Eating Around: Good News Uncorked for 14th St.

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FOURTEENTH STREET foodies should be getting very excited. Food forum host Don Rockwell announced on his board that Ron Tanaka, current sous chef at CityZen and former sous chef at Citronelle, will be the executive chef of Cork, the wine bar set to open in mid-January on 14th Street NW near R Street in the former Sparky's coffee house space. The restaurant, which will seat 67, will debut with a menu of small plates.
» Cork, 1720 14th St. NW. (Dupont Circle; U St-Cardozo)

UPCOMING IN BETHESDA: In what's shaping up to be a big news week in the upcoming department, Metrocurean reports that Bethesda Row is awaiting two springtime openings: One is the second outpost for Georgetown's Dolcezza gelato shop; the second is Redwood, a new restaurant from the folks who own Sonoma on Capitol Hill and Mendocino Grille in Georgetown. According to Metrocurean:

Redwood will focus on seasonal, local and organic products with a contemporary menu inspired by the mid-Atlantic. The kitchen will be equipped with a wood-burning oven, wood grill and rotisserie. Also look for a large selection of wines by the glass. Redwood is slated for an early April opening.

SPEAKING OF CALIFORNIA: Word has it that Napa 1015 has opened on H Street NE. "Great flavors, peaceful atmosphere," says a poster on the ANC-6A neighborhood Yahoo! Group. H Street NE/Trinidad-area blog Frozen Tropics reports more H Street news on jazz and blues bar Pap & Petey's, which will open any day now as well. Also, The New York Times featured the revitalizing corridor, pictured at left, in a weekend travel piece, saying: "If H Street is anything like 14th and U, the now-trendy neighborhood that was the center of the 1968 riots, in five years it will be completely made over — and jam-packed. For those who want to see the area before it really takes off, get to H Street now."
» Napa 1015, 1015 H St. NE, 202-396-6272
» Pap & Petey's, 421 H St. NE.

CHEAP EATS: Just in case you've spent way too much money on holiday gifts, The Post's Tom Sietsema lists options for inexpensive, satisfying dinners out this week. Rockville's Cava, C.F. Folks in Dupont Circle, Church Street Pizzeria in Vienna and Daruma in Bethesda are among the more satisfying alternatives to ramen and PB&J.

BEST BAR FOOD SOURCE: D.C.'s best bar food isn't found at Tunnicliff's, Stoney's or any other watering hole where the more beers consumed, the better the food tastes. Instead, according to Washingtonian food critic Todd Kliman, it's in the lounge at The Source, the swanky new Wolfgang Puck restaurant in the Newseum building. The downstairs menu features sliders, gourmet pizza, and — gasp! — wings, prepared by well-trained, good-looking staff, working top-of-the-line equipment such as an indoor charcoal grill and a wood-burning pizza oven.
» The Source, 575 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-637-6100 (Archives-Navy Mem'l)

TO DO: Abscond from the inanity of the last days before Christmas for a moment of luxury at the Willard InterContinental, where a festive tea collection, champagne and nibbles will be offered Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. for $47 a person. The afternoon tea special runs through Dec. 31.
» Willard InterContinental, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-637-7350 (Metro Center)

File photo by Preston Keres/The Washington Post