Put a Cork in it
Sometimes you just want to do something different. I like to watch what I eat, so when friends suggested we go out to eat, I scowled. I didn't want to eat and I have to admit I don't have the willpower not to eat while others do. You know how it is, you try to be good but then that chip tortures you and forces you had to pick it up, or that "just a little taste" of dessert turns into scarfing down half of whatever sinful chocolate concoction they sit in front of you. My friends turned out to be my true friends so instead of going to eat for happy hour in an attempt to fatten each other up, we ended up at a wine tasting bar, CORK & Co. on Congress avenue.
I had never been to this place, never heard of it actually, until one of us spied it online somewhere a couple of weeks ago. There are times in the week when I dread going downtown. Parking is horrible and it is downtown, and of course I am cash challenged and can never valet park, so instead I am usually stuck circling the block for hours or stalking some one who is walking down the street hoping they have left their car in some choice location. Of course that can't be too too far away because I am always wearing "the shoes". Yesterday was special though, I had on flat, WHITE Ciuti sandals. I mean this is a once in a year occurrence. If you have a foot over a six 7, you know what I mean. Flat shoes, first of all, take away that superiority thing that stilettos or strappy sandals impart to the wearer, and white shoes, well, they can make anything but a child's foot look as if they are adorned by boats. Because of this downtown shoe science, we have developed a system. Whomever arrives first, parks, then scouts out the parking spaces, calling the others and acting as somewhat of a ground guide for the others. This time, my compadres actually stood in a space right out in front of our destination for me. A small sacrifice to make for a friend. I would have done it for them. Really. I'm not 'shamed.
This gift of a space was a good sign.
Cork & Co. was tucked in along Congress, a small, unassuming looking space. I ran inside quickly to preserve my shower and was immediately enveloped by the warm, inviting decor. Or should I say COOL air-conditioned decor. The place was lined by bottles of wine of all ilk, and each tale had games on it. Ours had some beer trivia game that the proprietor snatched up and replaced with a sex trivia game that ended up teaching us all a few things. I was a little worried at first because we were the only folks there, but then I realized were were downtown, and folks with normal jobs (meaning those who work for someone else), were probably just getting off.
It was happy hour, and Cork had 5 dollar glasses of wine. There were a few things on the menu at that looked extra tempting, but most of the food was simple and designed to cleanse your palate in between sips of whatever wine flit you had chosen as your vino de la dia. We chose a flight of chocolate truffles (only 4, which we shared), a small cheese and cracker tray, and two different wine flights. One Merlot and one Reisling. Ummm, my favorites.
We were tentative tasters at first, sipping like on TV, then reading the cards they put in front of us and jotting down little notes as suggested. But after a few sips, the wine took over and our conversation started to flow as we zoned out on the advertising message projected on the wall by the Dell projector. People started to flow in and we played the SEX trivia game with more enthusiasm and less blushing. It was a good thing we ran out of wine of we might have started asking some of the people around us to help us with the correct answers. Finally we decided that CORK might be the perfect place for our next bookclub meeting or a book launch party. And the hand-dipped truffles were fantastic, so I guess that makes it a great stop when one is experiencing PMS, too.
But our happy hour was over. I was going to turn into a pumpkin. Actually, I knew my sitter had to go home. That and they started pizza hour. All you can eat Pizza for one buck. Time to go. In the back of my mind, that summer swimsuit was haunting me. But I know we will go back to Cork again.
Cork
308 Congress
http://www.corkandco.com/
I had never been to this place, never heard of it actually, until one of us spied it online somewhere a couple of weeks ago. There are times in the week when I dread going downtown. Parking is horrible and it is downtown, and of course I am cash challenged and can never valet park, so instead I am usually stuck circling the block for hours or stalking some one who is walking down the street hoping they have left their car in some choice location. Of course that can't be too too far away because I am always wearing "the shoes". Yesterday was special though, I had on flat, WHITE Ciuti sandals. I mean this is a once in a year occurrence. If you have a foot over a six 7, you know what I mean. Flat shoes, first of all, take away that superiority thing that stilettos or strappy sandals impart to the wearer, and white shoes, well, they can make anything but a child's foot look as if they are adorned by boats. Because of this downtown shoe science, we have developed a system. Whomever arrives first, parks, then scouts out the parking spaces, calling the others and acting as somewhat of a ground guide for the others. This time, my compadres actually stood in a space right out in front of our destination for me. A small sacrifice to make for a friend. I would have done it for them. Really. I'm not 'shamed.
This gift of a space was a good sign.
Cork & Co. was tucked in along Congress, a small, unassuming looking space. I ran inside quickly to preserve my shower and was immediately enveloped by the warm, inviting decor. Or should I say COOL air-conditioned decor. The place was lined by bottles of wine of all ilk, and each tale had games on it. Ours had some beer trivia game that the proprietor snatched up and replaced with a sex trivia game that ended up teaching us all a few things. I was a little worried at first because we were the only folks there, but then I realized were were downtown, and folks with normal jobs (meaning those who work for someone else), were probably just getting off.
It was happy hour, and Cork had 5 dollar glasses of wine. There were a few things on the menu at that looked extra tempting, but most of the food was simple and designed to cleanse your palate in between sips of whatever wine flit you had chosen as your vino de la dia. We chose a flight of chocolate truffles (only 4, which we shared), a small cheese and cracker tray, and two different wine flights. One Merlot and one Reisling. Ummm, my favorites.
We were tentative tasters at first, sipping like on TV, then reading the cards they put in front of us and jotting down little notes as suggested. But after a few sips, the wine took over and our conversation started to flow as we zoned out on the advertising message projected on the wall by the Dell projector. People started to flow in and we played the SEX trivia game with more enthusiasm and less blushing. It was a good thing we ran out of wine of we might have started asking some of the people around us to help us with the correct answers. Finally we decided that CORK might be the perfect place for our next bookclub meeting or a book launch party. And the hand-dipped truffles were fantastic, so I guess that makes it a great stop when one is experiencing PMS, too.
But our happy hour was over. I was going to turn into a pumpkin. Actually, I knew my sitter had to go home. That and they started pizza hour. All you can eat Pizza for one buck. Time to go. In the back of my mind, that summer swimsuit was haunting me. But I know we will go back to Cork again.
Cork
308 Congress
http://www.corkandco.com/
Comments
~K