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Cork Wine Bar, 14th & Riggs St NW - Chef Jason Schreuder Replaces Kristin Hutter


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I finally went to Cork Wine Bar to try out Chef Ron Tanaka's food. The chickpeas and roasted roma tomatoes with goat cheese were outstanding! I cannot wait to find out where he is going so I can add the new place to my list of places to try immediately. Who knew that chickpeas could taste so amazing?

The wine at Cork is amazing, too. I hope that the new chef knows that there will be big shoes to fill...

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Speaking of 14th & Riggs St, what is it with the name of this street? Riggs has three discontinuous pieces, from west to east: between 19th St and New Hampshire Ave, where it's called Riggs Place; between 17th and 16th, where it's called Riggs Place on the street signs, but Google Maps calls it Riggs St.; and between 14th and 13th, where apparently all agree to call it Riggs Street. (Riggs Road in Northeast is a different matter.) I have a 1942 map of Washington that shows the same names of the pieces of Riggs as are seen on the street signs today, so apparently things have stood this way for a long time. There is a similar anomaly with Belmont Road and Belmont Street, but at least those two are not entirely on the same axis. Interesting true fact: The part of present-day Swann Street west of New Hampshire Avenue was formerly called Oregon Avenue.

That is all.

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Rob Weland is rocking some great specials at Cork. I have had three so far - all very special. The pork belly has hit the regular menu already.Tonight I tried the seared sea scallop special on a cloud of sunchoke mousse. Wow. The scallop was perfectly seared and deiicate -- sweet and so was the sunchoke. A thin jagger of crisp guanciale cut through both of them. Very sophisticated and one of the best dishes I had had all year. In contrast, the porchetta is a terrine porchetta -- rustic on a bed of red cabbage with a dollop of hearty mustard. Also good. NIce combo in fact. Rabbit will appear soon because Rob is buying some from Pecan Meadow on Saturday. Can't wait to see what comes of that.

The prices are reasonable for what you get.

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Marketfan, how does the new menu compare to the previous menu? Completely different, some of the same dishes? Same small plates format?

The menu is mostly the same and all remains in the small plate format but they have added pork belly (and two other things I have forgotten.) The main diff is that there are nightly small plate specials: last night there was a porchetta terrine style with red cabbage and hearty mustard -- a very nice piece for 15 dollars. A satisfying portion. Another special were two large sea scallops on a small plate of cloud- like sunchoke mousse. And two slices of guanciale. I think that was 15 but again, it was a good portion. And for 10 dollars, there were pork dumplings that I did not see or have. So, I think the new dishes are in line with the prices. And the portions were good small plate portions.

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We enjoyed the early part of NYE here. We didn't want a place with a dumbed-down "special menu," or an all you can drink entry-fee crowd fest. Cork was a great choice.

The regular menu was in place, servers did a great job, the vibe was upbeat and lively but not aggressively celebratory and the food was good. Favorites were the duck salami off the charcuterie menu, the steak with tiny potatoes and something green (sorry that I can't remember the specifics) and the pot de creme dessert. We had some cheeses and the cured kampachi (hope I am right on that), which were fine. The only miss was a serving of Brussels sprouts which were kind of bitter, but that was a minor glitch.

What I appreciated most, though, was that we never felt rushed. Tables were turnng, but clearly the staff had done a good job of staggering reservations. It didn't feel like anything but an ordinary night at a popular restaurant, and I mean that in the best possible way.

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I'm so pleased to report that what Waitman feared has not happened. Four of us ate our way through the menu last night. I'm tickled that my favorite dishes - the avocado on grilled bread, the wild mushrooms, and the french fries (the best in DC) - are still on the menu, but there are some new and interesting dishes. Off hand I'd guess that 1/4 or 1/3 of what's on the menu is new. Sorry I don't recall many details, other than a special on some sort of soft cheese and fried pickle on grilled bread that was a fantastic play of tastes and textures, and an almond and something casserole that made me think of scalloped potatoes, but way better, and an excellent steak tartare. I think all the desserts were the same. I'd say that the new menu on Cork is a perfect blend, retaining the best of what's old while giving us something new. Still one of my favorite restaurants.

