The long-awaited new Corsica Wine Bar opened recently in the Reston Town Center – and this week, The Burn got a chance to visit and learn more about the restaurant – only the second location for the brand in the nation.
As regular readers well know, Corsica Wine Bar is a new concept from the same restaurateurs that created the Barcelona Wine Bar brand three decades ago.
The first Corsica opened in Denver a year ago and now the second location has opened at the RTC in the former Mon Ami Gabi space.
That’s just a block or two away from the longtime Barcelona Wine Bar in Reston and –like Barcelona – Corsica Wine Bar specializes in fine wines, custom cocktails, and a menu made up primarily of small plates meant to be sampled and shared.
“Yes, if you like Barcelona (Wine Bar), you will like Corsica (Wine Bar). If you want to feel that feeling – something is exciting and fun – and being in a room with a lot of people trying things and exploring, then absolutely it’s for you,” said Drew McConnell, the company’s creative director. “But every menu item is from a different place. There are different wines and different cocktails. There are some similarities (with Barcelona), but it’s like a different album from your favorite artist.”
The menu at Corsica is printed in house each day to reflect subtle changes in the seasons, changes in ingredients, and the creativity of this location’s executive chef, Cesar Mayorga, who has extensive freedom to play with flavors and create new dishes. No two Corsica Wine Bars will have the same menu.
And guests at Corsica are in good hands – the restaurant is being guided by General Manager Lauren Brown, who many may recognize from her previous role as the GM at Barcelona Wine Bar.
So just what is Corsica? If geography isn’t your specialty, it’s the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean with more than 350,000 people living there. It is part of France despite being physically closer to the Italian peninsula.
“Imagine the alps coming down, dipping under the water in the Mediterranean, and then popping up like a dragon’s back right in the center of the Mediterranean right under France and next to Italy and these mountains with white peaks come out,” said McConnell. “You’ve got herders. You’ve got skiers. You’ve got alpine terrain. It’s not at all what you imagine when you think of a Mediterranean island. You don’t think of tall pine trees with fog and snow-capped mountains. And then you take a short drive and you have some of these most beautiful beaches in Europe. That’s Corsica.”
And the cuisine at Corsica Wine Bar takes its inspiration from this entire region – Corsica itself as well as the coastal areas of northern Italy and southern France.
During our visit, we sampled a parade of cocktails including the Golden Hour Negroni with Moroccan spice infused gin, Cocchi Americano, Gran Classico, Manzanilla, and wormwood bitters; a Porto Cooler made with Quevedo rosé port, Cachaça, raspberry shrub, lemon, and tonic; and the Chenille, a sans alcohol beverage with honeydew melon, celery, salted honey, lemon, ginger beer, and mint.
Small plates and sharables were next including the Corsican Frites, thin fries drizzled in béarnaise and parmigiano; a Whipped Ricotta Toast with barberries and honey; the Mussels l’Aziminu served in a saffron-lobster broth with garlic croutons; and a Pork Milanese with rosemary and parmigiano.
We also have to mention perhaps our favorite dish – the Farro ‘Risotto’ – farro grains cooked in a risotto style with mushrooms, black truffle, sunflower, and rosemary. A standout.
You can see more of restaurant’s menu items here.
Much like Barcelona Wine Bar down the street, Corsica was already packed with revelers gathered around the bar and diners filling the restaurant’s tables.
We loved how McConnell described the decor and esthetic of the space – which includes dramatic photos he took himself while exploring the region. “Racing cars,” “grandma’s house,” and an “old hotel on the coast” were some of the terms he used.
And indeed, the custom designed seats on some booths are reminiscent of the stitching on car seats, and there are vintage barrel roof tiles turned into shelves for old books.
What’s next for Corsica Wine Bar in Reston? We’re told they plan to soon add brunch hours and a brunch menu that will feature even more different and creative dishes inspired by the mysterious and exotic Corsica.