Sunflower Cafe — Restaurant in Town of Islip

The Sunflower Cafe, which is located at 825 Montauk Highway in Bayport New York, was such an unbelievable surprise. I live in Patchogue and had not been to this restaurant in a long time. When we did dine at this restaurant, it was another name and owner. My husband and I decided to celebrate our anniversary and go to this restaurant to see how it changed under the new ownership. We were amazingly surprised!!!!!The staff was so friendly and attentive to all guests. The menu was not the usual menu some people are used to. It was so creative, it made us think that we were, in France, Manhattan or at a Culinary School. The intriguing menu entices you to try French favorites such as Escargot and French Onion Soup. The soup was the best we ever had. The warm Pita Bread with Goat Cheese and Pineapple Chutney was ridiculously delicious!!!! I ordered the Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Apple & Sage in an Apricot Demi Glaze and my husband ordered the Duck L'Orange. Unfortunately after sharing all we ordered with each other, we could not fit in dessert, but that will be for the next time we go. I went to the kitchen to speak to the chef to state how remarkable the food presentation was and how delicious the food was. I learned that the Chef was the owner. Such a humble woman. She introduced herself and said "I am the chef and owner, nice to meet you, I am Stace". Her daughter was there by her side as well. We watched the owner Stace circulate to tables to engage with guests. To see a family run business in the community is important for the community to support this fabulous restaurant. Cudos to the staff, Chef Stace for her amazing creativity and for all the support cooks. Thank you for a wonderful experience. Keep bringing your beautiful food presentation and new ideas to your menu. I WISH I COULD LEAVE A 10 STAR REVIEW!!!!** My Best to and your...

Decided to try the newly opened Sunflower Bakery and Café today for New Year’s Day Brunch located in the former Le Soir restaurant. We have been longtime and very satisfied customers of Le Soir since 2015. Every meal was fantastic, so we had high expectations after reviewing the menus that were classically French and very similar to Le Soir’s.

I do not typically write reviews but as a former restaurant owner and operator. I felt compelled to write this one. We had a 12:30 brunch reservation. We ordered a cup of coffee and waited 45 minutes for our dishes to arrive. There were only two other tables in the dining room. If you proclaim to be a French Café, then learn how to make eggs benedict! Obviously, Chef Stace needs to go to cooking school. Travels to France do not make you a chef. – I am referencing “Our Story” on your website. The poached eggs were overcooked, as were the English muffins (we could not cut them). The ham was mediocre and for the first time ever, I was served a slice of cheese on the benedict. It was a slice of cold Swiss cheese masquerading as ‘Gruyere’. My husband ordered spinach and ‘Gruyere.’ The spinach was frozen chopped, not freshly steamed. To make matters worse, both benedicts were finished in what they call “hollandaise” sauce. I am positive it was Knorr Hollandaise Sauce mix, which is primarily corn starch and wheat flour and has a very identifiable and awful flavor. It is not hard to make a fresh hollandaise. The roasted potatoes were fair. They were undercooked in the middle and not at all crispy on the outside. If you want to build a customer base, learn the basics! Learn how to make a classic hollandaise sauce. In fact, learn all the mother sauces and classic French cookery. I would seriously recommend bringing back a chef from the former Le Soir- at least they know how to cook. Then you would have a...

I had such high hopes for this spot. The menu read very well, just what I was looking for! They did a beautiful job recreating the atmosphere. The wine was lovely and then….. The bread came out cold The clams casino or rather their take on this appetizer didn’t quite make the mark. The clams casino was served in a escargot dish full of water? Presentation was amiss and unappetizing. I ventured for one of their specials of the evening (Bouillabaisse)

You eat with your eyes first Once again amiss on presents Flavor was also not present The cod was listless bland and for a lack of better words squishy NOT FLAKY The shrimp which was spliced on the side of my dish NOT in my dish was tough and the only flavor it had was iodine. The absence of tomato leek parsley saffron and potatoes was opulent I have had bouillabaisse many many times and I have never been this disappointed. I did not eat my meal nor my appetizer. The waitress seem to not take notice of that which in itself is disappointing. I did ask to have it wrapped figuring I would bring it home and help it alongside the bill was $120.00 and I hadn’t eaten

That didn’t happen as I was so turned off by the entire experience I just tossed it in the garbage.

In closing I will add the other tables around me were experiencing the same disappointments- steak and dessert weren’t to their expectations.

The staff is pleasant enough but you must watch your dining floor to ensure people are...