Cochon on 2nd — Restaurant in Williamsburg

Horrible Dining Experience!!!

Where do I begin, well, for starters if you're a well traveled foodie do not mistake; Cochon on 2nd with its highly regarded counterpart (Cochon) New Orleans, they are not related at all, not on quality, or services and least not on food. Maybe it was an off-night for them yesterday but one thing is certain, I'm questioning Cochon on 2nd's authenticity that's for sure.

The good: We were on a family vacay to Williamsburg, VA and made reservations. Upon arrival the atmosphere was cozy, the hostess was cordial and pleasant as we were escorted to our table. The drinks from the main bar were nice, the French martini and smoked orange Old-fashioned were tasty. Our appetizer salads, which included mixed greens, blue cheese, and grilled peaches, were well balanced and good. But, this is as far as it goes as everything else that followed was a complete disaster ...

The bad: The signs were there from the beginning but being optimistic we chose to ignore them. Within the first 20 minutes of us sitting down we saw/heard 3 tables around us complain about their food and sending them back to the kitchen. My son and I received the wrong appetizers to begin with, which prompted our head server to apologize and comp the mistake. 10 minutes later after my son and I were almost done with our appetizers, my wife's salad arrived, as the assistant tried to place the plate in front of her, she spilled the Tomato-caprese salad all over the table. Then she looked at my wife and said; sorry i'm not wearing gloves to be able to pick'em up but you can, my wife looking dumbfounded, smiled, and said sure I can help but do you expect me to eat this off the table? Which was met with an immediate response of, ohhhh, you want me to bring out a new one? Needless to say how that ended, it prompted an apology from our head server again a few minutes later. At this point we are questioning whether Tuesday night is training day for them, and whether to leave by this point.

The ugly: As we are praying by now that our main entrees come out on point, and that our family dinner can be saved, it was hopeless. As our orders arrived; Duck breast with a fig-port glaze, the special Whole Red Snapper fried, and Aged Prime Black Angus Beef Tenderloin, kitchen mistakes abound on every single dish. The only thing cooked right on all 3 dishes, were the potatoes but to be honest our neighborhood pub has better. The carrots and asparagus on all 3 plates were hard and not edible. The special whole Red Snapper fried, was tasteless!!! The supposedly special sauce that came with it was absent. My son had to order slices of lime to squeeze some juice for flavor and add salt and pepper. My wife's Beef Tenderloin was the opposite, heavily salted, and under-cooked. She ordered medium-well, and she got rare! Then my Duck breast arrived over-cooked, we sent the dishes back to the kitchen. When my wife's beef dish arrived again, it was well done! They basically took the same piece of meat, cut it in half, and seared it in heavy butter until they felt it was well done. My wife gave up after this. When my Duck breast arrived, it was now under-cooked, heavily fatty which differed from the previous over-cooked portion, and the glaze reduction was basically a tasteless watery gravy.

Our head server tried her best to appease and apologize for what mainly seemed kitchen mistakes, and poorly trained staff. What was most disappointing, management never came by our table once. I wish things could have turned out better, and I hope management tries to correct some of the issues going on in the back of the house, or this establishment is heading into dire straits into the 2nd...

My husband and I were so pleased to accept an invitation to meet a dear friend of mine for dinner at Cochon on 2nd this past weekend; she made reservations at the bar to treat us to a Wagyu burger and a cocktail menu that we’d never forget. Now, Wagyu beef is prized for its rich flavor, attributed to its extensive marbling, and hails from Japan. Not only did Cochon deliver on its promise for delectable food and exquisite spirits, they absolutely delivered in terms of excellent service. Emily was the name of our cheerful, witty, and dedicated bartender, who each time she visited us, made our experience a memorable one. But, let’s back up a second and talk about the beautiful bar and restaurant, so perfectly lit with tiny white lights, that it felt both spacious and cozy at the same time. Our trio was neatly tucked away in the corner of the bar, and it felt like private seating, even though we shared the bar with patrons to the right of us.

