Tastings Gourmet Market

Love this little market! Their French bread is so good, and really inexpensive! Also they have a marvelous wine bar next door :)

Someone at work recommended that I give Tastings Gourmet a try since he knew I was a big fan of high-​quality, gourmet food. I finally got around to visiting the shop, as my mother was in town and we decided to check it out and we were very pleased! I would much rather have a smaller shop that has made sure all if it’s products are carefully chosen or made. Having been to Europe, I’ve been spoiled by freshly made pastries and baked goods and haven’t found anything comparable — until now. The foccacia (I probably butchered that spelling) was light and fluffy — not dense and oily; the pastries were light, flaky, buttery and not too sweet. I had autumn roasted vegetable salad with apple cider vinaigrette and baguette; my mom had the Greek salad and foccacia. We split the baba ghanouj, which was amazing. For dessert we split the apple tarte and were very pleased.

A couple of my friends were coming to town from NYC to attend my birthday dinner, and I wanted to have some snacks on hand when they arrived. With requisite wine purchased and chilling, I had my sights set on some pre-​dinner charcuterie, so my boyfriend recommended this little gem.
To start, the shop looks straight out of a movie set. Beautiful displays of oils and vinegars, fresh pastas, and the aroma of baking bread put a smile on my face. I was lucky enough to come in during a cheese tasting and the helpful guy at the counter gave me generous samples and great recommendations. Granted, I spent most of my monthly discretionary budget in a matter of 20 minutes, it was well worth it.
My go-​to: Charcuterie plate fixings: Manchego and Purple Haze goat cheeses, proscuitto and Spanish chorizo, fresh focaccia bread
Highlight: Great selection and free tastings on Saturdays
Lowlight: Service was a tad slow (but it was Saturday afternoon to be fair), pricey!

I LOVE this place. My husband and I drive 45 minutes out of our way to come here and buy cheese and never regret the distance. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable and the quality and selection are outstanding. Not only do they have themed cheese tastings every Saturday, but your cheese is cut to order and you can taste most cheeses before you buy them. Today’s visit prompted me to write my first Unilocal review because I tried a cheese that I had tasted several times before but it was almost a completely different experience, with the cheese demonstrating more depth of flavor and complexity because it had clearly been taken care of rather than cut, shrink wrapped, and ignored until purchased. In addition to cheese, they have a selection of other gourmet food products and delicious baguettes to go with your cheese. Stop by and check it out. You will be glad you did.

I looooove this place. As a self admitted «cheese head» I can go in here and get lost for an hour (and spend too much money.) The staff is friendly and helpful and of course you can try before you buy~ cheese anyway. I have enjoyed everything I’ve bought from there… bread, dressings and of course the cheese. Love their tastings on Saturdays also. I always ask for gift cards to this store.

A true standout in Annapolis! A wide variety of cheeses and customers have cards that they can track what they’ve bought and their thoughts on it, amazing selection of cured meats, a laundry list of some of the best chocolate in the city and a nice bit of dried goods and pre-​made food as well. They even have a sliding case full of some great beers and walk through access to the HUGE wine shop next door. Wifey and I have been shopping at Tastings for years now and the staff is always VERY knowledgeable about everything in the shop and the owner/​chef is a wealth of knowledge on French cuisine, cooking and even great for party planning! Whether you are looking to class up a dish or build a cheese and meat plate for a party, there’s probably no better place in Annapolis to set it up.

Absolutely love this place for all that it has to offer. I have been stopping at Tastings for years, what made me fall in love with it is the grocer café feel of the joint. The staff is always cheerful and welcoming. They hold cheese & other tasty food tastings often so like them on FB to catch those happenings. Some updates, they offer great delicious catering options so what ever your party must haves you may want to give them a try. The sandwiches & quiches are devine. The boutique chocolate is gorgeous and accompany any cheese plate your building. Their charcuterie selection is amazing as well and prices for their Iberico, I have found to be cheaper than others I’ve seen in the area.

So I’m torn, I’m a loyal customer here (as in l literally go in every week). The cheese is great, they let you try before you buy which is a huge plus for me. Baguettes are fresh and delish, I’m a fan of the meats and even the jelly section has tempted me on several occasions. So why am I torn? Well last week I went in for my normal weekly visit, bought $ 80 worth of meats and cheese and while I was in the store a piece of cheese that was cut for another customer went missing. They checked my bag before I left, not there so I went on my merry way. 2 hours later I look at my phone and I have a voicemail. When I listen to it it is the owner asking me if I have the missing cheese and to call her back. I have several problems with this.
1. How did you get my phone number? Why do you think you have permission to use it?
2. YOU ALREADY CHECKED MY BAG BEFORE I LEFT!!!
3. Say I did have the cheese, were you expecting me to drive back to the shop and return it? Would you then re-​sell cheese that had left your store to an un-​knowing customer? If no would you expect me to pay for something I didn’t want?
I don’t know what happened to the cheese, I didn’t have it but I’m annoyed. I’ve spent literally hundreds of dollars in that store and I’m honestly questioning whether or not I’ll go back.
PS I called the owner back and got some random man’s voicemail, so she didn’t even give me the correct number to call her back. Bad business all around.