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Very pleased to report that Cork appears to be in good hands in its new, slightly tweaked incarnation. Had a great dinner the other night, probably as good as any I had in the pre-Weland era. Six of the eight dishes we had (avocado, radish salad, pea gnudi, hamachi/grapefruit, mackerel, and ginger pot de creme) were great; sprouts & chokes was good; and only the pierogies were "eh."

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CORK is in good hands indeed. We went there for brunch because Vermillion and all the other usual suspects for brunch were fully booked up. We're so lucky that we did, as every dish was just perfectly executed. CORK's brunch is also good for people who don't like typicaly brunch food, since the dishes are all in small sharable plates and are a bit lighter than traditional brunch food. The cocktail offerings were also creative and tasty, but not too heavy

Favorites

french fries - these might be the best french fries ever, like a good bistro frite, but lighter and more crisp. comes with a great house ketchup

baked egg with parmesan crust

Coddled egg

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Went to Cork for the first time last night - definitely a good spot for people watching! The gal to one side of me seemed surprised by the color of her rose ("Oh! It's pink!"), and the two young ladies on the other side of me appeared to be a delightful combination of high and drunk. Nonetheless, it was a lively atmosphere, and the wine list was spectacular. I went from a solid albarino to a really good pinot grigio (unlike any other I've had) to a delicious white Burgundy - yum. As for the food, the buttermilk biscuits were a great way to soak up the wine and were served piping hot with a sampling of the day's preserves and carcuterie. It was a good bit of food for $7. I also tried the chicken liver bruschetta, and I liked it, but I wished I had someone to share the dish with - it got a little too "organ-y" tasting after a while, and I just couldn't eat anymore.

Seems like a great date spot - will definitely be back to try more wine!

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Tonight was our first visit under the not-so-new anymore Weland regime and we had a delightful meal. Everything was good, but the dish of the night was a Parmesan flan with English peas off the specials menu (I can't remember exactly how it was described, but it was a portion of savory flan served on a pea purée with whole fresh peas and fish roe adding a salty and crunchy contrast.) loved it. Spoke to chef Weland briefly and he's changing it shortly to feature a ramp pesto. I'm sure that's going to be fantastic. Fries, ketchup, rock shrimp and calamari, mushrooms, kale, and lemonade were as I remember them from Chef Tanaka's kitchen, which is to say, all very good.

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I hope our city's young 14th Street dwellers remember the time when Cork was one of the few good dining options on 14th Street; now, these pioneers have been "joined" by a good dozen other medium-high-end restaurants within walking distance.

What used to be an impossible seat was a piece of cake on Sunday evening. My young dining companion and I walked in at around 6:30, and chose a seat indoors instead of outside on the patio (although it was a beautiful evening, and we could have gone either way).

And we're glad we did because our server, Cierra, was a hoot and a half - during the course of our meal, she said several genuinely funny things that had us both laughing, even after she walked away. She was great, and a huge asset to the restaurant.

I asked if they had any mocktails, and she said that although there were none on the menu, they could make us one. I asked for a Mocktail ($5) with ginger, and the bartender whipped up something with ginger, perhaps some nutmeg, and a couple other things. It was absolutely delicious, and as refreshing as could be, and I ended up getting a second one later on.

Cierra advised us on 4-6 dishes between us, and we split the difference at 5:

* Avocado ($10) with pistachios, toasted pistachio oil, sea salt, and grilled bread

* Grilled Asparagus ($10) with burrata, olive and red pepper puree, and basil

* Crispy Lemon and Black Pepper Dusted Calamari and Rock Shrimp ($12) with caper remoulade

* Pan-Crisped Brioche Sandwich ($11) of prosciutto, fontina, and sunny-side up egg

* Roasted Eggplant Flatbread ($11) with goat feta, pickled onions, mint, and lemon zest

Note several things:

* Cork keeps it simple, with minimal mixing of the native ingredients

* This menu has barely changed since the restaurant opened in January, 2008

* They bring out each dish when it's ready (unless you request otherwise)

* Everything we ordered was priced between $10 and $12

Although Cork had two superstar chefs in Ron Tanaka and Rob Weland, current Chef Kristin Hutter - who may or may not have been working on this Sunday evening - is perfectly capable of making these dishes. This restaurant is a formula, and the chef can be - almost - something of an afterthought. These dishes are not difficult to make, and a good line cook could handle them. That said, on nights when the restaurant is screechingly busy, you need a pro in the kitchen to make things happen.

