Troy Graves, Clint Rogers Team for Rootstock Pop-Up

On Oct. 2, chef Troy Graves (Eve, Montarra) will team up with mixologist Clint Rogers (Henri, The Gage) to kick off a pretty interesting pop-up dinner at Rootstock. Food and Drink: In the Time of Phylloxera will see the pair imagine what it would've been like to eat and drink in Europe in the late 19th century when the phylloxera plague destroyed a majority of European vineyards.

But instead of pairing the five-course $85 dinner with wine, Rogers will mix it up and pair unique cocktails and beers with Graves' hearty American menu inspired by the food of the European nations hit by the plague. It may seem strange to have a meal at a wine bar without serving any wine, but during the phylloxera plague, wine in Europe wasn't flowing as it had before the plague.

The cash-only dinner will have four seatings—6:30, 7, 8:30 and 9—and reservations can be made by emailing phylloxerapopup@gmail.com. Include your first and last name, phone number, number of people in your party and your preferred seating time.

So you're not surprised when you arrive, check out the menu with pairings for the night:

· 1st course: Foie gras deviled egg; pairing: Champagne cocktail (minus the champagne)
· 2nd course: Sea bream en papillote with fennel, tropea onion and orange; pairing: Absinthe and blood orange frappe
· 3rd course: Rabbit loin schnitzle with a turnip kraut and a apple-mustard sauce; pairing: a stein of German lager
· 4th course: Grilled octopus with a potato-watercress salad, marcona almonds and romesco; pairing: Sherry cocktail 1878
· Dessert: Calabrian-style suckling pig with parmesan polenta; pairing: bamboo cup (pirate juice in a bamboo stalk)

· Phylloxera pop-up dinner [Facebook]

[Photo: Troy Graves]