Uncorked: Cork Market debuts Friday

The owners of Cork Wine Bar in Logan Circle tell me they are finally ready to open Cork Market, a wine and specialty food store at 1805 14th St. NW, at 10 a.m. this Friday.

Permit and other delays pushed back the intended September/October timeframe for opening.

At the market, customers will find all the wines available in the nearby restaurant, plus a small selection of New World labels, say husband-and-wife owners Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross. Foodwise, there will be oils, jams, pastas, cheese, charcuterie and other items to help round out picnic hampers and meals at home, they say. (Hoorah! Stumptown coffee for breakfast!) Dishes for carryout will be prepared by Kristin Hutter, a former sous-chef at BlackSalt in the Palisades; to "keep things fresh," says Pitts, Cork Market is scheduling "specialty nights." Already on the books: fried chicken for Wednesdays.

Lots will come from regional producers. We're talking jams from the Copper Pot Food Co. in Virginia, cream and milk from Trickling Springs Creamery in Pennsylvania (even "chocolate milk for the kiddies!" says Pitts) and cookies and cheesecake from Paisley Fig in Washington. The boutique dessert maker is also selling miniature versions of a decadent confection created for Pitts's birthday: the "Cork Torte" is a chocolate tart set atop a round of cheesecake. Dolcezza, with shops in Georgetown and Bethesda, has whipped up an original item, too: armagnac-prune gelato.

Dressed with wood floors, brick walls and a skylight, the market's second floor will serve as a setting for classes on wine and more. When not in use by the shop, Pitts and Gross hope to open the loftlike space for art shows and community meetings.

Cork Market will be keeping long hours, at least initially: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.

-- Tom Sietsema