Fine Wining

Cork a new fixture in Wilkes-Barre's 'Trendy North End'

Gene Padden

You really don't need a multi-million dollar movie complex surrounded by pubs and restaurants to reclaim a section of town as hip.

Sometimes, all you need is an idea, and the identity will follow.

Such is the case with local public relations mogul Ruth Corcoran and her ambitious makeover of the former Spag's Bar & Grill. Unable to find a workable setup in Wilkes-Barre's pricey downtown, she decided to set up a wine bar and bistro in Wilkes-Barre's North End. Or, as she has dubbed it, "Wilkes-Barre's Trendy North End."

"I really wanted to be a part of the revitalization of the downtown," she said. "At the time, I was thinking of doing an upscale Irish pub concept - Corcoran's Irish Pub. "Most of the properties I looked at were just for lease, not for sale, so it didn't make sense to put so much into renovation on a lease property. The lease price and the management fees were just too high. That spot is still vacant today."

When she found out one of her favorite hangouts, Spag's, could be available, she dropped her plans for an Irish theme and instead transformed Spag's into her new restaurant, Cork. Now three months old, Cork sits two blocks from her husband's business, Corcoran Printing. It's over the hill from hipster bar Liam's and shares a block with the historic Saloon.

"Seriously, the neighborhood is great," she said. "The immediate blocks are filled with families and seniors who have lived in the North End their entire lives.

"To show our support of the city, I have a martini on our menu called the Ibelieveatini. It's one of our best selling martinis."

Corcoran is as serious about the martinis as she is the wine, and that's saying something. Cork's specialty reserve wine list includes nine premium bottles from a $70 Luca Chardonnay to a $140 bottle of Damilano Barolo "Liste." The menu includes suggestions for pairing wines with your dinner choices as well as an extended wine list of reasonably priced and acclaimed wines by the glass and bottle.

"Our wine menu has been specially selected and filled with items that I felt any wine lover - professional or novice - would enjoy," she said. "Coming up next year, we are going to have monthly wine tastings and wine pairing dinners. Right now we have what we call Tuesday Tastings, where we feature a different wine flight each Tuesday."
Well-crafted martinis are also winning Cork new friends. While the Ibelieveatini is a signature at Cork, Corcoran often designates custom blends for happy hours.

"We'll often host special happy hours for local businesses," she said. "For example, we recently hosted Pepperjam, so we made a Peppertini for that event. We've also had groups like Power!, Leadership Wilkes-Barre, and the Junior League of Wilkes-Barre in here and they've all been great events."

Those familiar with the charming decor of Spag's will see more of the same at Cork. In fact, the one noticeable difference is a more economical menu where the most expensive entree weighs in at $26.95 for a Filet Mignon. Cork also features Tilapia Francaise ($16.95), Crabmeat Au Gratin ($22.95), Veal Saltimbocca ($18.95), and Corcoran's favorite, Chicken and Shrimp Paradise ($19.95).

"When I was first interviewing chefs, I narrowed it down to my top three from the interview process, and the next step was a cook-off, similar to 'Top Chef,'" she said. "I brought them each in individually and gave them a random market basket of food items. They had 10 minutes to look at the items and write a menu for two - appetizer and entree. Then, they had an hour and a half to prepare and serve the items.

"My chef (Don Caccavo) blew me away with a chicken and shrimp dish he prepared. I hired him and told him I wanted it on the menu. We named it Chicken & Shrimp Paradise, because it's like a little bite of paradise! I knew as soon as I tasted that dish that he was going to be my chef ."