Corks is the fulfillment of a vision for Joel Shalowitz and Chef Jerry Pellegrino. In 1997, they purchased a restaurant set in a quaint 1849 rowhouse in Baltimore's Historic Federal Hill and transformed it into what Baltimore Magazine called "a miniature utopia for wine lovers." But wine is just half of the equation. Corks is a restaurant where diners can be swept up in Chef Pellegrino's passion for food and wine, discover the distinctiveness of ingredients and the way they work together in a meal, and learn a little something in the process.In October 2008, after extensive renovations Corks reopened as an upscale bistro.