On Bienville Street and just off Bourbon, Restaurant R’evolution is centrally located for the Super Bowl, Fat Tuesday the following weekend and celebrating our first Valentine’s Day!
Traditionally, many cultures celebrated the boucherie, or the butchering of the pigs, in the winter months. This laborious task provided fresh meat as well as smoked and salted meats for families' use throughout the year. This strenuous task was made less difficult and enjoyable, because many families participated. Everyone was assigned a task from fire stoker, to bristle scraper, to boudin maker. Before dawn, large cauldrons of scalding water were prepared over hot, open fires. A 300- to 800-pound pig was slaughtered by cutting the jugular vein. The blood was gathered for making red boudin. The pig was scalded and the bristles removed, which was sold later to brush manufacturers. Then, the pig was strung from a tree. The women removed and cleaned the intestines, which became the sausage casing. The pig was then cut and quartered into chops, spareribs, roasts and bacon. Portions of the pig were smoked or salted, while sections were reserved for families' immediate use. The skin was made into pork cracklins and the fat was rendered into lard. Inedible portions of the pig were used to make soap.
During the festivities, families enjoyed music, home brewed beer and fresh pork. Usually grillades, boudin, fresh sausage and ponce (stuffed pig's stomach) were served as well as debris, a rich stew made with the organ meat of the pig and served over rice. At the end of the day, everyone went home with their families' portion of the slaughter. This activity was repeated nearly every weekend during the slaughtering months of December, January and February.
Our “guests of honor” are three little pigs from Black Hill Ranch in Cypress, Texas, where the finest breeds of humanely treated pigs are raised. The pigs have been hand-fed a top-notch diet of peaches, apples, pears, carrots, lettuce, spinach, cantaloupes, plums, tomatoes, eggplants, squash, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, corn, soybeans and maple syrup. Then, dinner is washed down with red wine to ensure delicious, high quality meats are produced. They continue to be pampered at White Oak Plantation for the upcoming Boucherie celebration.
Guests at this ticketed event will enjoy the evening tasting the "spoils of the boucherie" with a charcuterie reception to start and six courses with wine pairings. Please see complete menu below...
Charcuterie Reception
Crispy Pig's Ear
Red and White Boudin
Salumi, Hog's Head Cheese, Sausages
Ca del Roro
Prosecco, Veneto, Italy NV
Appetizer
Pied de Cochon
Sweet Potato Aspic
Wein Keller Erbach
Sylvaner Rheinhessen, Germany 2011
Soup
Hominy and Pig Tail Consommé
Pork Albondigas
Acquagiusta
"Rosato" Maremma, Italy 2011
Salad
Local Citrus, Smoked Pecans, Sugar-cured Ham
Sartori Di Verona
"Ferdi" IGT Verona, Italy 2010
Seafood
Gulf Shrimp Dirty Rice Arancini
House Bacon Sauce Piquante
Row Eleven
"Civello" California 2011
Entree
Triptych of Pork
Braised Pork Cheeks, Persimmon Ratafia
Wrapped Pork Belly Parcel, Turnip Greens
Craklin' Crusted Pork Spinalis
Domaine Brusset
"Les Boudalles" Rhone, France 2010
Dessert
Stone-ground Grits Pound Cake
Mini Oreille de Cochon, Bacon Praline Ice Cream,
Rye Butterscotch
Niepoort
Ruby Port, Douro, Portugal
