is a NYC landmark, formerly known as the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Recently renovated, it's a beautiful space with a grand dome & stunning architecture (classic revival according to Wikipedia). Venue is five stars all the way! The food - Around 4 stars overall. Since this was my first Cochon 555, I don't know how it was in previous years, but I'd say it was good. The lines weren't too long & there was enough food. They ran out of oysters. The tacos were incredible. The cupcakes by The Perfect Purée were my favorite sweet. The hibiscus cupcake was wonderful. The drinks - Cochon555 is known for its excellent wine selection. This year included a wine and cheese pairing which was incredible! It was a well curated selection, including Orin Swift 8 years paired with Nancy's Camembert amongst others. There were many great wines scattered throughout the event. Also, Rum from Venezuela and mixed drinks. To top it off, they had a Punch Kings punch contest with 5 different barkeeps. Fountains, bowls, and even one with coconut milk & orange bitters. Very creative ! And good too. Five stars for the drinks. Overall value - I purchased my ticket for 75$ It was more than I wanted to spend but I don't usually have time to go to Cochon 555 and I've heard so many good things about it over the years. I think it's a little expensive, compared with other food events that offer more food stations & larger servings. For NYC it's a good price when you factor in the wine & average cost of a decent meal at some of the better restaurants. Would I go again? Yes but I'd much rather go to Cochon's Heritage Fire. The one they have in Napa looks incredible; it'd be cool to schedule a trip to the Napa valley & add this to the itinerary. Probably will never do it, but I can dream. read more

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So the gang gave me the honor of the FTR since I created this yelp event which I am honored to do. Even though I just got home from this fabulous event, I will attempt the glorify this event in words with as few spelling mistakes as possible. I had a lot of wine. To be completely honest, words escape me with how great this event was. It was held at the newseum and while at times it seemed a little crowded, it was never that bad that you had to complain. As far as the amount of food, there was SO MUCH FOOD PER PERSON! They in no way ran out of food. They served the little piggies from 5pm till about 8pm nonstop. Some food stations ran out of food, but there were other places you could go. For about the last hour we all said at least once, "I can not eat another thing" and then we always found another delicious bite to eat. Chef Scott Drewno of The Source won the big prize and deservedly so. He served food up until the last person left the room. He said he had about 14 dishes plus cocktails. Bryan Voltaggio was my honorable mention because he had this homemade soda which was probably one of the best things I tasted tonight. It was a cream soda-makers mark-chestnut-hamhock- SODA. It was really..... WOW. But SD really took the prize for me with his bacon peanut brittle, pork cider cockails, and so many other things. I saw other things people eating but I could literally not eat another thing. It was that much food. It was great to taste all the other wines as well. There was an after party on U Street which was a great place to keep the party going and talk with the chefs. Overall, it was completely worth the $125 entry fee (feels like a steal) and want to go to each chef's restaurant and support the wonderful work and artistry they do. I would totally go to this event in the future. read more

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First I'd like to thank Yelp awarding me two VIP tickets (valued at $200 each) to attend Cochon 555. The event was at the Watergate Hotel this year, which I had never been to. I arrived a little after 3:30, and there were some appetizers like foie gras and cornichons. Early access to the main room for VIP attendees started at 4:00 PM with regular admission beginning at 5. Unfortunately, not every station was fully set up for the VIP guests at 4, so it was a lot of going around to the same few stations. Some highlight dishes included Rose's Luxury lychee and the pistachio macaron (forget the restaurant name). Now, I love esoteric foods. However, things like pig blood macarons were a little over the top, even for me. Another thing that surprised me was that there was more alcohol, mainly wine and bourbon cocktails, than actual food. Sure, the smoked old fashioned that was lit on fire was cool, but I would have liked to have seen more delicious food. Overall, I don't think this event is worth more than $75, but I am so thankful that Yelp allowed me to attend Cochon 555. read more

