Tour de France: French Bistro "Tournesol" in LIC - Written by Shannice Noel

  Our French Adventure last Thursday began with an exciting trek to Long Island City. It was my first time back in New York in three months, and the first time I had gone somewhere in LIC in a year. I had heard about the changes to most parts of the town but I never really believed it until I saw it myself. I never imagined that it would have such bubbling nightlife and look the way it did. It seems whenever I'm gone some big changes are always happening!

    Upon arrival at Tournesol near the corner of Vernon blvd. and 50th ave., we were greeted by a friendly waitress and were given choice of seating. Shauna and I decided to sit at a small table closest to the entrance and glass windows. The interior of the bistro was quite nice. The space was small but it was filled with ambient candlelight, French love music, and French people speaking French. All of the waiters and waitresses were French as well. There was a large painting of the silhouette France, with spots that represented the locations of major cities. We truly felt like we were stopping for a small evening meal in France.

    Anyway, onto the single most important component of this review, the food. For starters, Shauna and I had two of the day's specials: Shauna had a roasted porkbelly surrounded by greens and I had field greens in a sweet dressing with peach and young cucumbers surrounded by catfish fritters. The porkbelly was very tender, and the meat was sweet. The catfish fritters had a bit less flavor than expected but they coupled very well with the sauce and greens. I especially liked how the mild sweetness of the peach went along with the flavor of the cucumber.

    Shauna's entree was the classic Beef Bourguignon With Fettuccini Pasta, and I had the Mussels Marinieres With French Fries. My mussels came first. They were served in a large metal bowl with a broth of scallion and white wine. A waitress brought a second bowl for the empty mussel shells, which came quite in handy. They were some of the best marinated mussels I'd had. The french fries were cut small and were actual slices of potato. The condiments, mayonnaise and ketchup, came in small glass bowls of their own. Shauna's Beef Bourguingnon was perfection. The bulbs of beef were served over the pasta, which were altogether served in a metal bowl with saucy broth with a slight kick on the bottom. It was simply delicious, and I personally never had beef with that kind of  flavour before. The taste kicked your tongue and left one wanting more. Despite this, Shauna was strangely unable to finish her relatively small dish. I was satisfied with my mussels and fries enough to leave room in anticipation of the best course of all.

    The dessert at Tournesol was simply fantastic. Shauna had another special: a shortbread partially submerged in a bowl of slightly-burnt cream with berries topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and mint. The cream was hot and delicious, and the berries were fresh and had a natural sweetness. The shortbread was warm and really good as well. I had the classic crème brûlée. I think I can safely say that it was the best crème brûlée I've ever had, and it was no surprise. The top was perfectly crisped and breaking my spoon through it was a spiritual experience, I felt that in my soul. The cream underneath was cool and sweet, but not too sweet and not too thick or thin. It was like eating a soft, warm cheesecake cream except so much better.

    The experience was great. We were expecting good French food in a small, ambient space and that's exactly what we got. The people that tended to our table were nice, friendly, and very attentive. The fact that all of the staff was of French origin was a huge plus to the bistro's authenticity. The prices were reasonable for the taste and portion size (or filling for Shauna's strangely-miniscule stomach).  The only minus that I really feel the need to address is that the place only takes American Express credit cards, information which was a little hard to miss at first and could have been quite inconvenient if there wasn't an ATM nearby. Shauna ended up having to run to it for cash. But overall, I would highly reccomend this spot for some good food for those who do not mind small spaces. I think Tournesol deserves an A-. It's a wonderful little spot in the middle of all of the new LIC hustle and bustle.