The menu is virtually the same, but the dishes themselves are quite different. It had been far too long since I'd been to Cork, and the difference in the execution was crystal clear. Each chef has their own style, and Khalid and Diane have apparently given the kitchen greater latitude than I would have ever imagined.

Highlights were the fritto misto which was just as good as any rendition I've had here, and the sandwich which was perhaps better than any rendition I've had here, although the fontina on it was a bit overpowering (if you don't mind this, you'll love the sandwich - break the egg just before eating it, spread the yolk evenly on top of the bread, and eat it with a knife and fork).

I was a little disappointed in the burrata sitting in the unpleasant olive and red pepper puree, and surprisingly, in the bruschetta which had an over-concentration of toasted pistachio, and avocados cut and distributed just a bit too clumsily (I've had this dish countless times in the past, and this was the weakest version - a more even sprinkling of sea salt will help).

Matt and I were pretty well stuffed, but Cierra - who could talk a leopard into buying spots - urged us to try the Summer Peach and Blueberry Crisp ($8), with vanilla bean ice cream and cardamom caramel, and both of us were *so* glad she did. Cooked peaches can be wonderful, or they can be slightly bitter with acidity, and these were wonderful because the crumble was positively laden with butter which worked beautifully in what turned out to be the highlight of our meal. Served in a very hot iron mini-skillet, the fruits were buried underneath a buttery crumble with brown sugar, the whole thing topped with a dollop of high-quality ice cream. Given the quality of these fruits, the recipe, and the execution, this is one dessert that you should go out of your way to get. And the caramel! Even if you're a savory person, and tend not to order desserts, consider this a "fruit dish" and just get it - it will be one of the best desserts you have this summer, I promise. This is the one must-order item we had on this evening, and we were clashing forks, each trying to get the last bite.

While I was waiting for the dessert, I ordered an Herbal Tea ($4), and was presented with an elegant wooden box that allowed me to take my pick. Cork uses the French company Palais des Thés for their teas, and I got a sack of Linden Blossom Tilleul with my own little white teapot, short and stout.

Oh, and one other thing:

post-2-0-03148700-1409050965_thumb.jpg

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Jason Scheuder replaces Kristin Hutter, who replaced Rob Weland, who replaced Ron Tanaka.

Kudos to Dianne Gross and Khalid Pitts, who have retained talent at Cork for an extended period of time, and who have remained on excellent terms with their alumni chefs. They were *the* trailblazers in 14UP, and remain strong after almost eight years.

CORK-NewExecutiveChef2015.pdf

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On 3/9/2017 at 8:42 PM, DonRocks said:

"Wine Bar Sues Donald Trump for Unfair Competition over D.C. Hotel" by Rich Gardella and Tracy Connor on nbcnews.com

This information is more newsy than restauranty or foodie.   I found it interesting insofar as the owners of Cork are deep established within the liberal/activist/leftie world of DC.  Its been a very long time since I've visited Cork.  Liked it when I visited many years ago, and did so through friends who were part of that "community" and were enthused about the restaurant.  It was (and I suspect still is) "enthusiastic worthy".  As I recall food was excellent.  I was still not touching wine at that time so was somewhat missing one of its attributes.  Just haven't returned in many many years.

I think the case has amazing theoretical merit.  No politician at any level or a cabinet level appointee or simply many government employees could own the hotel or get income EXCEPT the President.  (Its an amazing flaw in our laws).  No president before Trump has kept private holdings while being in office.  One of his appointees subject to Senate approval dropped out because of conflicts of interest he couldn't resolve.  Its crazy.

I guess we'll see where this goes.  It will be interesting.

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