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The best BBQ event in my life! The ticket is about $100. I won fortunately. It's worth paying to enjoy amazing drink and food. BBQ! OMG! I pigged out more than usual. I really like the juicy, flavorful, and tender ribs by the restaurant in LA. But all dishes were fantastic. Oysters too! Alcohol! Fun cocktails in a jar. Coffee IPA, I liked it. I'm not a big IPA fan tho. Organic Sauvignon Blanc. 6 kinds of whisky. Tequila too. Great location behind Union market. Free street parking. What a fantastic event! I can't wait for the next!! read more

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I'm torn over the 2014 edition of Cochon 555. Like past Cochon 555's, this year's iteration succeeded in sending Carol W and me over the edge into overindulgence, which was quite understandable given the wide array of delicious pork in glorious forms, as well as world class beers, wines, and spirits. Food offerings from this year's chefs were top to bottom excellent and surpassed last year's solid offerings. Chef Bruner-Yang took this year's competition, deservedly so, with his sublime BBQ Pork Bao, Pork Laab, and Sticky Rice being true standouts. I can't wait until his Maketto opens! My issues with this year's event had nothing to do with the quality of food and drink and more to do with the overall experience. Unlike past years, Union Market served as this year's venue. While the cavernous loading dock/warehouse space was plenty large to accommodate the 600 guests in attendance, the acoustics were horrible. It was almost impossible to hear or understand the person standing next to you talking let alone the announcement of this year's winner over a PA system. Like past Cochon 555's, the wife and I went the VIP route. Unlike past years, however, the VIP experience didn't seem all that "VIP". If there was something that the additional $75 per VIP ticket for over the General Admission ticket price got us, then we must've missed it. We didn't seem to get any different, VIP only, food and/or drink offerings than what was served to GA ticket holders. Sorry, but early access to Punch Kings offerings and an additional hour to eat and drink wasn't worth the extra money. However, maybe it was a good thing we had that an extra hour to eat since it seemed that at least two of the chefs ran out of food and closed up shop before 7pm. Rumor had it, the event was oversold by 100 tickets. If true, that would possibly explain why the some of the chefs ran out of food early. Looking back on Cochon 555-2014, in spite of the incredible efforts by the chefs and their staffs, the bartenders, and the wine and spirit reps that were all personable and gracious, frankly, it was a disappointment and we left feeling a bit cheated. Had we gone the GA route, we would've saved over $150, which would've paid for a very nice meal at any one of the participating chefs' restaurants. Had we gone the GA route, my rating would be higher. This will probably be the last Cochon 555 we'll attend, but if we do go again, it definitely won't be VIP. It was a rip-off. read more

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So I won VIP tickets on Yelp but if I didn't, I'd say that they were worth every penny. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough food but there was enough for seconds and thirds at your favorite stands. Plenty of wine, beer and bourbon and lots of necessary water stations. There were a lot of people but not so many that you couldn't get to the tables. We left at 7:15- most stands had run out of food so you should get there early and make your rounds. Even leaving early we were so full of food. Overall, really awesome event with so much good food and friendly people. I have no complaints and hope to return next year! read more

