Happy Hour at Corkbar

It took a recommendation from my parents to finally get me to try Corkbar. I had been avoiding it because their online wine list was quite pricey. But on a recent visit, my parents wandered in for happy hour and discovered $8 glasses of wine! It's not cheap, but $8 is within the range I can justify spending on a glass of wine. And it helps that their food (oddly enough considering their wine prices) is quite reasonably priced. So my boyfriend and I tried it out on a Friday, and it was lovely.

Corkbar is on the very very edge of the South Park neighborhood in downtown, which works to its advantage. The people who make the effort to come out there are serious about relaxing over some nice wine. So the atmosphere is calm and slightly sophisticated. It reminds me a lot of my favorite Philly wine spot, Tria. And the wine, oh the wine! Ok, to be honest we only tried one wine, the happy hour pinot noir. But it was the most delicious wine I can remember drinking in a long time. It was so fantastic that my boyfriend switched from beer to the pinot. It was so fantastic that we hunted down this wine at Bevmo this weekend. If you have $20 burning a hole in your pocket, order a bottle of 2010 Talbott Kali Heart pinot noir. It will be money very well spent. This seems kind of like an afterthought once I have waxed on about the wine, but the food is delicious too. The cheddar gourgeres are an absolute must. They melt in your mouth, and at happy hour, they're only $3 or $4!

I really wish I had been going to Corkbar for years now, but I hope to get the chance to go back before my impending move. I'd love to try it on a "Test Kitchen" Tuesday night. They make a new dish every week, and you get a mini portion of it for $2. Such a fun idea!