Steamed Maine Mussels are always on the menu at Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro at Foxboro Place.

The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski

FOXBORO, Mass. — For a New England Patriots football fan and a food lover, a visit to Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro is a little bit of heaven.

It starts with sitting at a tall table by the window in the bistro on the second level at Patriot Place, the mega shopping, dining and entertainment area adjacent to Gillette Stadium. There one can look out across the plaza to the new Hall of Fame and frankly, that can be as soothing to a fan in spring (with football still so far away) as the exceptional Chestnut Soup on a cool night.

The ambiance inside is elegant and evokes the style one might see in the buildings at California vineyard. An open wine room bustles with guests for Tuesday Night Tastings, paying $10 for wine and cheese. Their conversation and merriment adds a nice energy to the bistro. The wine is flowing, the small plates of food (but not too small) are coming at just the perfect pace and all is right with the world including the free parking in the stadium parking lot just feet away. I climbed the ridiculous number of stairs rather than ride the elevator to help make up for the dinner yet to be consumed.

When all is said and the last of the chocolate is enjoyed with the Churros for dessert, it’s easy to see Tastings is a little gem of a place.

Foxboro residents Patti and Bill Martin opened their first restaurant last fall with executive chef Richard Garcia at the helm of the kitchen and David Cicciarella as sommelier and manager. The team has worked quickly to get it right. Next week, Garcia will cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. It’s an honor for any chef but Garcia’s is a story a bit different from the norm. He is a graduate of the U.S. Marine Corps Food Service Academy and the U.S. Army Quartermaster School for Food Service. He worked his way through kitchens from South Beach in Miami to Boston as well as in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

His small plates are inventive, beautifully prepared and delicious in unexpected ways.

Consider the Chestnut Soup ($7). I adore the flavor of chestnuts so I would have been happy with the savory and yet sweet (but just the tiniest bit) soup. It would be warm and satisfying on any of these cool spring nights. But Garcia elevates the dish with pieces of candied pancetta to create a pleasing salty-sweet combination to savor. Each one I found in the soup was a lovely surprise. Yet, that still wasn’t my favorite part. There in the bowl were the freshest pieces of green apple. They offered not only a welcome crunch but a nice tartness to balance all the wonderful flavors.

Equally successful are the Steamed Maine Mussels ($10). While mussels are always on the menu, how they are prepared changes with the season. Garcia’s menu is very much seasonal and the spring menu will be unveiled in the coming weeks. But for now, the mussels are wonderfully prepared with spicy Spanish sausage for a blend from both sea and land. The broth is a hearty citrus butter which was great for dipping the pieces of French baguette. In an interview after the visit, Garcia said he will change the broth to be tomato-based as the garden season rolls around. But that citrus aroma only heightened an already tasty dish.

Though small plates is the theme at Tastings, they are not tapas small. Both the soup and mussels were hearty portions which would leave a diner satisfied. The concept also allows for sharing a variety of dishes, which many find appealing, and you could make an argument that it’s a more healthful way to eat.

Efficient server Kristin suggested a couple might share five or six plates and we did to sample the cuisine. But I think a couple could very easily be satisfied (and not uncomfortably stuffed) with four. Of course, some dishes are heartier than others and those were the night’s choices.

I loved the idea of the Wild Boar Meatball with Mozzarella Stuffed Arancini ($12). Boar is a lean meat and the meatball preparation adds a lot of flavor. It’s a wonderful rustic treat but the two large meatballs would be hard to eat alone. That’s why the addition of a rice ball with melted cheese is a great accompaniment.

A Pinot Braised Short Rib ($16) came with a good helping of garlic roasted wild mushrooms for a lot of meaty taste. The meat was tender as could be and the wine sauce was light and lovely. A boursin polenta was Garcia’s perfect accompanying note to complement the savory with some creaminess.

Other plates included Kobe beef, chicken, pork shank and a tartare with fried quail egg.

I could have made a meal out of the Mac & Cheese ($12). It had a smoked crumb crust with an aroma that matched its rich flavor. Vermont sharp cheddar cheese was the choice for this dish and it was truffle laced.

Though dessert is a luxury that, like others, I find myself skipping lately, a small plate of Churros ($8) was most appealing. These fried-dough sticks coated in cinnamon come to us by way of Mexico and are a wonderful unexpected treat. Here they are served with a Colombian dark chocolate dipping sauce and cinnamon gelato. I would give up another dish to enjoy that combination again.

Tastings is also a wine bar and the list is extensive, with 65 plus available by the glass and 170 by the bottle, many in the moderate price range. But how could one visit here and not enjoy a flight of wine ($12-$15), a sampling of three different wines? There are flights of Pinot Noir (with selections from California and Oregon), Chardonnays and big red wines. I especially liked the Bogle Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, which would be affordable to try at home.

Cicciarella has also taken some interesting risks here with flights of unexpected white wines from Greece, Sardinia and Austria (a Grüner Veltliner) and “Sweet Somethings” flight that includes a Riesling from Mosel, Germany and Sakonnet Vineyards Vidal Blanc.

One of our wines was noticeably corked and Cicciarella responded quickly and politely. He offered a different wine after he opened a second bottle to find it corked as well. Corking happens when the flavor of the wine is tainted by a contaminated closure. The lesson here is never suffer silently as restaurants and their staffs always want the chance to please and make everything right.

Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, 201 Patriot Place, Foxboro, Mass., (508) 203-9463 (WINE), tastingswinebarandbistro.com. Casual. Free parking throughout Patriot Place. (Game day parking, limited). Reservations. Patio seating in season. Wheelchair accessible. Open Monday through Thursday 5-10 p.m. and Friday 5 p.m. midnight; Saturday 11:30 a.m.-midnight; and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Small plates to share $5-$19. Extensive wine list including flights. Full bar.Bill of Fare

A dinner for two at Tastings might

look like this:

2 glasses wine…$16.00

Chestnut soup…$7.00

Maine Mussels…$10.00

Macaroni and cheese…$12.00

Boar Meatballs…$12.00

Churros…$8.00

Total…$65.00

5 percent Mass. tax…$3.25

Tip…$13.00

Total bill…$81.25

gciampa@projo.com