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This is a very good event, but it's not great. Considering what the ticket prices go for($125 to start, $200+ for VIP), you kind of expect greatness. A lot of my main discontent with this year's version (2012) reminded me of why I wasn't a fan in 2010 and subsequently skipped 2011 (which was apparently the best of the bunch). There were certainly some improvement with things like an unlimited bourbon bar featuring 3 different types going into Manhattans, but ultimately that's not what you come for. You're here for pork, and that part let me down just a wee bit. There were 5 moderately acclaimed restaurant/chef combinations including Scott Drewno (The Source), Nicolas Stefanelli (Bibiana), Ed Witt (701), Mike Isabella (Graffito), and Wes Morton (Art and Soul). To me it seemed like Drewno and Stefanelli were the only chefs whose food clearly resembled their restaurant's trademark style, although there were decent dishes at all the booths (yes, even from Isabella, as much as it pains me to say that). Drewno wound up winning (his second in a row), but I found Stefanelli's offerings to be more memorable. I thought Drewno did well, but his highs weren't as high for me as Stefanelli's were, and I actually preferred a couple other chef's best dishes to his. A few of my favorite options from each chef (in the order I would have voted them overall): -Stefanelli: cannoli with crispy leef fat and ricotta; carbonara ravioli with pecorino, black pepper, and egg yolk -Morton: muffaletta of mortadella, salame rossa, smoked coppa, pickled cauliflower & olive salad; Andouille with sea island peas and collards with smoked ham hock -Witt: Boar's Ruin cocktail with Elijah Craig bourbon and tobacco and cider braised pork belly; fennel sausage and nettle agnolotti w/ black olive pork jus and coppa -Drewno: Korean BBQ with kochujan marinated pork, lettuce cup, crispy rice, and cucumber kimchee; "chips and dip" pork rinds with Penang pig head curry -Isabella: spitroasted pork shoulder w/ lemon & yogurt; pork belly and jelly donut These were all good bites, but the contest as a whole was lacking many true "wow" moments. I actually preferred the jars of Benton's bacon on the tables to several of the items. If you want to see what each dish (and all the others) looked like check out the full photo recap with captions here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wedoitforlove/sets/72157629520592838/ In the end I think we can all say that we were just happy Mike Isabella didn't win, considering how much he was whoring himself to all the voters. You seriously couldn't go 2 minutes in the giant crowded room without hearing his obnoxious grating voice, and he thought his "jelly belly" donut wording was so damn creative. I couldn't resist going up to him mid-shout one time and asking "so what's your name young fella?" just to see the reaction, which was pretty priceless. The guy gave out hats, buttons, t-shirts, cookies, and just about everything else possible to try and win votes, when he should have just made better food. It was admittedly better than I thought, but he was also starting off around the expectation level of a kindergartener. The extras this year were pretty good, with some of the better wines coming from Domaine Serene, Adelsheim, and Elk Cove. The bourbon station was by far superior though, with Manhattan's mixed up from the guys at Alembic Bar (including Danny Hyatt himself) of San Francisco fame, and featuring 3 top notch bourbons: Angel's Envy, Hudson, and Hirsch. They're all 3 very different styles of bourbon, with my favorite being the Angel's Envy, but the best for Manhattans being the Hudson due to its softness. They all came in cute little Mason ball jars with Cochon 555 wrappers, which you could take, but you had to leave the glass behind. The oyster station featured a new variety for me, the Olde Salts, which I thought were fantastic and blew away the sweetness of the other 2 kinds. And of course there was the giant cheese spread, featuring classics from Cowgirl, Rogue Creamery, and Kerrygold. I could have stood there eating blue cheese all evening, especially when paired with that delicious bacon jam. I wound up leaving before the after-party began, mainly because it was pouring rain and I wanted a cab before the entire place emptied out, but also because I was just really damn full and pretty drunk. I guess you could call that a successful evening over all, and if that's what you're going for then you should definitely attend next year's event. read more

