Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro

Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 03:29 PM | Posted by caroloc

201 Patriot Place
Foxboro, MA 02035

By Rachel Weiner

Atmosphere:
Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro occupies a small corner of Patriot Place, almost lost amongst the other giant, chain restaurants, neon signs and bright lights of the stadium.  However, what it may be lacking in size and familiarity, it makes up for with its careful menu and distinctive wine list. Tastings truly is, like our waiter – who would only give up his first name, Jim – said: “we are the hidden gem of Pat Place and we’re the only family restaurant here.” He also let us in on a little secret: the patio at Tastings is in the perfect spot to watch a concert at Gillette, especially since it never gets too crowded (or at least not yet – they are only around 1 year old.)

The rustic-looking café (a cross between something you’d expect to see in Italy and France) has the instant feeling of family place, too, with regulars sitting at the dark wooden bar and the general manager, Scott Schoer, tasting some wines with the owner, Patti Martin, to see if they should add some new gems to their already sparkling wine list. Decorations are simple: vases filled with popped corks, and wrought iron and glass lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It’s charming inside – charming enough to make one forget that she is dining in a sports-and-shopping complex – with its brick walls, exposed beams and solid, over-sized wood tables. But, as charming as the décor is, it’s not nearly as charming as the folks who own, cook in and run Tastings.

Drinks:
Tastings is all about the wine, and, as Jim explained to us, everybody who works in the restaurant takes a few hours a week of “sommelier” classes, where they come in and try the different wines and learn about them. These lectures have certainly paid off, because Jim and Schoer, the two who we talked with while dining this particular evening, were very knowledgeable and interested in the wines on the menu.

What is particularly noteworthy about their wine list, however, is the number of options they have “by the glass” (ranging in price from $8 to $24) as well as their intriguing wine flights ($12 to $15), which include three tasting-portions of wine that fit into a particular theme (three French wines are in a flight called Napoleon Complex, for example).

Of course, Tastings also has a delicious cocktail menu and a selection of beers, scotches and whiskeys for those non-wine drinkers among us (I find that hard to believe). We got a surprise cucumber cosmo for our liquid amuse bouche, which was delicious ($10, made with Hendrick’s Gin, cucumber and lime juices). It was refreshing and light, and opened up the palate much like a glass of a golden, tangy prosecco.

Appetizers/Entrees:
Tastings begins every meal with an amuse bouche, and this night’s was a roasted shallot and garlic puree with a homemade cracker, which was flavorful but a little too large for a typical amuse bouche (it was a good 5 or 6 bites for this mouth, anyway!).

After the amuse bouche, diners can experience Tastings’ menu in two ways. The first is by ordering normally, choosing an appetizer and an entrée that suits one’s fancy. The second is by ordering a chef’s tasting ($59 or $79 with wine pairings).  Schoer said that for first-timers, they choose menu items and pair them with wines, which is what they did for us this evening, but if someone is a repeat diner, they will begin creating and experimenting new dishes on these customers – sometimes practicing dishes for next season’s menu, sometimes just following a creative whim.

Our meal began with the smoked haddock chowder ($9), which Jim introduced to us as a light chowder. Their secret is using milk instead of cream for the base and the result is outstanding. The smokiness of the fish really shines through and isn’t drowned ought with cream; it’s hearty and buttery, and the oak tatsing wine, a 2007 Rodney Strong Chardonnay, brought out the creaminess without letting the dish get too rich.

Second in our tasting was the crushed olive salad ($9), which was adorned colorfully with burnt orange slices, radishes, red onion, rose petals and pistachios, all tossed with an orange blossom vinaigrette. The dressing was slightly musky with the flavors of cumin and garlic dancing quietly in the background, which highlighted the smoky and sweet blackened orange pieces.  The wine paired with this course was a 2008 Vermentino di Sardegna, which had citrus and peachy tones and was slightly sweet, which worked very well with this interesting salad.

Our third course was my dining partner’s favorite – sea scallops served with a white carrot puree, micro greens and wild mushrooms drizzled with a light olive oil dressing($26). They paired this earthy dish with an equally earthy wine – an Argyle pinot noir. This was a real treat for me, too, since I am a devoted red wine drinker and am constantly struggling to find reds that work as nicely with seafood as whites. 

Schoer and Jim both came over to speak to us about the scallops as well, because Tastings swears by using frozen scallops. How can a restaurant in the Boston area even think about using frozen scallops? Well, Tastings has found something called Bombster scallops, which are sushi grade flash frozen scallops.  The flash freezing process was developed and is performed by 3 brothers, Schoer explained, and it allows all of the natural flavors and nutritive value of the scallops to remain intact despite being frozen. He went on to say that he loves them so much that he pops them raw when they’re sitting, thawed, waiting to be cooked in the kitchen. Indeed, they did taste and feel very close to fresh scallops, but to me, a devoted and picky scallop fan, fresh scallops still have more of that ocean flavor that these lacked (albeit only slightly).

Intermezzo and Final Entrée:
After 3 very satisfying and delicious courses, Jim brought us a refreshing intermezzo of freshly churned blood orange sorbet. Schoer took this opportunity to tell us that all of the sorbets and ice creams on their menu are freshly made each day in-house.  This particularly sorbet was a bit too sweet for my liking, especially since blood orange can be so tangy and refreshing, but the texture was light and pillowy, and floated gently on the tongue.

After cleansing our palate, we were poured our fourth wine, a 2006 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo which has a light, airy texture and a dark chocolate finish. It was robust and deep and went well with our fourth and final savory course, lamb ragu with house made pappardelle , finished with crispy sage leaves and fresh grana cheese ($17). This was my favorite dish, and the reason I insisted, only a week later, to come back and dine again at Tastings. I couldn’t get the texture of the homemade pasta and the perfectly flavored ragu – simultaneously gamey and sweet, buttery and acidic – out of my head and had to come back for the full-sized version (it was just as mouth-watering the second time around).

Dessert:
Very full and happy, we had one final course on the way: crème brulee ($9) with a glass of dessert wine (Campbell’s tokay). The wine wasn’t as sweet as dessert wines tend to be and had a strong coffee-esque finish (try the Sweet Finishes wine flight for a great way to try different types of dessert wines). This paired nicely with intense vanilla custard, served with a walnut biscotti and red wine macerated cranberries. Crème brulee typically bores me, but this one was very well done (I ordered this again when I returned, too) and small enough that it didn’t overwhelm me with too much sugar at the end of such a well-executed and tasty meal!

Assessment:
It’s strange to think we had such a great meal practically sitting in a football stadium, surrounded by an outdoor shopping mall, but, somehow, that has become part of Tasting’s charm and intrigue. It truly is a hidden gem and would be a great place to host a party for a group of wine and food lovers, especially those who are typically stuck dining within the city and haven’t ventured to some of the great secrets outside the city, like Tastings. Truly a pleasure.

Address: 201 Patriots Place, Foxboro MA 02035
Phone: 508.203.WINE (9463)
Website: http://www.tastingswinebarandbistro.com
Cuisine: Italian and French influenced American cuisine
Price: $3 to $12 for appetizers/small plates; $17 to $26 for entrees; $59/$79 for 5 course tasting/with wine
Hours: Tues-Thurs 5-10pm; Friday 5-midnight; Saturday 11:30am to midnight; Sunday 11:30am to 10pm; closed Mondays for the Winter season.
Features: wine flights, tasting menu, outdoor patio in warm weather
Recommendations: lamb ragu, smoked haddock chowder, crème brulee, Sweet Finishes wine flight
Parking: parking lot on site
Reservations: accepted
Payment Options: all major credit cards