Cork

Saturday night, some lovely lady friends and I tried out the new wine bar on 14th St, Cork. Kate and I are completely enamored with it and want it to be our new boyfriend. On a Saturday night a week after it opened, it was about as packed as you'd imagine. But even though we waited over an hour for our table, we didn't really mind. We had a great bartender taking care of us while we waited, suggesting wines and being generally charming. The hosts checked in frequently enough to make us know we weren't forgotten. And when we finally did get our table, we had a very hot, mildly flirty waiter -- which really kicks the quality factor up quite a bit on a girls' night out. We tried flights of wine -- which were reasonably priced ($9 - $14) and really delicious. Kate and I got the Grenache flight and Kay got the Cab Franc flight, and all of us loved what we drank. The menu is made up of small plates -- hot and cold, plus cheese and charecuterie selections. We got the amazing french fries ($5), which came with some deliciously basily homemade ketchup*, and the chicken liver bruschetta, which as Kate put it was like spreading cold amazing gravy on grilled bread. So basically we couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more and I can't wait to go back. The cheese, shrimp and brioche dishes are calling my name.


This weekend was great even beyond Cork. Friday night the district's bloggers screwed up their courage and came out to Virginia to see The City Veins play at Iota. The band had the best set of theirs I've ever seen. Sommer, Avent and I were even inspired to rush the stage. It was a great show.

Saturday was Becky's bridal shower, and thanks to her having forbade any cheesy shower games, we spent most of the time sharing outrageous relationship stories and stuffing our faces from the crazy spread Becky's mom put out. And I got to listen to stories from the always hilarious Allison. Hi Allison!

Sunday, Jenna and I went to the botanical gardens and learned about Orchids. I also have a new favorite plant: the Old Man Cactus. Then we went to Eastern Market, came back to my house (which had no power for much of the day -- showering by candle light is less romantic than it sounds when it's forced), then ate an insanely decadent meal at my dad's house (NY strips with au poirve sauce, sauteed mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, baked potatoes, ceasar salads, delicious and glorious wine, and chocolate mousse cake from Cenans). Having successfully gained about 70 pounds this weekend, it was then time to fall asleep watching Tina Turner on the grammys.

*Read this fascinating article to learn about why you won't be seeing specialty ketchup on your grocer's shelves anytime soon.