Tournesol

Summary

This French restaurant is located at the southern part of Vernon Blvd right across the street from Cafe Henri. We were able to walk in without reservations. The interior is quite cozy in this COVID environment as it has this very French (Paris) cafe feel to it. Each table was separated by a plastic wall. Be warned though that this place only accepts cash or AMEX. More on that later, so onto the food…

The L’Occitan had Armagnac Laubade, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This drink was very potent and undrinkable by my partner. It’s not smooth at all, so make sure to look up the ingredients before ordering.

The malbec was from Cuvée Tournesol dated 2018. This wine had a very nice complexion. It did not taste as thick as other malbecs.

The bread came cold with a small cold block of butter. My first thought was that this was a very typical French thing. Nonetheless, the bread had a nice chew on it.

The salmon tartare came with avocado and grapefruit. This tartare was actually quite delicious. The fish and condiments were very fresh. There was a lot of lemon citrus zest.

The french onion soup was very classical. The broth wasn’t as salty as other places, but it could’ve used just a little bit. Other than that, there was not any other meaningful differences between this and other normal french onion soups.

The seared trout a la meuniere with almonds came with veggies, capers, and was in a lemony sauce. This dish appears pretty rustic in a sense. There are a lot of veggies all over. Unfortunately and unlike the salmon tartare, this dish misses its mark quite a bit. The sauce was very sour and unbalanced. The trout had a nice crispy skin, but the portion size of it wasn’t proportional to the rest.

The beef bourguignon came with fettucini pasta. I had asked the server if this came with mushrooms, and they replied that there is not. I ordered this, and behold, there were mushrooms in this. The ratio of pasta to sauce was too much. The sauce lacked flavors, so the dish ended up being pretty bland. Luckily the meat was full of flavors, but you really wish the sauce had also absorbed and delivered those flavors as well. Lastly, the fettucini was overcooked.

The meringue was a complimentary finisher. There wasn’t too much special about it.

The service was prompt and quick.

However when I gave them my credit card at the end, they said they only accept cash or AMEX. Keep in mind that there is not any prominent advertising that only cash or AMEX is accepted. You would think in the COVID environment, cash would be frowned upon. Nonetheless, my bank’s ATM was less than a few hundred feet away, so I briefly left to get some money. The food wasn’t great, so this exacerbated our disappointment.

Final Verdict

I had expected the French food to pop with a lot of flavors but with a delicate balance. However, some of the dishes were either too overdramatic or underwhelming. Being cash/AMEX only only helps discourage us from recommending this restaurant.

If you must have French food and have cash, then this place could be acceptable.

Yelp Jabs

Without a doubt the best French restaurant in Queens! Amazing food and great wines!

This person has probably never had French food before.