Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.

An Early Look at Cork Wine Bar (With Menus)

A new wine bar opens up in the Logan Circle neighborhood.

By Kate Nerenberg Published Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A first look at Cork's bar area. Photo by Brian Liu/ToolboxDC.

For ten years, newlyweds and Logan Circle residents Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts have been watching as their neighborhood slowly shed its identity as a Dupont castoff. With the opening of their brainchild, Cork Wine Bar, they’re helping carve a new niche for the growing area. As of now, many residents know it as the new spot replacing Sparky’s Espresso Bar—itself a favorite local hangout. It won’t be long, we’re guessing, before residents embrace the rustically elegant Cork.

The name is an homage to the roster of 20 wines by the glass and more than 130 by the bottle. While the list focuses on the Rhône region and Old World varietals, the owners wanted everyone—from a seasoned oenophile to “the guy on his first date,” as Pitts says—to feel comfortable ordering wine.

Pitts had two requirements for his dream wine bar—first, that neighborhood residents feel like it was theirs and, second, that they serve the best French fries in town. For the former, Gross and Pitts hired local architect Eric Gronning, whose past projects include Hank’s Oyster Bar and the newer Marvin. He preserved Sparky’s exposed brick and pressed-tin ceiling but otherwise gutted the place.

A garage behind the property was transformed into kitchen space, and the basement became an open wine cellar. In the dining area, the walls are a subdued chocolate brown, accented with retro-style light bulbs and flickering candles. There are a handful of cozy nooks, including sophisticated banquettes with striped cushions, alcoves in the two front bay windows, and an L-shaped bar with a short granite end that’s a snug spot for two. The total seating comes to about 70, including 15 seats at the bar.

For the French fries and other fare, Gross and Pitts enlisted Ron Tanaka, an eight-year veteran of such haute kitchens as Citronelle and, more recently, CityZen. Among the sharable, seasonally minded small plates ($5 to $15) are a creamy rosemary-chicken-liver bruschetta with shallot marmalade; a simple salad with romaine hearts, anchovy dressing, and downright addictive wine-soaked croutons; and a twist on a croque madame, a pan-crisped brioche sandwich with prosciutto, fontina, and a sunny-side-up egg.

Oh, and we tried those French fries. The potatoes are double-blanched, tossed with a lemon-parsley gremolata, and served with house-made ketchup. Tanaka—and the young couple behind Cork—might just be on to something.

Cork Wine Bar, 1720 14th St., NW; 202-265-CORK; corkdc.com. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 5 PM to midnight, Thursday through Sunday 5 PM to 1 AM.

Cork's Menu

Cold Plates to Share

Cheese Selection
3 for $10, 5 for $15, and 7 for $21

Charcuterie Selection
$6 each, 3 for $15, or 5 for $24

House-Marinated Olives $4
House-Roasted Marinated Peppers $4

Romaine Hearts, creamy anchovy dressing, shaved pecorino, cabernet croutons $7
Bin 16 or Bin 55

Mesclun Salad, shallot vinaigrette $7

Roasted Eggplant, chili, mint, grilled bread $7
Bin 27 or Bin 97

House-Cured Trout, shaved fennel, toasted hazelnuts, tangerine vinaigrette $9
Bin 12 or Bin 71

Celeriac Salad, mustard, caraway, bacon and watercress   $7
Bin 22 or Bin 137

Rosemary Chicken Liver Bruschetta,
shallot marmalade, herb salad $9
Bin 11 or Bin 58


Hot Plates to Share

Exotic Mushroom Duxelle, sweet onions, fine herbs, grilled bread $8
Bin 25 or Bin 84

Oil-Cured Roma Tomatoes, chevre, grilled bread $7
Bin 17 or Bin 18

Caramelized Sunchokes, walnut oil and lemon salt $5

Lemon and Black Pepper Dusted Calamari and Rock Shrimp with caper remoulade $11
Bin 19 or Bin 68

Pan-Crisped Brioche Sandwich of prosciutto, fontina, Path Valley egg   $10
Bin 32 or Bin 90

