Anyone that has a bad experience at Tastings is only allowing their pride to get in the way of a true food experience. My wife and I have been to Tasting numerous times and can truly say we have never had a bad meal. Yes, some times the service can feel slow,but that usually when the place is packed. But even in those times we have enjoyed the time sipping on some excellent wines while waiting for dinner. We both love the oak grilled tenderloin, the Grouper, and especially the Brussel Sprouts. Keep up the great work Bill.
                               B.P.
Based on several five star reviews, four of us made reservations at Tastings for an anniversary dinner. Â The store/restaurant is kind of dumpy looking from the outside, and not much better inside. Â I guess I had expected a more upscale place, but the decor was not very attractive, and the interior was dark and sort of dingy. Â We knew what we were looking for in wine, and made our selection from the shop. Â This was the best part of the dinner. Â The service was very slow. Â There was no attempt to check on our needs, and we had to go looking for the server twice. Â The salads were nothing special, and the rolls were right out of the plastic bag, although nicely heated.
We waited a LONG time for the entrees. Â The dry aged beef at $32 was a large portion, but had an "off" flavor, that was none too pleasant. Â Could have been the dry aging, but if that's what it gets you, I would pass. Â The fish was good, somewhat over cooked, and the accompanying veggies came from a frozen bag. Â In mid summer there is no excuse for anything but fresh. Â
In summary, there must be better choices than this place. Â The idea of a wine store with dining is nice, especially with the $5 corkage. Â The reality is that the dining experience was third rate, and that is no bargain.
I haven't sampled the restaurant fare at this establishment, but a friend of mine and I did stop by to browse their wine selection. Â The food may be great, the wine selection may be excellent, but the owner is a racist. Â I guess it was because we were both white, but the owner struck up a conversation with us about yard work, and we shared about a friend of ours that had recently gotten hurt clearing his gutters. Â It was at this point that the owner made a reference about that being why you send "yard apes" up to do that kind of work. Â I didn't say anything at the time, because I thought *surely* I must have misheard him. He can't possibly have really just said that. Â But after we left, I asked my friend, and she verified that was indeed what he said. Â She thought maybe there must be some other definition. Â I don't think so. Â So, if I ever step foot in that place again, it won't be to buy wine, or sample tasty delicacies, it will be to give the owner a piece of my mind.
Review Source:This place was amazing. We live in DC and would go back to Charlottesville just to go here.
We were a little confuse at first as to how everything worked, but once we figured it out, it was great. It's confusing because this is a wine store with a restaurant in it, so we didn't really know how the whole thing worked. The staff was knowledgable, courteous and extremely accomodating.
My husband and I each ordered a flight of wines to start, which is 3 half glasses - he got a flight of white and I got a rose one. You tell the staff what you like and you don't like and they pick the wines for you - you can pick if you want, but there are hundreds to choose from. Also, we didn't see a meat and cheese plate on the menu, but asked if they had one and they said of course, we'll put something together.
For dinner, we each got a flight of reds and split the roasted duck entree. Again everything was amazing. We ended up buying several bottles of wine from the ones we tasted, they were so good. The tasting price is relative to what they pour you. We tried wines from $15/bottle up to $80/bottle.I'm sure you can tell them if you want to stay in a certain price range, but I think its a good way to try some expensive wines I wouldn't normally buy.
This place is very casual, laid back and definately a fun place to go.
An excellent find slightly off the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville (a town blessed, it seems, with more than its fair share of good eating options if my short visit is anything to go by).
Tastings is a combined Wine Shop / Wine Bar / Restaurant, and offers diners the option of 1/2 sized glasses to increase the range sampled during a meal (great if you're driving).
For starter I went with Wild Mushroom and Shallot Soup with truffle oil (complimented by a very good Chester Gap Viognier, Virginia 2009), and the main course was Veal Strip with wild mushroom risotto (local Ox-Eye Pinot Noir - also very good, and a nice light style rather than the fruit forward approach often found in New World).
Food, wine and service (which was in part from Owner Bill Curtis) all excellent.
If you are looking for an exceptional meal with wine in Charlottesville, this is the place. Â I've eaten at first class restaurants all over the world, and the quality of food here is comparable. Â The appetizers my wife and I had -- fried oysters and crab casserole -- were the best we've had anywhere. Â Our entrees -- veal chop and grouper -- were also excellent. Â And you can pick your own bottle of wine from the hundreds of options in their integral wine store and drink it for a $7 corkage fee. Â We had a nice Amarone. Our young waiter was very knowledgable on both the wine and food. Â This restaurant is part of the downtown mall. Â Bypass the more visible restaurants on the main street of the mall, walk one block, and enjoy a meal with wine you won't forget.
