A MEDLEY OF TASTES AND EXPERIENCES ON SIXTH AVE. >>>

At Pastiche, the newest wine bar to grace Tacoma's bustling Sixth Avenue business district, homemade pasta dishes are on the horizon. Via e-mail, co-owner Art Britton shares that currently Pastiche offers "simple combinations of wine and appetizers that will complement and emphasize certain notes in the wines." For eats, platters of antipasto, vegetables and Seattle's Beecher's Handmade Cheese are offered in addition to hummus, spicy marinara meatballs, bruschetta flat bread, focaccia caprese, fresh green salads, sandwiches and soups. Delectable diet-blowing sweets are imported from Italy and France. According to Britton, popular wines are Baer Winery's Ursa, Goulart Classico Malbec and Cabernet Franc.

Britton and co-owner Linda Gair, both from Gig Harbor, created Pastiche when they couldn't find a comfortable place with wine, food and dancing.

Britton tells us Pastiche is "French for a medley of various fine items and experiences, like music, food and wines." A good time seems unavoidable: sip the wine, savor tasty appetizers and dance to the music in an inviting, old-world-style environment made cozier by a fireplace, vaulted ceiling, tiled bar and upholstered walls.

[Pastiche, 2715 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2277, pasticheawinebar.com]