Potato And Leek Gratin, Caramelized Onions, Gruyere, bacon $7

Mussels, garlic, white wine, herbs $11
Bin 7 or Bin 72

Pan-Roast Organic Chicken Breast, prunes, olives, preserved lemon with garlic-tarragon jus $13
Bin 21 or Bin 87

French Fries tossed with parsley, garlic, lemon, house-made ketchup $5

Crisp House-Made Duck Confit, creamy mushroom polenta $14
Bin 30 or Bin 85

Sautéed Wild Mushrooms with madeira and marjoram $7

Red-Wine Braised Lamb, pomegranate, radicchio, spinach $15
Bin 41 or Bin 119

Grilled Flat Iron with brussel sprouts, pancetta relish $14
Bin 31 or Bin 134

Comments

Welcome to the neighborhood. Great. I love it. From what I experienced Cork can only mellow

Red

Posted by: Josh Reddaer, Feb 13, 2008 08:56:42 PM

While in Washington my friends invited me to go with them to a new Bar-The Cork. I was pleasantly surprized. The wait staff were curteous without being overbearing. The place was packed and though the service was slow the spirit of the bar was infectious and the atmosphere warm and welcoming. I was not familiar with the wines but the three I tried were good. I met new friends and I do intend to return on my next visit. For a new bar seeking its water level, it was great. Marty

Posted by: Marty Charles, Feb 13, 2008 08:35:27 PM

why do people feel so obligated to send in their negitivity? a restaurant is like a baby you try to anticipate everything in advance then you give it all of your attention andlove ALOT OF LOVE blood sweat and often tears.BE patient if you expect perfection wait a few weeks for a baby to grow ! remember what your mom taught you if you don’t have something nice to say keep it to yourself. I wish the best of luck to all at cork !!

Posted by: anonymous, Feb 08, 2008 11:41:34 AM

I really wanted to give Cork a chance and keep an open
mind about everything, including the manager’s consistent dismissive, marginalizing tone and gruff behavior. This is not JR’s or Cobalt ;-)

I give Diane and Khalid credit for having a vision and executing very well to that vision. However, I do not see the value proposition of leaving hungry three times after spending about $60 each time. Exec chef Ron Tanaka: this is not Citronelle/CityZen ;-)

I left them my card if they are interested in a more detailed view of my opinion. That said, it is not on my list for an immediate return in the current format, sorry to say.

Posted by: Anonymous, Feb 07, 2008 07:43:00 AM

Just don’t let them seat you in the back room adjacent to the kitchen. Why anyone would want to see into their kitchen I don’t know. I do know that the room is hot and loud and the lighting is atrocious . . . felt like headlights were coming at us all night.

Posted by: Boo Augustus, Feb 06, 2008 08:38:58 AM

I was there Saturday for the soft and Tuesday for the Grand Opening, I thought both nights were fantastic -- though crazy busy. I am on their email list but figured they didn’t announce the soft opening or mention the Grand until the day of because they were trying to avoid a crazy mob scene from those of us itching for them to open -- to no avail. The wine was great, the food pretty darn good and the service attentive on both nights. I sat at the bar on Saturday. Stephanie is my new best friend. I am glad they are in the neighborhood and think the early buzz on Cork is pretty justified. Will for sure be back this week and many times more. Felt like a little slice of New York right around the corner.

Posted by: Cork Neighbor, Feb 05, 2008 10:35:48 AM

If anyone thinks that this place is what 14th St. needed, they obviously hadn’t been to Sparky’s.

Posted by: fsowalla, Feb 05, 2008 10:25:20 AM

what kind of idiot goes to opening night at any restaurant and dings them for slow service? That makes you an a-hole.
Way to be supportive of your new neighborhood hangout...you are not the people anyone wants as regulars..and you’re just too dumb to know it.

Posted by: A, Feb 01, 2008 01:31:30 PM

I went to opening night and expected great things. Unfortunately, the service was incredibly slow and they didn’t anticipate the crowd in my opinion. The wines are good but agree with the above comments that the Tapas/Mezzes were paltry. Overall, I found it average and I’m not sure I’ll return.

Posted by: Steve, Feb 01, 2008 07:16:22 AM

Cork now has the menu and their wines by the glass posted on their website.

