Le Cochon Noir opened at the end of June and Parker is still tweaking the menu, but barbecued pork will always be the theme song.
The restaurant's name is a play on the heirloom pig specialty, Le Cochon Noir - not to be confused with another black pig on the menu, Kurobuta Pork Chops.
I turned to food educator Aliza Green to sort it all out. Le Cochon Noir is a very rare breed of pig from the Pyrenees region of France. It's big (roughly 800 pounds) and known to be delicious. Parker intends to find one and cook a form of nose-to-tail at the restaurant.
Let me be the first person that e-mail goes out to, please.
The Kurobuta is an English heirloom breed known as Berkshire that is much smaller than the Pyrenees breed. In Japan, it is considered to be the pig version of Kobe beef.
I'm getting ahead of the menu, though.
In keeping with the Philly tradition that you have to have good bread, Parker imports a crusty button with a dense crumb and heats it up to toasty temp.
On one visit it was served with a delightful compound butter that I hope becomes standard. During another visit we were offered a basic olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
On the lighter side of the menu you'll find a Snapper Soup ($6) with a velvety broth with slightly rich undertones. Thank goodness, it wasn't served with that nasty cruet of cheap sherry you so often find.
The London broil comes as a salad on the lighter side ($12) or an entrée ($18). My tasters and I agreed that the smoky meat was divine, but the salad could have used a little more dressing and the greens were a tad ho-hum.
Two favorites from the lighter fare were the Pulled Pork Quesadilla ($9) which was loaded with crispy, smoky pork bits coated with tangy sweet sauce.