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I'm in agreement with Dana - there really are no words. That being said - I'll give it a second shot, though Dana covered it pretty well. I am still recovering - I'm pretty sure I don't need to eat anything for a week with the amount of food and wine I took in at this event. If only we had second stomachs. Gregg M and I started at 3:30. The first thing you see when you walk in is a charcuterie table to the left, a St. Germain cocktail to the right and straight ahead beer station....oh what shall I choose? After you walked in a little further, you saw the cheese station. Can we say yum? For the charcuterie, my favorite was the porcini mousse. This stuff was great. Texture was spot on and the flavor. Melt in your mouth, earthy and I'm so sorry they ran out of the little toast thingy's, cuz this stuff was like manna. More please. After you sampled all this wonderful goodness, you moved around the corner where you found even more wonderful charcuterie. Starting with bacon that had been aged for 30 months (I think that is what he said - he then handed us alcohol so it all started to get hazy fast). Next to them was various sausages, salami and dried fruits. Good, though not as good as the pate's in the beginning of the whole line. Next there was the Emperor Vodka tasting - I was a fan. It was smooth without the metallic taste you can sometimes get. I'll be looking for some of that the next time I go liquor shopping. Next - can we say oyster's and caviar? Yes we can and every single one of the oyster's I tried were good. Those shucking could barely keep up with our hungry demands! Following all this, we went outside to sample the wine. Gregg M and I were not fast enough to sample all the wines since they ran out of one, but my favorite was the Freestone Pinot. Now to the main event: Pork, Pork, Wine, Wine! Oh my! Let me put a disclaimer and say that it ALL tasted great! There were some that outshined the others tho....that being said: When we went into the main event, we went to the right side of the room. The first offering was an assortment of pork stuffed pastries and to help us get our fill - they had people bringing them to us in line. The second offering came from Bourbon Steak and chef Adam Sobel...Starting with...porktini's? okay, dirty porktinis (nothing like pork fat in your martini)? Talk about not behaving. His noodle "bowl" was good, and the pork tender and succulent. The pork biscuits - WOW!!!!! Thanks to Adam's dad for hooking us up! Next was Brian Voltaggio from Volt who just happens to be serving us in line this "cocktail". Can we say Cream Soda and Maker's Mark - seriously what a combo. Yummmy.....refreshing and the perfect start to his offerings. Chestnuts and ham hocks. This was my favorite of the night. If only I would have had a few beans to go with those ham hocks! (okay that's the Southern roots showing). Scott Drewno's pork bites - nice and tasty, but honestly I don't remember exactly what bites were where. It was all just toooooooo good. Let me say a few words about dessert: Pork skins dipped in chocolate - good; bacon peanut brittle - a little too salty, but still very tasty; peanut butter, chocolate, bacon and banana egg roll - DIVINE (Adam can you make this for me the next time I come to Bourbon Steak?) The wines: All of them delicious. I would have to say the Adelsheim Pinot was my favorite of the night, though the Alysian Pinot ran a close second. Can't wait until next year. BTW - After party at Marvin was AWESOME! It was great to meet fellow yelpers. Brian thanks for joining us for the pre-cocktail event at Oyamel. read more

I confess. i went to the dark side and snagged tickets to this event through a Zagat contest. Though I didn't go to last year's event, it seems that most of the negative aspects from last year's event (long lines, as mentioned in some of the other reviews) were eliminated this year, as the longest line I had to wait in was the line to get in, and I technically waited out of it, as I sat on the couches in the main lounge waiting for my friend to arrive. Other than this line, the longest line I waited in was the line to get BBQ, which I ultimately opted out of trying once I got to the front of the line, because I was too stuffed. My friend and I were so stuffed, that we were members of the Tacky Club for 1 whole minute, sitting on the floor with some other event goers since there was no where else to sit, and we just needed to take a break from eating the pig.The hotel staff wasn't on board the Tacky Club, and immediately notified us that we were a fire hazard for sitting on the floor. I really think they just thought we were a hazard to the non-tackiness of the event, because if anything is a fire hazard, it's all the peeps standing up that I have to squeeze my way around, not someone sitting on the floor that I can easily walk over. I probably didn't eat anything for a good 45 minutes during the event, not because this time was spent in line, but because I had already had so much stuff to eat that I had to stop eating. The simple things in life make me happy, and I was most excited about the Blood & Chocolate Ice Cream, placed in a cone made of fried pork rind, or what my mexican, but not really mexican self likes to refer to as chicharrones! Someone had the genius idea to serve coffee at the end of the event. I had the hardest time getting to sleep Sunday night. I must have awoke once an hour Sunday night. I also woke up with a huge zit, which I will gladly attribute to all the pig's fat I consumed that evening. I admit that at 24, I'm still prone to acne, but that was a larger zit than I'm used to. I have heard about the wonders that a vegan diet will do to acne prone skin, but ehhhh F it. I'll take acne and pig's fat over clear skin and a vegan diet any day. read more

