Tournesol
Long Island City, NY 11101-5734
Phone: (718) 472-4355
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- 50th Avenue
- Directions:
- 7 at Vernon Blvd-Jackson Ave
- Hours:
- Mon 5:30pm-11pm, Tue-Thu 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11pm, Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm, Sat 11am-3:30pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm, Sun 11:30am-3:30pm, 5pm-10pm
Editorial Review for Tournesol – by Dana Bowen
The Scene
With its wicker sidewalk tables and floor-to-ceiling French doors, Tournesol brings a Left Bank flair just this side of the East River. Inside, it's a typical, tin-ceiling floor-through bistro, with a service bar to one side and matted Art Nouveau prints on cheery yellow walls. Local workers and curious city folks fill the long banquettes, nibbling on tiny olives and charred, chewy bread.
The Food
This is how your Gallic grandmother would cook for you. Friendly French servers (who think they speak English better than they do) describe the reasonably priced menu and daily specials: Nothing's too elaborate, but most everything is fresh and satisfying. Skip the frisee salad--the lardons, egg and croutons are over-cooked--and dive into a rich, thyme-heavy duck liver-Muscat paté, offset by sweet, caramelized chutney. Wine-braised beef cheeks are comfort on a plate, as are crispy-skinned roast cod, creamy cauliflower gratin and grilled scallions. Vanilla-flecked creme brulee is outstanding.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
What to DrinkWith just a few wines by the glass and small pours, you'd do better to order from the short but smart wine list, which offers many good bargains under $30.
User Reviews for Tournesol
04/18/2008 Posted by LKYoung
Arrived half an hour early with my daughter as part of a party of 14 with a reservation for 8:00 PM. The tables that we would occupy were empty and they were not reseating waiting for our party. It was Friday evening, the end of a long day and a long week. Had been in my pumps since 7:00 AM. I asked if I could sit. "No." They would not seat me until all 14 had arrived. The tiny restaurant had two seats at the bar, both occupied. I promised the owner that my daughter and I would eat, even if the other 12 never showed up. He laughed. I'm sure that he thought that he was being charming. It was 8:20 by the time the entire party was assembled. Over those 50 minutes, I asked a total of three times to be allowed to sit down, and was refused three times. Again, for the entire 50 minutes, I was standing next to the empty tables which they had indicated would be for our party. The owner and waiters ignored me, but could not help jostling me as they went about their work, as the restaurant is tiny with no separate space to wait. The evening was cool, and I was unfamiliar with the neighborhood, so I waited. At 8:20, angry, exhausted and humiliated I was allowed to sit. The food was very good, but it sat like a rock in my churning stomach. This man should be a caterer and never allowed near living, breathing customers.
Pros: delicious food
Cons: total lack of concern for the comfort of patrons
03/18/2008 Posted by paulkunkel
Tournesol offers everything a bistro diner could want in an unlikely location (atop the Vernon Street number 7 subway station in LOC across the screen from an abandoned ruined industrial hulk. What can you expect?: fine (and large selection of) wine by the glass or bottle (I tried white burgundy, my dining companion drank merlot), excellent appetizers (I tried the foie gras which was wonderful, we shared a winter salad and we also tried the onion soup ... bubbly in a crock, rich and bracing, just like one would expect at an upscale restaurant in France or maybe the Quebec countryside), too many entrees to choose from (the dorado was fine, the lamb shank was even better, the steak frites at a nearby table looked 9 out of 10), and the desert was equally good (bread pudding in a thick pool of creme d'anglais ... I wanted to try the oeufs á la neige as well, but after all the above ... I was done). Remarkable food. Excellent ambiance. The restaurant was nearly full, but we were seated right away. And perhaps best of all, fair prices. I will try again (maybe I should phone ahead, cause I know it will be steak frites followed by those oeufs á la neige). Need I say more?
Pros: Food, ambiance, price
Cons: None
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