Immediately we were greeted and offered beverages, which Emily helped us select, as we had questions as to the beer offerings. We learned that Cochon does offer draft beers, they are merely in the kitchen now, and not in clear view. My husband landed on the Vienna Lager, a dark lager hailing from Devil’s Backbone Brewery, which is just a stone's throw away in Nelson County, Virginia. A fan of wine myself, I was so pleased to choose the L’Ecole Bin 41 Merlot, a medium-bodied red with notes of dark berries, dark cocoa, and tobacco. What was served to me was impressive, a generous pour if I ever saw one! As for my friend, the one who introduced us to this wonderful place, she decided on the Paloma, the cocktail special of the evening, featuring Patron tequila, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, and fresh jalapenos for an added kick. Let's just say the first Paloma led to a second Paloma.

Emily presented the specials so beautifully, describing each item in a way that made you desire them, with a buoyant mood to boot. She treated us all like family who had come for a visit, and she wanted each of us to feel special and included. When it came time for bread, Emily danced around the bar with her bread basket, chock full of the most delightful whole grain bread, packed with nutty seeds, and accompanied by farm fresh butter. While we had come into Cochon on a mission, we were so entertained by this incredible specials list. I have to admit, our anticipation for this Wagyu burger was building as we finally placed our dinner orders!

What seemed like a short period of time passed and suddenly, towering Wagyu burgers were presented to us, with overflowing tornadoes of French fries. Sometimes I’m a little shy around new-to-me flavor profiles, so please forgive me for requesting my balsamic onion jam on the side. What I discovered upon my first incredible bite of this juicy, smoky burger was that it didn’t need it! Wow! The maple-smoked Vermont cheddar cheese melted so gloriously over this mouthwatering burger, and let’s not overlook the thickest, meatiest bacon cut I’ve enjoyed on a burger - the Cochon bacon. Wedged between two sides of a brioche roll, this burger was flavorful, and luscious, and not to be forgotten. The French fries were crispy on the outside, and tender throughout, salted to perfection, and the rightful side dish for this magnificent burger.

As you can imagine, we’ll be back again to experience more of what Cochon on 2nd has to offer, and you should certainly check them out as well! They have already updated their website with their 2024 Valentine's...

This is my second anniversary dinner at Cochon on 2nd and I am really disappointed in Chef Neil Griggs. I wanted a prix fixe menu (where last year I spent $500 because we bought bottles of wine to take home - their wine list is very good), so I called two weeks ago looking for Melissa (who helped me last year), but I was told she wasn’t available (translate: no longer worked there) and spoke to a very nice host instead. She understood my request and naturally would need to speak to Chef Griggs about it. We both agreed on a reservation time of 7pm on June 4th.

Two days later, I get a call from Chef Griggs asking time to explain what it is I was looking for, what we had last year, and what we wanted this year. He seemed confused by my request and told me he would have to think about it. I never heard from him again.

I realize Chef Griggs is busy with his catering business (e.g. W&M graduation) as he publicly posted that his other location would no longer serve the general public, but rather focus on catering events. So when he didn’t call back, I knew there wasn’t going to be any type of special event for my husband and I, but I certainly didn’t think that there wasn’t going to be a reservation for us, either! Yes, you heard that right; we didn’t even have a reservation. When I explained the story to the host (it was the same one I made the reservation with two weeks prior), she was very apologetic and found us a table, which wasn’t hard since they were only half full.

Our server, Teri K., was very welcoming and also apologized for the mix-up. I told her not to fret, it wasn’t her fault, it was Chef Griggs’. We ordered the tastiest salads: Arugula with shaved Parmesan, apples, pecans, poached pears? (it says peaches on the menu), and honey lime ginger vinaigrette. Unfortunately, my beloved smoked maple leaf duck with port & fig reduction was so salty I could barely eat it.

If Chef Griggs thought my request too taxing or not worth the effort (BTW, I ended up spending half of what I did last year this time), he could have just told me so. But with three chefs just standing around with nothing to on the line and a half-full restaurant, I don’t think it was being too busy to accommodate was the issue.

At the end of our meal, Chef Griggs did come by and apologize. He handed us his business card and hoped we would come back next year. He didn’t even remember calling me or what we discussed (hint: it was that the lobster was way too expensive now and I was okay with that as I don’t appreciate seafood like others do).

All I can say, is what a difference a year makes. I hope his catering business keeps them afloat, but I won’t be using him for that either. You never know, they might not remember your order and not show up. It would be par...