I also, am torn by this event. This was my first Cochon 555 event as I didn't get tickets in time last year. I went with general admission tickets, as I couldn't see any value in getting in an hour early and that seemed to be the only benefit to the VIP tickets. I loved the venue, I hope to see more events here. I thought the space was just fantastic and perfect to hold about 600 people. On the downside, having the announcements over a loud speaker, with speakers only mounted in the front of the space, and with the space being all concrete - made for it to be very hard to understand them (even when right next to the speakers) and for a very loud evening. It was difficult to carry on conversations (they could have turned the music down a bit also to help with that, or threw down a few rugs). Let's talk food, the food was wonderful....for the vendors that were still open when I was able to get to them. That's bad planning, there were 3 vendors I never got to try, and therefore that were omitted from my voting choices. This was a huge bummer by the way, getting to a booth to find the - CLOSED/We Ran Out of Food sign was a huge let down for the chefs we hadn't tried yet. As for the competition, I thought it was all in good fun. It was a bit scary spice with Mike Isabella at the end, with him draped in sausages and presenting the awards ad hoc instead of our host for the evening, but I'm not sure our host knew what to do with the chef taking over like that. We raised some awareness and money for our organic pig farmers - which was awesome, as well as some money for the volunteers from a local cooking school, which was also awesome. I'd go back again next year to see if they have the kinks worked out, but this wouldn't be a yearly event for me if they didn't. read more

I'm here as a volunteer. The food and atmosphere are amazing! I just saw Spike and Swineface! read more

Cochon 555 - Local Flavor Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This was a week ago, and I'm still full! I was lucky enough to win tickets from Yelp, so thank you for reading this review and helping to keep this site in business. I can't really speak to the price/food benefits for that reason, but I'm not really qualified to anyway because I haven't been to too many of these events for the foodie elite. I will say that the VIP hour was much emptier, and it was much easier to get around and taste everything. However, only a few plates were out from each table at that point, so make your own choice. Even when everyone was there, I never felt smushed or crowded and didn't even have to try that hard to find a table where I could stand and eat. The food was obviously wonderful. Each chef had several dishes, all with pork thoughtfully added. Highlights included a bbq pork steamed bun, a Reuben croquette, and even a bacon-infused ice cream sandwich. Huge shout-out to the bacon they placed on all of the tables. I thought I had eaten good bacon. I evidently had not. Drinks, of course, were plentiful as well. Different wines, 5 types of Goose Island beer, punch from the Punch Kings, and more. There was also a cheese table with delicious breads and cheeses. I wanted to save room for pork, but the cheese kept calling my name. Same with the oysters. Plus, if I really wanted more pork, I could have bought some to take home. I did not do this, but it would have been cool if I was really well versed in what to do with a large piece of pig. I left stuffed. It was so cool to meet the chefs behind these dishes (and behind some impressive restaurants around DC) and to taste their numerous offerings. I thought the event was run very smoothly, and the Union Market space was a great choice. Thanks, Yelp (and Kimberly S.) for the opportunity to attend this memorable pork-fest! read more

3.25 stars. Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge fan of the pig, I love hanging out with an assortment of Yelpers and non-Yelpers, and there were some pretty novel takes on how to use every single part of the pig to make lovely dishes. It is just that when I pay premium dollar for an event, I expect no operations management issues. That just wasn't the case here. A number of Yelpers mentioned that the VIP treatment made all the difference in the world. That very well might be true. I showed up on time and found myself in an unduly cramped space which was amplified by poor table management. All five of the tables placed in one room with tables for different wineries set in between made for zig-zagging lines that made it awfully confusing to determine which line you were in at any given point. Now, maybe if you able to switch lines with grace, it doesn't matter. But that tactic simply did not work for me. Instead, I found myself in one absurdly long line after another. I almost felt like I was at a different event than the other Yelpers given their glowing reviews regarding the short periods of time they waited to receive food. There was more than one occasion where the line took over fifteen minutes to move. When you only have two hours to devour as much food as possible, that is unacceptable. This isn't to say that Cochon 555 was an unmitigated failure. It wasn't. A number of the items that I sampled were amongst the most novel preparations of pork I have ever seen. I am confident that if my knowledge about the different organic pigs and the types of parts used was greater, I would have a stronger appreciation for this event. I can say that I hope the pork brittle and dumplings from The Source find their way to the restaurant's menu. There is a reason that restaurant won this competition; despite the presence of the favored Volt, each dish presented by the Source provided a thought provoking experience about the possibilities with pork. In closing, Cochon 555 is a great idea that has exponential room for improvement. Next year, I might look into VIP to see whether that solves the problem, but I hope at some point the founders of this event book a venue in DC that makes sense to hold this otherwise awesome competition. read more

