In King Tut’ss Egypt (around 1300 BC), the commoners drank beer and the upper class drank wine. Well, we’re a pretty classy bunch here in Washington. Even though we have more than our fair share of students (Georgetown, Howard, American, etc.), our happy hours, clustered as they are with friends, business associates, and favor-givers and takers, tend to resemble My Dinner with Andre more than Animal House. Now, wine bars have been popping up with the ubiquity of Obama stickers. As Hemingway once said, “wine is the most civilized thing in the world”; let’s raise an elegant glass to the best local vino ventures.
Proof (775 G St. NW) Classic Washington: this hot new Penn Quarter area bar was started by a former tax attorney. Although Max Kuller had no previous restaurant experience, he did what Washingtonians do best, which is to combine disparate influences into a coherent whole (That’s what they do in the House and Senate, after all). A trip to California, where Kuller sampled the likes of L.A.’s AOC, Wine Bar inspired him to pair a 1,000-bottle wine-list with a sophisticated selection of diner-friendly fare. There’s even a champagne trolley during happy hour.
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Cork (1720 14th St. NW) Chef Ron Tanaka’s pedigree rivals the Hapsburgs’ in terms of rich history. Having worked as sous-chef at Citronelle and CityZen, it’s not surprising that his rosemary chicken liver bruschetta gets rave reviews. The wine list is tightly focused and draws more from old-world Europe than Napa. Cork’s owners, Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, are Logan Circle residents who wanted to open a welcoming space in their neighborhood for people to come with their friends and family. The vibe is relaxed and unassuming, yet unique (Tom Brown of Corduroy manages the bar, meaning the cocktails are excellent).
Napa (1015 H St. NE) H Street Northeast, while on the rise, is still a bit gritty and out-of-the-way for some. Faced with the challenge of grabbing Dupont Circle and M Street regulars, Napa jumped on the Atlas Theater-going train, offering a happy hour from 5-7 p.m. and a pre-theater dinner menu which consists of three courses of “East meets West” (California and Washington, in this case) for $30. This catering company also serves up ten-dollar pairings and a “happy hour tapas plate” with drink included.
Veritas Wine Bar (2031 Florida Ave. NW) Driving by the corner of Florida and Connecticut, one can’t help but notice Veritas. Even though its brickface front is humble, there are always at least two or three attractive young people standing outside, flushed with drink and conversation. Co-owner Adam Manson plans to open three more wine bars based on the overwhelming popularity of Veritas’ charcuterie and cheese pairings and an extensive (180 bottle) wine list … all of which, rumor has it, he tasted himself. Veritas keeps it fresh, rotating the by-the-glass choices with regularity, and has become a cult favorite with oenophiles. |
Bistrot Lepic (1736 Wisconsin Ave. NW) Complimentary wine tastings every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m., French influenced décor, whimsical pig paintings, dark lighting, an almost exclusively French wine list, and small plates of delicious things ensconced in light puff pastry make a delightful buffer to accompany a slight overindulgence of wine. Started first for Bruno Fortin and his friends, it’s now enjoyed by those with a world-traveler aesthetic: retired diplomats, ladies who lunch, European transplants or just those who always wanted to take that painting class in Montmartre, summer of ’76. Need a designated driver? Here’s one better: Washington Wine Academy (www. washingtonwineacademy.org) and Reston Limousine offer a three-stop tour of local wine bars …
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