Review Source:Been going here for lunch for years and always enjoyed it and recently tried it for dinner. I had to go back for the Cassoulet. This is extra-fine bistro food. And the roasted game bird (chicken) with that sauce and the rice; wow. The website menu does not do Tastings justice. It's the six or eight specials on the blackboard the chef pulled together each day you're going to want to try.
I just wanted to add a note on Yelp, but I just realized that what the big deal at Tastings is not made clear here.
If you want to really, really get into wine in a thoughtful, real-world way, this is the place to go. Tastings will let you (encourage you) have three glasses on the table from the shop that you can pair with your meal. (Wines taste completely different with food; and they taste different with different foods.) I worry that this sound like Tastings is some place that is trying to make something simple (food and wine) more complex than it should be, but it's not. It's fun and very easy. And, yeah, you have something to talk about at the table other than what you did that day. It's an escape into another world of taste, texture and aroma.
The staff knows wine, especially Bill Curtis. (Can't miss him; he looks like Santa Claus' younger brother. He runs and owns the place.)
Despite all of the above, it's a very relaxed, but professional, restaurant. Some are likely to find it too relaxed. But, if you appreciate well-prepared meals made with fine or unique ingredients (the restaurant has gotten into organic and locally raised foods, but it does not make a big deal out of it) and outstanding wines (and that does not mean expensive wine, although if you wanted to go $$$$ on a bottle, this would be THE place to do it so as to get the best bang for your buck)-- AND learning something new--Tastings cannot be beat. Â Go.
Went to Tastings with my parents and sister on a Saturday night - my father's choice of several restaurants that sounded appealing. The daily specials outnumber the relatively small standing menu. There were many appealing offerings. My mother said they had the best succotash she had ever tasted. Since she has tasted a lot of succotash, all 4 of us had the Grouper with Succotash. We also each had a different flight of wines from their selection which was great fun. On a purely local interest level, my sister and I ran into a couple we knew and my parents knew three different couples who were there (in a fairly small restaurant). The wine store that you walk through has a great selection. My father has been a regular customer for years. The restaurant is open for dinner only Thursday through Saturday, and lunch, Tuesday through Saturday.
Review Source:Tastings was one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. The food and wine were very good but the service was so horrible we left no tip. Our server rolled her eyes at us and acted visibly annoyed when we asked about our food after waiting almost 2 hours, and she blamed us for not telling her sooner that we had a concert to go to later and needed to hurry the service along.
Review Source:I visited my grandmother over Easter weekend, and she took us to tastings for a nice dinner on Saturday. Â It was fantastic. Â Pro/con list below:
Pro
- Food was outstanding. Â They are known for their lobster bisque, and it is a deserving reputation. Â The main menu is a bit small, but only because they have a large daily menu. Â I had the cassoulet, and it was very good. Â The white beans were very flavorful, the duck confit was perfectly cooked, and the fennel sausage was an excellent foil. Â Save room for dessert, if you can, as they are outstanding as well.
- Wine. Â I mean, it's a wine shop. Â You walk in through bottles and bottles of wine. Â They have a great list, and the proprietors are very knowledgeable, as you would expect. Â We had an excellent local white, I'm terrible at wine names, and an excellent pinot noir, both recommended by the chef/owner.
- Scene. Â It is a quiet place, and we went on a particularly quiet night. Â It is what it is. Â If you want loud and bumping, my guess is that this won't be it. Â However, if the main room fills up, it could get lively.
Con
- Not really a con, but the service was a bit on the slow side. Â However, this could be just how they operate. Â Also, they had a large table initially, and they were short staffed, so this should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Overall, highly recommended. Â I don't come to Charlottesville very often, but I'd definitely go back.
I went to Tastings only once, and it was about 10 years ago. I don't remember at all what I ate, and I was too young to drink, so I also can't say anything about the restaurant's main draw: its wine. So this will be a bit of a dud review.
But it was an incredibly embarrassing moment for me because I had just started my first year at UVA, and my parents were visiting for Parent's Weekend in October. I was taking a poetry workshop, in which I let out all kinds of teenage angst about my life, including my family, of course. And guess who our waiter is. My damn poetry teacher!
It was so horrible. First of all, who wants to be waited on by your professor? And secondly, who wants to be waited on by your professor who knows all your deepest secrets and has read rant after rant about your family and personal issues?
Okay, so my rants weren't SO bad, but it was still pretty awkward.
And that was my experience at cute, homey, tucked away Tastings restaurant.
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