Wow, I am surprised people liked this year's Cochon at the Newseum! I went last year (2010) to the one at the Ritz and had a great time but, frankly, I thought that this year's was a waste of money and an all-around bummer. And let me just say up front that the event's founder and his PR person could care LESS if you are happy with the event or not. Case in point: After attending this year's event and feeling really disappointed I sent the founder of the event, Brady, an email explaining why I was unhappy. I waited a month and never got a response. So I emailed his "PR" person listed on the Cochon site. She responded immediately, said she was the one I should have contacted in the first place and would look in to it and get right back to me. That was a month ago. So, its been 2 months and they can't even send a response "gee, so-and-so, so sorry you had a bad time." Nothing. They seriously do not care about the people who attend: just money. I am not going to attend for a 3rd year. It is a shame because the one at the Ritz was REALLY great and, damn, I love me some pork. here is the email I sent them, which has my substantive review and assessment of the event: Dear Brady, I attended the Cochon 555 event in Washington, DC and I feel compelled to write to express my intense disappointment in the event. I attended the Cochon 555 last year (2010) when you held it at the Ritz Carlton and it was all around better, in every way. While the Newseum is a beautiful building and the view from the roof was pretty, that room was terrible! It was long, thin and WAY TOO CROWDED - uncomfortably so. By the time everyone arrived you could barely move through the room. Having that many people crammed into such a small space, especially walking around with wine glasses (and two plates of food!), is unpleasant. Then, there is the fact that the lines for the chefs' tables were so long they practically wrapped around the room. You couldn't tell which line was for what table. Some lines blended with the lines for the winery tables. The chefs looked harried and rushed and I think for a number of them it affected the food. And, because the lines were so long, you could only taste whatever each chef was serving at that very moment. While in line for Bourbon, we saw the last table packing up - one we hadn't tried yet - and by the time we got to the front of the line, Bourbon was only serving dessert! That's just an indication of how little time there was to taste the food. It really isn't fair to the chefs either - how can you judge their food when you can only taste one or two things? And then, there were the tables - actually, the lack of tables. Three high tops for the whole room? Really? So even once you got some food there is nowhere to eat it and the tables that were there were covered in used plates, napkins, etc. Also, the wineries ran out of red wine well before the end of the event. Last year we were able to try every single thing from every single chef - even seconds if you wanted to -the only limit being what our appetites could handle. It was AMAZING. The room was large enough so that everyone could move through there freely. You could see the chefs (this year you couldn't see anything because of the sheer quantity of people). You could talk to the chefs last year because it was less crazy for them. And, you could actually enjoy the food because there were tables to stand and relax at. The wine lasted until the end of the event. And when the whole roasted pig came out you could actually see - and taste - it. This year I tried probably 8 dishes, max. The lines were SO long it was really hard to stand in line for 2 small dishes and then turn around and do it again. Let me put it to you this way: I left hungry. For an event that you charge $125 a person for that is unacceptable. What stings the most is that we had so much fun last year at the Ritz that we raved to friends.... We encouraged a number of people to go who were skeptical about spending that much money - we assured them THIS was worth it. It was embarrassing to me and I felt really badly that they spent the money when it turned out to be so bad and crowded. I feel upset that we as a couple spent $250 for what amounted to about 8 canapés per person and some wine. I read somewhere that you portion about 3 pounds of pork per person. Well, someone else must have eaten my 2.5 pounds because I probably had 8 ounces, total. All in all the event was poorly planned and executed. We are foodies and we LOVE pork - and we had so, so much fun at last year's event - but we were sorely disappointed this year. I am sorry to say that I would think very hard about attending this event again. And, oh, we got there at 4:50pm so the arrival time had nothing to do with it. I have read reviews and heard similar sentiments from others so I know I am not alone in feeling this way. read more

