Authentic French Cuisine (and Much More) in Queens
Exploring the restaurants of New York's underappreciated borough
Posted: Aug 21, 2012 12:15pm ET
With the
amount of time I spend at Citi Field each summer, I've come to learn the
restaurants along the No. 7 train through Queens fairly well. As decent as the ballpark's food is, sometimes you want to stop at
a real restaurant (or just pick up one of the city's best Cubanos on the way
home).
All-Time
N.L. East villain John Rocker didn't mean it nicely when he commented to Sports
Illustrated about
the diversity along the No. 7 train (it was one reason he said he didn't want to play
for a New York team), but it's wonderfully true that there are myriad ethnic
cuisines and exciting restaurants to be found along every turn and stop of the
subway ride from Manhattan to Citi Field (and beyond).
My
favorite restaurant in Queens, just one stop from Manhattan, is Tournesol, an
authentically French restaurant with affordable prices and a solid wine list.
I've visited three times this summer. I'm also including a rundown of some of
my other top plays in Queens on the way to or from the game.
TOURNESOL
50-12
Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, Queens
Telephone: (718) 472-4355
Website: Tournesolnyc.com
When the
weather is nice, the front doors and windows of Tournesol are thrown open,
juxtaposing a bit of southwest France against the warehouse buildings of Vernon
Boulevard. Owner Pascal Escriout, who grew up in Toulouse, France, opened
Tournesol after serving two years as the maître d' at Artisanal when that restaurant
opened. Expect to be greeted with a "Bonjour!" if you go, as Escriout
attempts to create a complete southern France dining experience. Tournesol's
40-plus-selection wine list is exclusively French, and the Domaine wine bar
next door, which Escriout also owns, features almost 100 percent French wines.
However, Escriout and his chef, Christophe Morvan, don't recommend wine
pairings on the menu—"I don't want to impose," said Escriout,
"People can drink what they want."
On a hot
summer evening, I've frequently looked to Tournesol's $8 glass of Côtes de
Provence Cuvée Cep d'Or 2009 rosé. Also recently on the regularly updated wine
list were reds from seven appellations of Bordeaux, a Chassagne-Montrachet and
a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As for the food, I swiped the bowl clean of tarragon
sauce when we ordered the escargots. Other favorites include the very aromatic
hake (a cousin of haddock) and clams papillote with leeks and zucchini, the seared
trout with almonds and cauliflower and the seared skate with red cabbage and
mustard sauce.
And sometimes
southern France follows you outside on to Vernon. Upon leaving after my last
visit, I heard "Monsieur! Monsieur!" cried out along the street and
turned to see my waitress waving my lucky Phillies hat. Turns out a Phillies
fan can get great treatment in Queens.
Corner
Bistro L.I.C.: This
burger joint is just a few blocks from Tournesol in Queens' Long Island City
neighborhood. The original Corner Bistro, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, is
famous for its delicious Bistro Burgers, with bacon piled high and plenty of
American cheese, as well as for long waits for a table and a gruff
bartender/manager serving McSorley's Ale. You'll find the same burgers and beer
here, though not the lines (Cornerbistrony.com).
Claret: Located in the Sunnyside
neighborhood, Claret is a cozy, open-spaced wine bar, run by locals Jean Clancy
and Niall Costello, that provides an alternative to the pub scene in the Irish
enclave. The menu hits the classic enoteca notes with charcuterie, cheeses,
paninis and pizzas. Truffled macaroni and cheese and meatballs are usually on
the menu. New York wines are a big part of the 100-selection list here,
including Wölffer Estate Rosé The Hamptons Long Island 2011 ($10). Also
available at $10 a glass was a favorite value of mine, Mud House Sauvignon
Blanc Marlborough 2011 from New Zealand (Claretwinebar.com).
Check out
Sunnyside's Souk el Shater (43-03 Queens Blvd.) for falafel and SriPraPhai (Sripraphairestaurant.com) in
Woodside for Thai. Definitely don't miss El Sitio (68-28 Roosevelt Ave.) if you are a
fan of Cuban sandwiches (I recommend pairing with an ice-cold Coke). Pio Pio (Piopio.com) is famous for its
Peruvian cuisine, particularly rotisserie chicken, and it says a lot about Tortilleria
Nixtamal
(Tortillerianixtamal.com) that many other Mexican restaurants in the city buy
their daily fresh-made tortillas here.
As
Queens is New York's largest, most diverse, and perhaps most underappreciated
borough, there are no doubt many more worthy restaurants I've failed to
mention. Tell us about your favorites in the comments.
I love SriPraPhai! And off the 7 line, I'd also add Spicy & Tasty, a Szechuan restaurant that is both spicy and tasty, and Jade Asian for dim sum.
Jennifer Fiedler
Wine Spectator