Posted by: VA girl, Feb 01, 2008 05:48:37 AM

I also signed up for Cork’s e-mail list, hoping to receive an invitation to an opening party. So far I’ve gotten nothing. I’m disappointed, too, that the menu appeared on Washingtonian.com while it’s still "coming soon" on Cork’s official Web site.

Posted by: Tim, Jan 31, 2008 07:47:04 AM

i love Cork! Even though their wine is mostly from places i can’t pronounce, the place does a great job of making these old world beverages very accessible to those of us more familiar with Californian, S American and Australian vino. i plan to be a regular and the good prices and good explanations of the wine will likely enable me to incorporate some great Spanish, French and Italian wines into my sipping repertoire. The food is delish and the service is super friendly (without being annoying).
It’s a great addition to 14th Street - cheers!

Posted by: jan, Jan 30, 2008 03:45:34 PM

I was at Cork opening night with three friends, and was very pleased. It’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

The place was definitely packed, and Ithought they did a nice job of handling the crush. They could’ve used another bartender or two, but still handled it well.

I’d love to see heartier portions of food and a few American (especially local) wines on the list.

I’m looking forward to going back for some more sampling...there are sorts of fun flight combinations you can create from their list, and the wine is reasonably priced.

Posted by: Chuck, Jan 30, 2008 10:53:54 AM

Fantastic grand opening last night (01/29)!!

I agree that this is a great addition to the neighborhood. Last night, their first official opening night, was unbelievably busy. I think they were shocked by the number of customers that came through their door, and so were we. It is certainly indicative of the lack of wine establishments in this city.

Although happy with the number of wine bottles on their list, the vast majority of which were at the medium price range, I thought that their concept of eating mostly Mezzes/tapas (we are not talking about copious Middle-Eastern Mezzes, but rather slivers here and there) wasn’t, in my humble opinion, a really a brilliant idea because when one consumes such generous amounts of wine, one needs a plentiful meal to accompany the drinks.

The wait staff was very courteous, but not overwhelming, and our waiter did not push us to consume and leave as quickly as possible.

The wines they serve are mostly French, Italian, and Spanish. None are from the new world but for one from California. They tend not to have a large selection from vintage years, but that is understandable as their market/focus seems to be the medium-priced wines.

My review: The place has the overall feel of a bistro, with a good selection of medium-priced wines (mostly French, Italian, and Spanish). It is loud. Their staff is very courteous, but needs some time/training to better understand and speak about the wines served there, and the tapas/mezzes are acceptable (small portions though), but I would rather have real meals/larger portions served (even if the food list were very short) with my wine. It is definitely better than anything I’ve tried on 14th Street (including P street between 14th and 17th).

Posted by: thrilled neighbor, Jan 30, 2008 09:58:41 AM

Posted by: anonymous, Jan 30, 2008 09:54:42 AM

Cork is a great idea. I think they may miss some customers like me who actually like to have wine earlier in the day on weekends. Opening at 1- on Saturday and Sunday would be wonderful

Posted by: tom, Jan 30, 2008 09:40:57 AM

Cork is a great idea. I think they may miss some customers like me who actually like to have wine earlier in the day on weekends. Opening at 1- on Saturday and Sunday would be wonderful

Posted by: tom, Jan 30, 2008 09:40:29 AM

Although I sent Cork two emails and signed up for the mailing list, I never received any communication about their opening or about the questions I asked them. I’m a huge wine lover and, being in the Logan neighborhood, I was very excited to try the place out. I am already disappointed at their lack of communication and very un-neighborly approach to handling potential customers. I hope they prove me wrong.

Posted by: Rebecca, Jan 30, 2008 08:54:53 AM

We were at Cork last night for the opening...it was packed, the wine was great, the service a bit slow but to be expected on a first night. The food was a bit on the skimpy side, but again, it was the first night.

We are from the neighborhood, and for sure it will be a hang out...we just hope the bartenders become a bit more attentive...

Posted by: Wine Snob, Jan 30, 2008 08:49:08 AM

Given that this references a new wine bar, it might also be helpful to post their wine list.

Posted by: Keith Greene, Jan 30, 2008 08:30:43 AM

An Early Look at Cork Wine Bar (With Menus)

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