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Nothing goes well with 9 degree weather and 20 mph wind gusts, except for a glass (or three) of wine, small plates of deliciousness, and girlfriends.  This month, the Dining Divas gathered together at Cork Wine Bar in Ferguson, and when the weather warms, we’ll be back.

Having stumbled upon this “new to us” establishment a few months back, my first thought of this delightful place was that it was definitely Diva worthy.  The atmosphere alone on this warm summer night fit the menu for what we’re looking for…classy yet casual, different but familiar, and modern with traditional touches.

With Emerson and Express Scripts just down the street, happy hour and after-work gatherings are the norm, but the cold weather must have kept the customers away this night.  Even so and for some unknown reason, we were seated at the table the closest to the door.  So our biggest concern of the evening was the outside cold that we had to endure on the inside as customers came and went.  The biggest advantage to where we were seated was that we were also closest to the thermostat.  So we cranked it.

It’s rare these days that we have a server that we really like.  Either we’re getting grouchy in our older age, or they don’t enjoy our company much anymore.  This was not the case at Cork.  It felt like we were old friends with our waiter/bartender.  He took the time to answer the many questions we had about the wine.  He took the time to explain the details of the many menu items we asked about.  He took the time to ensure the Picky Diva that she’d love her dinner choice.  And she did.

We felt close enough to scold him for venturing outside without a coat.  We felt close enough to ask for his phone so we could call his mother.  The more we talked, the more he listened.  And he had several good stories for us too.

The No-Nonsense Diva shared an emotional story.  As an educator, she is so proud to see her students progress and blossom.  One very special student of hers was overcoming many obstacles and disappointments.  Just last year, this student moved to a new foster home and a new school.  This Diva grabbed onto this troubled child and gave him the attention and confidence he needed to improve.  And he was.

But then more obstacles came his way.  He was removed from her school that he was becoming accustomed to, away from new friends he had made, and into another foster home, due to a tragic event at home.  His world was being torn apart again.  This is just one young man’s story, but we are all sure we are surrounded by more of these situations right in our own neighborhoods.  We can’t ignore it.

When hearing stories like these, it helps to have a drink or two around.    We had missed seeing the Traveling Diva as her adventures had sent her to the beach and to the desert.  We were glad to have her back and delighted when she decided to try the “Love” martini made with Chambord, vanilla vodka, pineapple juice and a splash of Amarettto.  Like she said, it made her happy.  And that made us really happy.

At Cork, the wine flights are a good option.  You’ll enjoy three samples of Chardonnays, Sweeter Whites, International Reds, or Full-bodied Reds. As an appetizer, we loved the Boiled Fingerling Potatoes soaked in butter with a garlic aioli and chopped bacon.  At the highest recommendation of our waiter, we ordered the French Onion and Mushroom soup.   He was right.  It was flavorful and delicious.  And unlike many French onion soup recipes, the bread remained crispy.   Our only complaint was that the soup arrived with our meals.  We’d hoped to get it as an appetizer.

A couple Divas shared the Shrimp Pasta and the Shrimp BLT.  The Shrimp Pasta had these two Divas thinking they were heading into early menopause with hot flashes.  The spicy wine sauce heated them up.  The Shrimp BLT was prepared with grilled shrimp, romaine lettuce, garlic aioli, smoked bacon, and cherry tomatoes served open-faced on Italian bread.  Even the Picky Diva didn’t pick at it.  She loved it.

The Colorful Diva devoured the Vegetable Pizza covered with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, olives, fontina cheese, and roasted tomato sauce.    The Finicky Diva tried the Pork Tostadas with white cheddar cheese, banana peppers, BBQ sauce and salsa.  Many agreed.  For someone who always has a hard time finding something she might like on the menu, she always ends up with our favorite dish.

One item to skip – the Eggplant rolls.  The Sophisticated Diva was disappointed in the lack of flavor, and the eggplant had a rubbery texture.  One item to try next time – Macaroni and Cheese.  You can’t go wrong with that.

For those of us living in North County, we were thrilled to have found another unique smoke free dining option that wasn’t a chain.  And by our standards, Cork is a dining destination know matter what the weather’s like.

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