Tastes Restaurant
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Best Nights: Thu
14 Reviews for Tastes Restaurant
I'd been checking this place out for a while now (since I frequent 1st Street Bar across the street quite often) and was glad that I finally got to go last night.
The service was knowledgable, yes, but I thought he was a bit pushy, asking if we wanted to order our entrees like 4 times (and all we'd come for was apps and wine).
We had the crab cake app - it was really good. And it came with a little salad on the side, which is perfect. I'm a huge leafy-green fan on the side of anything!
We each tried a different flight of wine. Nothing to complain about there. They were reasonably priced.
For dessert we tried the pear tartin - to die for. It was perfect. Not too sweet, not too bitter. Warm, yummy.
I don't know if anything wow-ed me enough to go back though....
The service here was really good. Pleasant and friendly, and not at all pushy. We got good wine recommendations (and not just the expensive ones).
The food......eh. I had a crab salad that sounded amazing, but the crab taste was so overwhelming, I could barely eat it. Now, I've eaten a TON of crab in my day, and none was a fishy tasting as this. And yes, I've eaten plain, chilled, crab. Many times. I'm not sure it was fresh.
The poke was sans seasoning, and the chunks were difficult to eat.
Dessert was yummy. The bill came out to be....way too expensive.
If I lived closer by, I may turn it into a place just to drink wine, but since I don't, I won't be heading back.
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This place looks appealing from the street and boasts of an outdoor patio, so I gave it a shot being open to new places. The food was good, but I felt the atmosphere was lacking, poor use of space and air quality. I would maybe go back to sit at the bar, however there's other places close by that have it all....
Oh, and the outdoor patio is basically just an alley.
This is the best place to just chill. I love it. Great Date place. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is awesome, and the staff is up to date on all the latest wine. The wine selections change weekly and they always have great unknown wines that are always good.. It's the hidden gem in Encinitas. I wish all of SD knew what a great place this is. Keep up the good food,wine,service,etc.
Tastes has a lot going for it. A locally owned restaurant with an excellent chef and a varied menu with very good food. Service is particularly attentive and caring. The opportunity to order wine flights, wine bottles close to retail, or some above average glasses makes it special for those into wine.
The food is well prepared with superior ingredients. While the entries are reasonably priced ($16 for excellent chicken to $30s for a filet), the appetizers seem priced high. A beet salad for $12 and a mushroom soup over $10. While they are both very good, an appetizer, an entree, and a wine flight (totaling one glass) easily adds up to about $60 or more per person.
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this place is wonderful! my boyfriend, his brother, and his brothers girlfriend go here at least once a month. the food is wonderful, the wine is wonderful, and the servers are very knowledgeable. i've tried almost everything on the menu (literally) and i don't have any complaints.
favorites:
appetizers
-lemon scallops
-crab taster (not on menu)
-crab salad
-ahi poki (just added to menu on friday)
-mushroom soup
-cheese plate
entrees
-soft shell crab
-kobe steak
-filet (excellent but expensive)
-venison (surprisingly amazing)
pretty much anything you get i'm sure you will love! i also enjoy ordering flights with each course...it's a fun way to try the different wines :)
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The first thing you HAVE to do when you walk in the door is meet Matthew! He is the wonderful, fabulous, better than ever bartender who absolutely knows his wines and will ensure you have a wonderful time bellying up and tasting to your delight! I wanted something JAMMY! He listened intently and procured the jammiest, most delightful blend - a generous portion, and oh! that was just a "taste!" I never bother to take a seat at the restaurant, because when you feel like "NORM" in "CHEERS" (because Matthew remembers EVERYONE's name), why would you want to leave your stoop! Come with a smile on your face and some interesting stories to share, Matthew and the staff (Sean the Chef, is a beautiful person!) will reciprocate! CHEERS!
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Wow we love this place, especially when Woody is our server. We really left the ordering up to him and we were not sorry. Although it may seem pricey its not at all once you TASTE it! The food and wine selections were great.
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The food is SOO good here. We had the foie gras, lobster ravioli and monkfish. The set up (wine bar / retail store / restaurant) is similar to 3rd Corner in OB except the food menu is more extensive here. You will definitely pay for the good food and wine but its well worth it. A good selection of wines at reasonable mark ups. All entrees have suggested wine pairings listed on the menu. Great if you're not too sure what to drink with your food. The service is awesome. Sit outside if you can.
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I went to Tastes when they first opened. At that time, to be truthful, I would have given them 3 stars. Things have changed since then, including one of the partners leaving (a good thing), and they have also seemed to 'find their groove'. However, I probably didn't go there as much as I might have because of my initial not great experiences.
Fast forward to the present. I went here with a buddy last night and had some wine and a cheese plate. Bottom line - everything was great and we had a blast. Sean the ever-present owner was there and poured us a couple wines to try just for yucks (cool, huh ?) and we ended-up buying a half case of a great Rioja. This place has matured and is a new 'place to go' on my list, and I give very few five star reviews.
One comment on the reviewer that gave this place one star (her only review, no friends): First you RAVE about the place, then you go out of your way to slam them ? Can you say "bipolar" ?? Geez. I knew that review was goofy when she said the wine selection had gone South. I am a wine-head, and I can tell you that is the farthest thing from the truth. Sean is VERY knowledgeable about wine, and if anything the selection has only gotten better, and the prices are reasonable as well. Funny thing is that I mentioned to one of the employees last night about Yelp (do I get points for that ?) and he said that some chick came in for a Champagne tasting totally trashed and was very unreasonable and then gave them a bad review. I had to laugh when I read the one star review today. It's a shame for any place to get unfairly blasted. Don't let that turn you off to it or you will be missing out on a really great place.
