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.
