Cork Wine Bar

[Busboy]

In the years since I moved away, nothing has really driven home the recent changes to 14th street (Thriving segregated shopping district>riot corridor>hooker haven/drug megamarket>"transitional" neighborhood> million dollar condos) more than the crowd at the opening night at Cork. I'm not positive, but I think that, when I lived around the corner from the space, it was one of those grim, florescent "convenience" stores that you dropped into about 11:58 for a six pack (choice: Budweiser or Olde English 800) and a pack of smokes, with a bed sheet hung across the doorway to the back office, from behind which the occasional fellow with whom you didn't make eye contact appeared from or disappeared to. Then it it was a coffee shop frequent by the type of twenty-something that make changing neighborhoods neighborhood safe for the affluent and then move on when they can't afford it or grow up, and have trouble at airports because the piercings set off the alarms.

The other Tuesday, it was the single best-scrubbed crowd I've ever seen on the 14th street corridor in 20 years. Thin, closely cropped, undiluted by the half-hip suburbanites who make Adams-Morgan and Georgetown so esthetically unappealing on a Saturday night or the type of customers who frequented either of the two previous establishments (of course, I no longer look like a customer of the previous two establishments, so I blended right in). 30-something more than 20-something, thus more restrainedly stylish than fashionably clad.

My friend -- if I was the Jamestown wave of gentrification, he was the Roanoke Island wave, living on 13th for almost 30 years -- was ecstatic. And I restrained my impulse to rant about the growing homogenization of DC's formerly funky neighborhoods because I was pretty happy, too.

The main room is kind of comfy-generic: exposed brick, dim light, hip furnishings and a lot of posters, wine bottles and hot waiters. More important, the wine list is kind of comfy-eccentric, euro-based but specializing in off-the-beaten-track selections with very friendly prices. A lot of new ways to look at the Old World. We plowed through five selections: a Larredya Juracon Sec (France) made with Grus Manseng (all notes are from the back of my receipt, so spelling is iffy) for $10; an Ajello Majus Bianco (Sicily); $8; a bottle of Jumella (Spain) by Juan Gil $32; and then two more burly Italians for dessert, a Guarini ($9) and a Licorella ($12). I can honestly say that I've never in my life tasted five wines in a row and -- after calculating the p/q -- been as happy as I was that night. And every grape a new one for my list. They also offer some wines over $40, segregated to the back of the list, so as to preserve the establishment's status as a neighborhood place, I suppose. Big spenders are invited to go to Proof for the Screaming Eagle, though Proof's owner was one of several local culinary luminaries who seemed to be enjoying himself there that night.

Chef Ron Tanaka (late of CityZen and Citronelle -- all the "C" restaurants) is pumping out a small plates menu, bartender Tom Brown has assembled a cocktail menu, as well.

It was crowded when only the locals knew about it, I assume it will be ridiculous once the word gets out. So plan accordingly and consider a late-night drop-by: kitchen open until 11:30.

Cork

1720 14th Street (between R and S)

Washington, DC

202-265-2675

info@corkdc.com

Reservations accepted for pre-theater dining.

At other times, call 30 minutes in advance to place your name on the waitlist