January 30, 2008
First Look: Cork
It's a very good time to be a wine drinker in D.C. With spring not too far away, wine bars have been popping up like daisies around town. Newcomers include Proof in Chinatown, Vinoteca at 11th/U, and Veritas in Dupont Circle. Just last night, another contender entered the fray: Cork officially opened its doors on 14th between R and S. The wine list is 40 strong by the glass, and around 130 by the bottle. Prices are generally in the $8-$11 range for glasses, although there are a few outliers at $6 and $14. Cork also offers flights of three wines for $9-$13 - my chenin blanc flight was an interesting tour through the grape's intricacies, with sugar and acidity levels varying between glasses. At the moment, the beer list has only five bottles, but it includes standouts such as the Smuttynose IPA and Floris Wit-Blanche. As for the food, I arrived as the kitchen was closing so I missed out on a chance to try the menu, but the presence of Chef Ron Tonaka, former sous chef of CityZen and Citronelle, makes me confident that the food will be an attraction here. The menu is small, but includes some typical wine bar fare such as charcuterie and duck confit, as well as more adventurous selections, each notated with wine recommendations.
Statistics and prices aside, there are a few things that differentiate Cork from the other new contenders in the genre. First, the wine list has a distinct focus: The list is exclusively old world (Spain, Italy, France) and provides a nice tour through the incredible variety that those countries offer. You will not find any Napa Cabs on the list, but that's the point. Because the list is concentrated on a specific subset of wines, a visit here has the potential to become a deeper learning experience. Second, with Tom Brown (formerly of Corduroy, among other places) as bar manager, you can expect to see some excellent cocktails coming across the bar. Cork has a fully stocked liquor selection, and there will almost certainly be some interesting bottles kicking around back there soon. And third, the ambiance has a much-appreciated personal touch. Instead of an Enomatic wine pouring system, the bartenders themselves pour wine from bottles. Where other wine bars aim for a sleek, modern image, Cork is more relaxed and comfortable. This is a wine bar definitely worth hanging out in, and I'll be back soon to see how it matures into the neighborhood spot I hope it will be.
Note that the service will be a bit slower as they get used to the menu and settle into a rhythm. Be patient. As with any new establishment, some things will inevitably change, so call or check the website before you make any decisions based on details I've cited above.
Cork
1720 14th Street, NW
202.265.CORK (202.265.2675)
Metro: U St (Green Line)
Tuesday-Wednesday: 5 p.m.-Midnight
Thursday-Sunday: 5 p.m.-1 a.m.
Closed Monday
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The list is exclusively old world (Spain, Italy, France) and provides a nice tour through the incredible variety that those countries offer.
You have some world-class wineries right across the Potomac, but this place is focused exclusively on European wines? This reminds me of that wine bar in Marseille that focused exclusively on the wines of Southern California. And by "Marseille" I mean "my basement" and by "Southern California" I mean "Ernest & Julio Gallo."
I don't claim to be anything of a wine expert, but the people I know whose wine knowledge I trust would never call Virginia wineries "world-class".
From another angle, the Brickskeller used to stock only Virginia wines.
That's nice and everything, it's just too bad Sparky's had to be sacrificed for this joint though.
Virginia wineries are much better than a lot of people think. They aren't going to be universally recognized as premium wines, but I'd argue that there are more than a handful of Virginia wineries who could more than hold their own against many of the top class wineries in Napa and Sonoma. Virginia wine has improved a lot in a very short amount of time.
That being said, it may be because we spend a disproportionate amount of time in the VA wine region, but there's no shortage of places where one can obtain it. I don't really have a problem with a wine bar offering exclusively wines that aren't produced within a 2 hour radius of the city. If the wine is good--who cares where it comes from?
edenman - I wager these are the same people who think cheap wine tastes good just because it comes from an expensive-looking bottle. There's plenty of swill being peddled by NoVA wineries, but there's plenty of decent vintages as well. I submit that one reason Cork is focusing on European wines is because they can charge European prices. Imagine how much Glen Manor chardonnay they'd have to peddle to afford that 14th Street rent.
8 award winners does not a wine list make. On the other hand, I did quite enjoy the stuff I picked up last time I went out to Linden.
Tangent: did anybody go last night and get to try the food?
Seriously, RIP Sparky's.
No overpriced, bourgeoisie flight of wines can replace the surly baristas and excellent coffee that I miss.
Seriously, RIP Sparky's.
