Tournesol — Restaurant in New York

I've only been here twice and had two very different experiences. The first, middle of the week: wonderful foie gras pate app (the terrine they have now lacks flavor), great service, decent moules frite and steak au poivre. I thought the prices are fair and it's a cozy vibe.

Last time I was here, it was a mess. Saturday night (probably why) the service was super hectic. We were able to get a table without a reservation, but it was pretty busy... we watched the table next to us wait for their bill and then again to pay for about 40 minutes. The cocktails were poor, limited wine by the glass selection. Cold/stale bread (so easy just to warm it for a second!), they forgot an app and finally brought it AFTER our entree and it was awful, and worst of all... the creme brulee dessert was overcooked (they scrambled the eggs in the anglaise base). When we told the server that the milk/eggs were curdled he seemed not to understand and didn't take it off the bill. The goat cheese croquettes were over-fried and they don't season to taste at all, every single dish needed finishing salt at the least! The ribeye for two pretty good, although overpriced compared to the rest of the dishes: About $90 for 27 ounces. The haricots verts needed salt badly and the potatoes in the au gratin were under cooked but somehow the bechamel was still dry...

We ended up paying $300 for a really poor experience and mildly decent food (the steak saved it). They also only take AmEx... why? Don't think I'll be coming back which is a bummer because I've been looking for a French place in the area. They're gonna have to step it up to survive as this...

I called this place and made a reservation for 8:30pm. My husband and I arrived on time the place was packed we were asked to wait until a table becomes available. After waiting for about 30 minutes another couple walked in and told the host that they have an 8:30 pm reservation and were seated 5 minutes later while we continued to wait. When I asked the host why someone with an 8:30 reservation just like us who arrived 30 minutes after us was seated before us he said OH I have another table coming up without even acknowledging his mistake or apologizing. Anyways we were eventually seated the woman that took our order was super kind. Appetizer was squash soup it was a bit salty but not bad I finished it. Entree was cod fish with basmati rice it was ok not much flavor but good enough to the point you can actually eat it. A different waiter comes by removes all the plates from the table and at this point we are waiting for the dessert to be served this was part of a prix fix menu so they already had our dessert order. I watched while three tables around us who were seated and served after us were served their deserts and we were still waiting on ours to be served it took another 25 minutes between entree and dessert to be served. Once again I had to bring this up to one of the waiters he said oh I’m sorry I think they forgot about your desert let me check . Overall, food was very nicely plated but lacking in flavor. Waiters were nice but not organized . I would not advise someone to go on a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day or maybe a birthday because bad service can just ruin your...

One of the last “True” French bistros left in NYC, We’ve loved Tournesol for years. Generally speaking we’ve walked away very satisfied with our meal and have often shared our enjoyment with friends and family. Their Anniversary price fixe menus are amongst the best in the city and we look forward to celebrating with them again this year. Unfortunately our last visit left me disappointed. A duck liver mousse terrine was well executed but the small salad on the plate had way too much vinaigrette and the acid didn’t compliment the terrine. The soup of the day seemed to have some sort of balsamic glaze drizzled on it that really didn’t marry well with the soup. My wife really enjoyed her trout Muenier. Probably my biggest disappointment was the Lamb Shank special. What arrived was a big, beautifully braised, falling off the bone lamb shank. Unfortunately whoever was responsible for making the shanks that day completely forgot to season the shanks and the braising liquid. They were flavorless. Same with the accompanying lentils. Unfortunately whoever was responsible for making the lentils for this dish thought that simply adding a bouquet garni was enough to flavor the lentils. It wasn’t, and since the shank and sauce arrived unseasoned, I found myself hitting the salt shaker again and again and again. It didn’t really help much. It was SO disappointing because the lamb shanks were absolutely PERFECTLY. Cooked. I’m not trying to be mean, rude or insulting but the lamb wasn’t cheap. Please …pick up the salt and pepper and let folks truly enjoy a perfectly...