Those that know me, know me as an OCD introvert. I love to go out but as long as it's not too crowded or too loud, so when Nicole asked my out for drinks after work I was a little nervous about where she would choose because it is Christmas break and everyone would be out but lucky for me she allowed me to pick the place. I didn't have a clue of any place that wouldn't be crowded so I didn't respond hoping she would forget the whole outting. No such luck, she sent me a text asking what time I would be home from work. After changing clothes I headed to her place and off we went. I still didn't have a clue where to go but then I remembered GreenCork, a semi new wine bar in Cooper Young. I knew it wouldn't be too crowded because it is the old home of Imagine Vegan Cafe and it's a small space. Walking in I was in awe, this was no longer Imagine. The space has been transformed. It now has a living room feel to it. There is even a gas log burning fireplace. My OCD went off immediately because the counter was moved down about 4 feet! It just felt weird.
When we entered, there was a host the greeted us and gave use an overview of how the bar worked. All the wine is PREPAID! You are given a chipped card that is yours to keep. They enter your name and cell phone number into the card so that if it is lost you can still claim any value that is on your card. I love this concept for numerous reasons. Since the wine is prepaid they have what I call wine stations set up around the bar and you choose your wine and how many ounces you want. No more waiting on a server or asking what types of wine they carry! Genius I tell you! Plus having the prepaid option is great for me because you can only spend what is on your card, unless you add more money of course. ( I promise I won't bedazzled the card but I will add something to it)
Now that we had our cards the hunt for wine began. I've had my fair share of wines but none of the names looked familiar so I went with my tried and true method for deciding on a wine. I looked a the pictures on the labels. The crazier the label the more likely I am to try it. I ended up deciding on a red and I was so glad I picked this one! I swear to you it is 2 Buck Chuck's British cousin. It's called 19 Crimes and I could have sworn I was drinking my beloved Trader Joe's wine. The host also told us that the wine also has a funny story behind the name. Here is the info from their site.
CRIMINALS TO COLONISTS
Felons, running roughshod over London town, were menacing good people, wreaking havoc and, caught by the scores, clogging every jail in the kingdom. A civic dilemma of colossal proportions.
Meanwhile, two oceans away, a newly claimed and virgin continent was in dire need of subjects to bring civilization to bear. Yet the voyage was endless and brutal, the rewards meager to nil.
The savagely elegant solution: Punishment by Transportation.
A list of 19 Crimes was drawn. Conviction meant a torturous journey to an unknown and unforgiving land.
Australia, thus, was born.
Who knew you could learn a little history while drinking wine! The host was nice enough to give me a few of the corks to take home. Each cork has one of the 19 crimes that would get you sent to Australia!
Since it was dinner time Nicole and I looked over the menu to see what we could nosh on as we drank our new find. The vegan options are few because it is a wine bar and what goes with wine, yep you got it cheese. But they do have two offering for us wine drinking non meat eaters. I decided on the vegan go to of hummus but this hummus was not the normal go to of hummus. It is a Chipotle Hummus paired with Spicy Pita Strips. This was amazing, the Pita Strips are served warm and the hummus has a lot of kick but there are also a few cherry tomatoes on top to counterbalance the heat from the chopotle. They also have a pear and quinoa salad that Nicole picked as well. I passed on that because for the life of me I can't do sweet and savory together but it did look pretty.
Lucky for me one of the owners of Green Cork was there so I was able to ask her a few questions. Robin Brown is the mother side of this mother daughter team, her daughter Katie was not in that night. Of course my first question was "will you put more vegan options on the menu?" She said that the menu changes often and come spring time she will try to add a few more options for us, she also said that they often have items in the back that aren't listed on the menu and they are happy to whip something up! They have a item called the picnic basket that is so pretty that I wish she would make a vegan version. It is a selection of meats, cheese, fruits and nuts served in a picnic basket! I want one! This vegan likes picnics maybe I'll see if she can whip one up for me. She also informed me that Green Cork is the first self serve wine bar in Memphis and they taste all 32 bottles of wine before they decide if they will carry it. Just like Imagine this is a family owned business. The husband was responsible for the layout and construction of the space, her daughter is the mastermind in the kitchen and Robin was in the catering business for 14 years.
While we were talking she did inform me that they carry Cooper Mountain wine, they are committed to organic and biodynamic farming, winemaking and dry farming. I didn't get to try this wine because I was already 2 and a half glasses in but next time this one will be 1st one my list.
GreenCork is a wine bar not a bar bar, they do serve liquor and IPA beers though but don't expect them to be open into the wee hours of the night. During the week they close at 10pm and 11pm on the weekends. So go in and have a glass after work or before dinner. The service and wine are great. Nicole attempted to take a picture of me getting a glass of wine but she failed horribly but I like this pic of me being over the whole picture taking experience.
We want to go!!!! How cool would it be to visit our old spot, too!! We need to all get together and do this!
ReplyDeleteYes!!! Just give me a date and I'm there!
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