No overpriced, bourgeoisie flight of wines can replace the surly baristas and excellent coffee that I miss.
This guy attended the opening and thinks the food is pretty decent. Prices don't seem that outrageous, and if the pours are generous, that might make this worth the trip.
I was there. They had a busy first night and were jam packed by 7 pm. With a forgiving mood in mind we ordered some cheeses, meats and a few salads. It was all tasty, tho salads were a little on the salty side, and affordable. We appreciated that most of the dishes had 2 recommended wine pairings listed with them on the menu. I'll definitely go back. Again, keep in mind the servers are still learning the ropes and won't be much help with menu suggestions or clarifications for a week or more... then again the people behind the counter at Vinoteca *still* don't seem to know much about their wine, and they've been open a while now.
Monkey- enough with the serious and insightful posts. You're freaking me out man.
I don't claim to be anything of a wine expert, but the people I know whose wine knowledge I trust would never call Virginia wineries "world-class".
I don't know about that. The last time WifeRat and I were at Restaurant Eve the sommelier's wife was drinking a VA sparkling wine which surprised me to no end. According to Maria (the previously mentioned wife, who is also the GM of the Majestic Cafe and definitely knows more about wine than I do) there isn't a lot of good value in VA wines, for what you spend on a bottle of very good VA wine you could get a great bottle of CA wine.
oh stop putting too much pressure on monkey
the loss of sparky's is a bit sad but i think that's because of the feel of the place more than the actual food and drink. my coffee's there were generally average or burned and bitter.
correction, "coffees, not coffee's"
damnit
Yep. RIP Sparky's. And die soon, people who want to pay $8-11 for a glass of wine. Walk around the corner to fresh fields and buy a whole bottle for the same price.
I just wanted to add a pointless negative comment to continue the trend.
Eric, you smell.
For those mourning Sparky's (and it is a loss), just walk three blocks up to the 14U coffeehouse. Good coffee, great atmosphere.
eric does smell! well said.
and, there is no "fresh fields" anymore. sorry to disappoint
Having actually met Eric Denman, I can assure you he only smells of lavender and sunshine.
$8 for a glass of wine is not at all unreasonable. A bit on the high side, but certainly not as stratospheric as some here are making it out to be. I'd rather pay $8 for a very good glass of wine than I would pay $3.50 for an abysmally bad cup of coffee and surly service--which is pretty much what Sparky's was serving up the last few years.
I don't mind that this place replaced Sparky's one bit.
I missed Sparky's until I bought a French press. Even if I use Folger's grounds, the coffee is much better than the crap they peddled.
I do miss the cheap sandwiches, though, even if they were out of half the ingredients most of the time.
Asking places like Sparky's to stay around while the neighborhood changes is like asking someone to wear the same clothes they wore when they were five. Neighborhoods evolve and businesses have to as well in order to meet the needs of their customers. And pay their exhoribitant rents and taxes.
Besides, combine the fact that most restaurants fail within the first year, with hipster entertainment trend half-lifes (Anybody still order Cosmopolitans or Apple Martinis? Hang out at cigar bars? Smoke loveboat?), this place will be lucky to be around in 18 months. Of course, by then we'll have to deal with the latest hipster dining trend: Amazonian/Viking fusion cuisine. So instead of $8 glasses of cote du rhone it'll be $30 fermented masticated yam-and-saliva "mead" flights to go with your $90 charcuterie platter of lutafisk salumi, imported Uruguan yak's butter, Venezuelan beaver cheese, and crunchy frog ("We use only the finest baby frogs, dew-picked and flown from Iraq, cleansed in the finest quality spring water, lightly killed, and then sealed in a succulent Swiss quintuple smooth treble cream milk chocolate envelope, and lovingly frosted with glucose.")
Or you could just wait in line to eat packets of gourmet ketchup with Tara Reid and Ashton Kutcher.
I just got back from my first visit to Cork, which I was looking forward to -- I will not return. We arrived at 6pm to an almost empty restaurant on a Tuesday night. We were a party of four, but informed the hostess that friends may come by later space permitting. The manager and hostess told us they would not seat an incomplete party. After literally 5 minutes of pointing out that we were not asking to save space we were sat, but put on notice AGAIN that they would seat the table immediately next to us on the empty banquette ASAP. We then watched as a party of five was sat and then asked to get get up from their table when they let slip a sixth person might join their six top shortly.
Get over yourself CORK...the last thing this neighborhood needs is your attitude.