CleverRoot

2 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t by Jesse Hom-Dawson / photos by Silas Fallstitch PAIRINGS Stars of the Show by Jesse Hom-Dawson / photos by Silas Fallstitch Show AUSTERITY WINES AND LUCQUES TEAM UP TO PUT ON A PICTURE-PERFECT DINNER IN LOS ANGELES Kevin Masse, Director of Brand Partnerships at feedfeed, and Austerity winemaker Steven DeCosta at Lucques in West Hollywood, CA. A photo-worthy first course of leeks vinaigrette with prosciutto, dandelion and a soft-cooked egg pair with the Austerity 2015 Chardonnay. YOU'VE PROBABLY PERUSED INSTAGRAM, drool- ing over pictures of colorful açaî bowls and vegan cupcakes with thousands of likes and wondered, "What are the perks of getting so many likes?" This question was answered at a recent dinner hosted by feedfeed at Suzanne Goin's popular West Hollywood, California, restaurant Lucques. feedfeed is a digital communal cooking publication that shares content online from bloggers, chefs and, yes, Instagrammers, to an audience of millions. They partnered with Lucques and Austerity Wines to host popular food Instagrammers and other media notables for a dinner that promised to be photo-worthy. Austerity describes their wines as an "everyday luxury," a statement that many of the attending Millennials could get behind. Austerity's grapes are sourced from vineyards throughout California's Central Coast, including Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands and Paso Robles. Each of three courses was served with an Austerity wine, and Austerity winemaker Steven DeCosta was on hand to walk the guests—some wine aficionados and some newbies— through the pairing of each course. There was even a photo booth in which to take photos of your meal with picture-perfect lighting. The first course was a leek vinaigrette with pro- sciutto, dandelion and a soft-cooked egg, paired with Braised short ribs with horseradish cream and sautéed greens, paired with Austerity 2015 Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Chocolate crémeux tart topped with cardamom cream served with the Austerity 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon. Austerity's 2015 Chardonnay. "The Chardon- nay is fermented in stainless steel and aged six months in 100 percent American oak," noted DeCosta. "Its rich, buttery texture makes an ex- cellent accompaniment to the soft-cooked egg." The main course was an unbelievably tender braised short rib with sautéed greens and horseradish cream. The accompanying wine, the Austerity 2015 Pinot from the Santa Lucia Highlands, luckily had a deep fruit charac- ter that helped balance the spiciness of the horseradish and kept it from being overwhelm- ing. "The 2015 Pinot Noir was from a small vintage," DeCosta explained, "but it is a great wine that has a wonderful earthiness that makes it ideal for pairing with heavy meats." Dessert, a silk chocolate crémeux tart with cardamom cream, was matched with Auster- ity's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Ro- bles. It was a rich yet easy-to-eat final course, a perfect ending to the warm and inviting meal. "Our wines are, first and foremost, food wines," announced DeCosta at the end of the dinner. "And it's a pleasure to see our wines paired with such amazing food!" While the dishes were sure to get many likes on Ins- tagram throughout the night from feedfeed followers all over the world, actually eating the food proved that these pairings were as pleas- ing to the palate as they were to the eye. ■cr

• Cover