Tastes The Total Wine Experience Restaurant and Wine Bar is the concept of Chef and Sommelier Sean Fisher. Sean has combined his years of experience as caterer to music's biggest stars and as wine distributor, importer and lecturer to arrive with a European influenced menu that has perfectly paired an array of wines to match each menu item. With about 30 some odd menu items and 70 plus wines by the glass from an international selection that change regularly, there is surely something that will please everyone's palate. You may select a flight of wine, a tasting of three wines presented for comparison, each with tasting notes. In addition there are more than 350 wines by the bottle offered at retail price (ranging from $10- $2000). For another $10 the wine may be enjoyed at the table (Every night is half price wine night in comparison to the pricing of other restaurants!)The staff has a great knowledge and passion for wine that they love to share with their customers.
Tastes also hosts winemaker dinners. Sean will create a five course meal to pair perfectly with the wines of the guest winemaker. The winemaker will share about his/her wines and is available to answer questions and sign bottles.
I will admit to being the manager and to dating the chef, but it really is a great restaurant!
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Tastes is Amazing! Truly the total wine experience. The moment you walk into this restaurant the magical energy of the staff envelops you. You are instantly comfortable and transported to Napa or even France. The food and wine are exceptional. The knowledge and level of service are extraordinary. Truly the best dining experience I've had since moving to San Diego last year. I never wanted to leave this place and will definitely be back as often as possible. Treat yourself to this marvelous restaurant and you will never be the same. Your measure of a fabulous place to dine will forever be elevated. Tastes is heaven on earth. Here's to Tastes, an awesome place to learn about and love food and wine!
Follow-up 12-23-07
I have very sad and bad news about this restaurant. Last Saturday, I went to Tastes for a Champagne Tasting. The tasting was to be from 1pm to 4pm. I arrived just after 1pm. The tasting was not set up. So, while I waited, I was given a "taste" of a "brother" of a wine I had purchased on a prior visit. As I wondered around the restaurant looking at the considerably less impressive selection of wine than they used to have, I was approached by a woman three times inquiring if I was staying for the tasting and did I want to pay. This was annoying to me and almost caused me to leave. If the tasting had been set-up and ready to start on time, she would have been prepared to take my money when I walked in. When the tasting finally got under way, the champagne was so bad, twice I had to, not only pour out the champagne (actually, one of the wine pourers was drinking from my used glass behind the bar, gross!) but also ask for a new glass, because the stench of the previously poured undrinkable, bad champagne still lingered. The entire time I was there I heard the owner repeatedly telling the two pourers; 'don't open more bottles that you have to', 'pour less in each glass and make the bottle last longer'. The appetizers that were served started out O.K., but, became less and less impressive as the tasting went on. The servings also became smaller; the chef began leaving off the sauce or caviar (they were using black lump fish caviar which cost about $5 a jar, not ocetra, beluga, or sevruga). Only seven people beside myself showed up to "pay" for the $40.00 apiece tasting. There where friends, family and a girlfriend of one of the pourers there as well, adding up to 8 additional people. During the tasting I had come to find out one owner bought out the other and brought in his wife. The woman who acted and was dressed as a parochial headmistress, who's only concern was money. Gone is the fantastic "energy" that once permeated this place and made it special. Gone are the personable staff that were so welcoming and friendly. I not only wanted to leave but also can't imagine going back. I now fear the corner cutting has spilled over into the actual restaurant food and the wine selection, which as mentioned before has shifted to more domestic and less special foreign choices. I can tell you it is much more fun to have a great dining experience and write a favorable review than to have to sit and relive a terrible one. But, as it was pointed out to me by several of my fellow Yelpers, we come to this website for current information by people we know and trust. If, I left the old review up it would not longer be true. You deserve to know things have changed. So, Yelpers... I am off to find us a new place to be wowed by food and wine. Bon Appetite!
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Tastes is the ultimate wine lovers dining experience. With nice and subtle decor emphasizing the bottles that are also for sale without dining, this place is a must for wine aficionados. Opened only for dinners, the menu changes weekly as does the featured wine selection. The owners sample new wines daily and offer the best of the best. The food is designed around the wine choices for the week. The dishes consist primarily of meats, fish and fresh veggies.
They hold wine tastings periodically that are fun!
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Tastes is an upscale, yet Fun, Tasting Restaurant. The wine selection is unbeatable , and so are the bottle prices. At Tastes you can buy a $400 bottle of wine at cost for $250 with a $19 corking fee. As their name suggests, this restaurant was designed around Tasting. All items on the menu are 3-5 oz in size, so it is suggested that you order more than one or two items. When it comes to the food, Tastes isn't cheap. These small entrees run from $13 to $20 each. However, the quality is above and beyond. The co-owner and head chef is a world renowned caterer to the stars and also has written a book about the wants and needs of all of the celebrities he has cooked for. Lastly, the ambiance here is inviting and enjoyable. Although the restaurant & bar closes at 10:30, we ended up chatting with the head chef, owner, bartender and staff until nearly midnight. I'll definitely be back to Tastes for more.
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