4.5 stars Whoa! This was one heck of a party! So much so that in order to fully partake, we reserved a hotel room at the nearby Gallaudet University hotel (super short walk over) and took leave for the following Monday. Yeah, we came prepared to get down!! Eat and drink were aplenty, and fun and merriment were equally abundant. The cost is steep, but let's face it, you don't do this every weekend. It is so much fun to just roam around consuming little nibbles and slurps of exquisite creations. Everyone is having a good time, including the chefs and how can you not? This is a party/contest/event with a truly festive atmosphere. Nobody is grumpy, nobody is fronting (trust me, the chicks in the six inch stilettos didn't make it past the first hour), and everyone is shoving as many delightful treats and drinks in their pie holes as often as they can. This is Disneyland for carnivorous grown ups. You won't really be able to sit down and it does get loud, but the food is out-freaking-standing! We missed out on the tartare bar, but I personally wasn't all that disappointed. I even managed to pick up a little swag from the yelp table ;). I also drank the best Manhattan I've ever had and ate some of the best pork bites of my life. I already can't wait for next year!! I'm also making room in my cabinet for some Whistlepig Whiskey, if I can find a bottle.... http://dc.eater.com/2015/3/23/8276875/cochon-555-2015-dc-photos#4699240 Oh, and here is a pic of my piggie face making out with another piggy face. Oink!! Squeeee!! read more

I've been going to Cochon 555 since 2011 and am impressed at its evolution. It's still a serious food and wine event, but the competition has grown in spectacle as well as scale. This year we had grown adults in pig costumes, "porkcaine" (pork fat and maltodextrin) on glass plates, and an entire Animal Farm-themed barn set from Spike Mendlessohn. You might assume the food would have to be overshadowed by so much razzle-dazzle, but the food was incredible as always and there was just. so. much. of it. This was also surprisingly the best-organized Cochon I've ever attended. This was honestly the least crowded I've ever seen the Dock5 area of Union Market. I don't know if ticket sales were poor or they simply decided to limit attendance, but there were plenty of open tables and getting around was a breeze. Forget long lines; there weren't any lines, period. We never waited more than thirty seconds for our food anywhere. No one seemed to run out, either. That's a goddamn miracle for such a large event and they deserve five stars alone for pulling that off. This isn't just the best-organized Cochon, it's also the best-organized food event of its size in all of DC. That is absolutely commendable. There are two crucial points about Cochon: 1) The VIP experience is no longer worth it. Other posters have mentioned this and while I hoped it was just a misstep or oversight, they're right: after many years of buying VIP I can no longer justify the cost. There is no added benefit to the VIP experience except for having a bit more time to digest and walk around, and that's worth maybe $15 extra, not $70. This year there was a shitshow of a "wine seminar" with a few poor winemakers crammed into a corner of the area with awful acoustics and no prepared remarks whatsoever. The Punch Kings event was supposed to be VIP-only, but it didn't even end until the general admission. 2) Cochon is still massively underpriced. We each had six glasses of wine (from bottles that retail from $12 to $50), two mid-shelf Manhattans, a Mezcal tasting, two full punch glasses, and two cocktails. We didn't finish all of these (obviously) but we received full glasses of everything. That alone would cost you upwards of $130 at a restaurant, to say nothing of the food. Not only do you have the five chefs slinging their wares, but there's also a tartare bar, a tapas bar, cheese and charcuterie, and a "Family Feast" that is three gigantic portions of all-you-can-eat barbecue. As annoyed as I am for overpaying for VIP, I honestly can't be that pissed because there's just so much top quality food and drink involved that the entire ticket paid for itself within an hour. My advice to the organizers would be to get rid of the VIP option entirely and hike the general admission price to $150. Cochon remains a must-do event for DC food lovers, but you should be smart about it. And schedule the next day off from work. Trust me. read more

The good reviews given by all the other commenters indicate that either these people were on starvation diets before coming to this year's Washington event, or perhaps they are young foodie wannabes who have never experienced truly great food but only the ridiculous hype generated by Bravo, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. In a word, cochon 555 at the Newseum was abysmal. The $250 VIP tickets were a total rip-off. The food was horrible, the chefs were disinterested, and frankly should be embarrassed by the crappy food they put out. There was no good wine, and the so called bourbon tasting was two rye whiskey vendors. Overall, this was an incredible disappointment, not worth the time or money and the Cochon 555 organizers should rework this event or fear for the ruin of the tour's reputation. read more