Le Petit Cochon to Take Over Former Showa Space

A new restaurant focused on whole hog cooking is moving into the space above Chiso in Fremont, which, up until February, housed Showa.

Derek Ronspies, who has spent the last year-and-a-half co-cheffing at his brother Dustin Ronspies' Art of the Table, is now branching out on his own and opening Le Petit Cochon.

The concept is nose-to-tail, farm-to-table, fun. I want to stress fun. Good food, good fun. I hate the word gastropub, so I don't want to use that word at all; I want what gastropub was supposed to be. Gastropub just sounded...people have brought it to shit.

He imagines good, loud music playing (no pop), a full bar full of happy people and good food coming out of the kitchen of the 1,800 square-foot space: "I want it to be the best. On a budget (laughs)."

Le Petit Cochon will seat about 40, including 10 to 12 at the bar.

Derek has another couple of weeks in the kitchen with his bro — a working relationship he can't say enough positive things about: "It's amazing. He's my brother. It's probably hard for most people to think that way, but we're pretty much best friends. We work well together."

Initially, Le Petit Cochon will be open Tues-Sat serving dinner and late night.He's also throwing around the idea of offering a limited number of foie gras lobes each week that diners would reserve ahead of time (like the chicken dinners at Ma'ono or the whole pig heads at Radiator Whiskey).

This is pretty much the kind of food Derek imagines for his restaurant, which means it's a work in progress, which means everything is subject to change:

APPETIZERS ($14-$19)
Arugala Salad, Lemon Confit, Almonds, Parmesan, Crispy Pig Ears
Beet Salad, Fromage Blanc Gnudi, Bitter Orange Sauce, Basil Oil, Pine Nuts
Smoked Cod Fritter, Squid Ink Aioli, Chorizo, Chick Peas, Paprika Vin
Blood Sausage, Onion Soubis, Crispy Poached Egg, Potato Hash
Seared Foie Gras, Pea Velloute, Chantrelles, Chick Pea Panisse, Truffles
Fried Chicken Livers, Remoulade,Slaw, Pepper Jam, Pecan Dressing

ENTREES ($26-$29)
Marble King Salmon, Fried Green Tomatoes, Smokey Shrimp Butter
Smoked Brisket, Creamed Corn, BBQ, Mustard Vin, Onion Crunch, Pickles
Offal Crepenites, Smokey Pork Nage, Pomme Puree, Black Pepper Cherry
"Phat Ass" Pork Chop, Cheesy Grits, Peach Jam, Collared Greens, Sherry Vin

DESSERTS ($10-$14)
Strawberry and Foie Gras Fritters, Vanilla Cream, Chocolate I.C.
Chocolate Torte, Cherry Syrup, Bourbon Vanilla I.C.
Grit Cake, Lemon Curd, Pecans, Whipped Cream
Strawberry Panacotta, Lemon Sorbet, Black Pepper Tuile

Derek is shooting for an early September opening.

· Le Petit Cochon [Facebook]
· Art of the Table [Official Site]