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WILKES-BARRE — If you enjoy good food, a tasty martini, a friendly bartender, awesome atmosphere, great service and you want to impress someone on your first date, then Cork Bar & Restaurant is for you.
And when the weather cooperates, you can enjoy all of Cork’s award-winning food, drink and service on the restaurant’s outdoor patio — and your dog is welcome.
Cork Restaurant has won several titles in the 2018 Times Leader Readers’ Choice Awards:
• Best Martini —14 different varieties
• Best Place for a First Date
• Best Menu
• Best Atmosphere
• Best Server — Luanne Stach
• Best Chef — Rawn Henderson
• Best Outdoor Dining
If this was the Oscars, Cork would be the toast of Hollywood.
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood in the city’s north end, Cork opened in 2007. It is described as an upscale bar and restaurant for classic cocktails and eclectic New American dishes with an Italian touch.
Carolyn Saporito, general manager and bartender, has been at Cork from the beginning. She said Cork has plenty of repeat and regular customers, but many new faces come in all the time.
She said Rob Friedman bought the business about a year ago and has made several upgrades and renovations. She said the second floor dining area now offers a more private, intimate setting for those romantic dinners, as well as larger areas for group dining.
Saporito said she loves to concoct different martinis weekly. She said she makes her own syrups and nectars, but she said she did learn the secret of making the perfect traditional gin or vodka martini.
“Shake it well,” she said. “A veteran bartender in Chicago taught me that.”
Chef Rawn said his specialty is seafood, but he offers a diverse menu with an extensive selection of appetizers, steaks, seafood and pasta dishes, in addition to a sandwich menu.
“I always want to give our customers what they want,” Henderson said. “I like to make people happy.”
And if a customer orders a steak very well done — something some chefs might not like — Henderson said, “I give it to them. It’s what they want, and the customer is always right.”
Stach said she likes to talk to people. She said she always has a smile on her face.
“I want to make them feel welcome at all times,” she said. “Our customers are more like friends. We talk about things going on in their lives and with their families.”
Stach said she was thrilled and honored to be named Best Server.
“It really makes me feel great,” said Stach, 50 of West Pittston. “I’ve been doing this since I was 16 years old. I love working with people.”
To complement its cuisine, Cork also features an extensive selection of premium wines. The spacious, multi-level floor plan features a classy, yet contemporary decor and a relaxed cosmopolitan ambiance perfect for dining or entertaining.
Cork’s second floor dining area provides an ideal setting for a romantic dinner for two or a larger dinner group of friends or family. A quiet, window-lined enclosed porch area has become a favorite of couples who wish to enjoy an intimate dinner.
The upstairs middle room can accommodate a larger dinner party for a group, comfortably seating up to 25. The entire second floor is also available for rehearsal dinners and other parties, and can seat up to 50. In the downstairs bar area, there is table seating for 35. A bar menu is also available downstairs.
During the warmer months, the Cork patio is the ideal spot for dining or cocktails. The patio is also available for cocktail parties or other events — and the Cork patio is also dog friendly.
Cork has become a favorite venue for rehearsal dinners, showers, business luncheons and dinners, birthday gatherings, fundraisers, holiday parties, organizational dinners, meetings and more.
The Cork website says it best: Cork is a place where customers become friends.