Since my last review Tastings has added soups (or perhaps I simply wasn’t paying attention). Sign up for their e-​mail list and they will entice you into the store with the freshly made specials every day of the week.

Tastings is the BEST gourmet market around.
Cheese and meat are their main focus. All of their cheeses are aged to perfection. If you love cheese and you can’t make it to Cowgirl Creamery, come here.
Bread and crossiants are also top of the mountain. They aren’t house made, but they are baked fresh everyday and are crunchy, flavor packed loaves of goodness.
Salads and sandwiches for lunch are pricey but wonderful.
Their cheese tastings on Saturday’s are a fun way to spend an afternoon trying new things.
They have the best marinated artichoke hearts I have ever tasted.

Drat! I’m all out of stars!
They have a small sale area now! I LOVE SALES! I got truffle honey that was 40% off and paid $ 18 for it.
I can’t wait to see what they have lined up for the summer!

I went searching for Tastings Gourmet because my friends brought over a fresh baked baguette and some cheese and Molinari Milano salami. It wasn’t hard to find since it’s only a few blocks from my house. Nothing fancy from the outside. But then I walked in and smelled the fresh bread in the oven and realized that the deli side is connected to the wine cellar next door. How convenient is that!
The ladies were super helpful and found what I was looking for. There weren’t as many salami selections in the case as I expected but who need anything else besides Milano. Nobody. Milano rocks.
I’ll have to visit again on a Sat afternoon when they have cheese tasting! But it’s not like you have to wait until then to try anything– they’ll let you taste before you purchase so you can be sure to pick just the right salami or cheese.

A select little gourmet shop where the quality is top notch and the service, unparalleled! Stacey is a brilliant shopper and stocks only the superb. Her artisan cheeses and oils are simply the very best to be found — anywhere! When you throw your next dinner party, be sure to stop by and pick up your ingredients here; your guests will be over the moon.

This place is tip top! If you are looking for gourmet and service, this is your place. I have not attended a «tasting» but they are not shy about allowing you a nibble in order to figure out if the cheese is what you want.
The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and kind. The products available were diverse, delicious and well worth the stop. We dropped in for some San Andres, which unfortunately was not available, but the woman behind the counter was quick to ask her co-​worker for a suggestion for a replacement. She provided us a sample of a wonderfully soft and delicious cheese. It was a great fit. We also found a small piece of manchengo in the small block box which was in the self serve cheese case.
So while we were there we checked things out. Everything from crackers, to olive oil to chocolate (very delicious highly specialized chocolate elations), pasta, bake your own breads (which was also wonderful after bringing it home), olives etc. The list goes on, stop in if you have the time and the love of cheese. They are also connected to the wine cellar next door and well I will leave that for another day.
The place is wonderful the service was great and the place is inviting!

I don’t know why I haven’t written a review of this lovely gourmet shop before – I’ve been going there for years and it is a true Annapolis treasure.
The owner, Stacey, is such a source of information – on cheeses, chocolates, dressings, etc etc.
She only carries the highest quality foods and all of her cheese selections are Artisan. Today when I went in she was so excited because they are having a cheese tasting on Saturday for 4 new cheeses imported from Italy.
I remember one year where she had a cheese under a glass dome on the counter covered in hay. I couldn’t resist – it was so unusual. Apparently that maker ages his cheese under hay for a most unique flavor. Amazing!
My favorite sliced ham is there –Madrange from France – exquisite!
Stacey makes several trips to Europe every year to find the best foods for her shop. One of my favorite stories that she tells is about her visit to the shop of Michel Quizel (sp?) for chocolates. As a chocolatier herself, she is extremely picky about quality. Well, as she tells it, when she visited the shop where they make the chocolates, she noticed that there were only women there – they were hand painting the confections. When she asked about this, she was told that only women were allowed to do the chocolate hand work because the temperature of their hands is cooler than men’s. THAT’S the kind of super quality she brings in!!!
Anyway, I love her, I love her stories, and I love her shop.
If you are willing to pay a bit more for top of the line foodie kinds of things… this is the place for you!