The Perfect Pair: Honig Wines at J&G Steakhouse

Many restaurants offer loyalty programs to reward their frequent customers. Multiple loyalty apps from fast casual restaurants offer $5 after you spend X amount of dollars, but there is one restaurant that offers much larger perks than a $5 discount to their most loyal customers. J & G Steakhouse's 515 Society  offers members a complimentary J&G breakfast buffet upon sign-up, complimentary valet at lunch, 20% off organized events, (including wine dinners, mixology classes, etc), half off bottled wines. half off the bites menu from 3:00-7:00, and more. There is no fee to join, and no minimum spend to remain a member of this exclusive club. How do you get involved in this club? Visit their website to learn more. 

We were recently invited to attend a 515 Society hosted event to see firsthand what the perks of the 515 Society were like. For this Perfect Pairings event, the special guest was Michael Honig, President of Honig Vineyards and Winery, who paired Honig wines with the four course meal crafted by Executive Chef Phillippe Reininger.

For the first course, tuna tartar nicoise, haricot verts, and gaufrette potatoes were paired with 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford for a nice salty and sweet combo. The salt from the dish was balanced by the peach flavors from the wine.

Next roasted duck with green peppercorn and kale polenta were paired with 2011 Cabernet Savignon, which complemented the duck's rich gaminess.

It is rare that I eat duck and short rib in the same meal, but the next course paired a rich 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Bertolucci with tender braised short rib topped with apple-jalapeno puree and rosemary crumble. 

To finish things off, pineapple bread pudding and condensed milk ice cream were paired with a lovely dessert wine-the 2012 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

To receive the most up-to-date info on the 515 Society's exclusive events like these, sign-up at http://jgsteakhousedc.com/515society/index.php.