HABIT DINNER PAIRING in The Salon

Last August, we hosted a dinner pairing in our private tasting room, The Salon, with our friend Jeff Fisher who makes Habit Wine. Our friends from YEAH Rentals set up a bar out back and the talented Annie Mc Elwain came aboard to shoot some very lovely photos. Among the guests were Jessica Gelt of LA Times who wrote about the night here, and Leslie Balla who wrote about it here. This was the second tasting pairing we did in The Salon. The first was with Handsome Coffee Roasters covered here and here. Our goal of performing these dinner pairings is to build a creative platform to work with friends who are committed and inspired by what they do. We have many more pairings planned for this year but let us begin by introducing this one with Habit Wine.

To start, we welcomed everyone in our garden with appetizers and a choice of two cocktails, each light and refreshing and an ode to late summer:

KIRO RANCHER

Fresh Yellow Watermelon Juice, Nigori Sake, Muddled Shiso (from our garden!), Shochu and Yuzu

BLOODY CLARA

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Water, Tequila, Lovage (from our garden!, Fresh Horseradish, and Lime

APPETIZERS:

PATTYPAN SQUASH PARMESANO

EGGPLANT TEMPURA, CALAMARI + CUCUMBER GRIBISCHE

COMPRESSED WATERMELON, WHITE BALSAMIC GELEE + HEIRLOOM TOMATO

WEISER HERITAGE MELON GAZPACHO, SMOKED DUCK, + CRACKLING

CRISPY STEAK FRITES AGNOLOTTI + GARLIC AIOLI

As guests found their seats in The Salon, they were given a glass of wine from Habit's limited reserve to browse the upcoming menu along with an Amuse Bouche of Mini Chincoteague Oyster Stew in Cocotte.

Since our dinners in The Salon cap out at just 33, we are able to harvest all of our greens and garnishes from our own garden which means they always vary and have vibrant colors and flowers. It's pretty much as if there's a bouquet on your plate.

We designed The Salon around a U-shaped table where Matt can cook out of and serve from. It lends itself to a very personal and oftentimes interactive dining experience.

We couldn't resist showcasing some beautiful, pasture raised and organic Lily's Farms eggs at this dinner as the filling in a dramatic raviolo. The yolk acted as a rich and creamy sauce for the hand made pasta.

Jeff explains some of the process of how he has carefully cultivated his artisanal wine that he makes in very small batches. When you hear his charm while tasting his solid and bold wine, it is understandable how he has personally amassed such an impressive array of American sommeliers who purchase his vintages.

As you can see, Matt presented this beautiful Onaga whole and then carved it table side, serving it with a tomato fennel broth that was poured over each guest's dish infusing the room with a delicate aroma and warmth.

Photos:  Annie Mc Elwain

Follow us on Twitter to find our next tasting. See you then!

Read more about this dinner here.