Tapenade

Since it’s been boarded up for a good two months without a sign for reopening, it’s more than likely that Tapenade has closed up for good. It was hardly the most popular place or the only French bistro in the hood. It did however offer a kind of dining experience not terribly common in Sunnyside and featured one of the area’s most underrated brunch service.
Dinner never seemed like their strong suit. From their grand opening till their final moments, the food was as bland as could be. Having been disappointed with their overly salty escargot to their uninspiring pasta dishes (woof on the scampi) to a complete fail of a coq au vin, I decided it was probably best if I didn’t come here to experiment anymore. The wine and the inviting interior never made up for their lack of tasty food or nearly empty ambiance.
Then along came brunch. A lazy walk along Queens Blvd brought me back and the thought of their $ 11 Tapenade burger sounded appealing. Much to my surprise, a delicious 10oz sirloin patty with melted goat cheese, cheddar and bacon came to my plate and perfectly seasoned frites. Convinced it was purely luck, I went for it again on another day and they simply nailed it. Now their strengths are slightly more recognizable.
The same reaction happened with their quiche lorraine, a nice «pie» of swiss cheese and French style bacon over a bed of mesclun salad, was actually more generous portion wise than the average $ 6 price tag would suggest. I became semi-​enamored with their croque-​madame, the ultimate brunch plate consisting of one’s average croque monsieur (toasted bread, ham, swiss, bechamel) with a nice sunnyside up egg just waiting to be popped on top of it. When combined with everything, it produced a lovely texture that was as smooth as it was delicious. For $ 8 and in Sunnyside, I thought it was a steal. Then there was the regular benedict dishes (salmon /​spinach) and omelettes, which seemed novice in comparison to the aforementioned dishes, but were still executed quite well for roughly $ 9 each.
And now, the store has been boarded up. The shell life of quality spots in Sunnyside is hard to gauge sometimes. This time, Tapenade seems to be the hood’s latest restaurant casualty.

This place is closed, like in OUT OF BUSINESS. I learned the hard way. I ordered food from them for delivery via Seamless three days ago. Got confirmation from Seamless, but after more than an hour of growling stomach, Seamless actually called to tell me that the restaurant had gone ouf of business. Yikes!

It’s painful for me to give this score.
Tapenade is one of two restaurants to grow out of the ashes of the old Bliss Bistro on Skillman Avenue. That place was a neighborhood fixture that we all loved for Brunch as well as the outdoor patio. The place shuttered amid unpaid rent bills a while back. Many of us were really upset by this loss.
The chef at that restaurant opened Bliss 46 Bistro, now on 46^th St near Queens Blvd. That small restaurant has come into its own and become one of my favorites in the neighborhood.
The owner of the original Bliss opened Tapenade right on Queens Blvd.
However, from the beginning there were problems here. First they were going to serve alcohol, then they weren’t. They had no brunch hours at first, then they did. They went through one chef and then announced a menu that was mostly pasta, which was odd for a French place. Friends of mine that came here in the opening times said it was really dreadful. I decided to wait and see if they could work the kinks out.
A few months later, they announced they would now have beer and wine, and that they had yet another new chef. This chef changed the menu to more traditional French fare. I decided to finally give it a try.
The space is beautiful, lots of exposed brick and a small bar with intimate tables. We were seated and ordered drinks. Service was quick, if a little confused.
I ordered a Coq Au Vin, a simple dish that I love. Wife ordered a Veal chop. My chicken was passable, but the potatoes and sauce were ice cold. Unacceptable. Her chop was rough and seemed old. Our crème brûlée for dessert was served too early, so it was hot as hades, but it was good.
There were two other tables along with ours in the restaurant, not very much. The nearby kitchen was loud and the chef was cursing audibly, when I walked by to use the restroom, he was flying around the kitchen, seemingly overwhelmed. Again, there was barely anybody in the restaurant! Barely mediocre food and an overwhelmed kitchen is not a good sign at this stage of the game.
The last straw for me came when they charged my wife for a whole bottle of wine, rather than the glass that she had. They fixed it, but it was just the cherry on top of this evening for us.
Overall, just an incredibly disappointing experience for me. They don’t seem to have their act together. I love my neighborhood and want all the restaurants to succeed, but if I was you and looking for this type of food I would run to Bliss 46 Bistro instead. They seem to be moving up while these guys flounder. Spend your hard-​earned cash better than going here.
Cheers.

Spectacularly bad. This is one of the worst approximations of a French restaurant I’ve encountered in this city. Undercooked food, way undercooked fries, a staff that is highly confused and under trained at best. Not to mention the atmosphere on the inside is well, way creepy and uncomfortable.
I had read the reviews before going and knew it wasn’t going to be great, so I took a shot with takeout one night (you could not pay me to eat inside this restaurant). But wow, even I was not fully prepared. I ordered something I thought they couldn’t screw up too bad, like a Croque Madame. I was wrong.

I often find this restaurant near empty when I pass by it, but I’m not sure why. It wasn’t the greatest meal I’ve ever had, but the food was good. Let me paint a picture: warm summer evening and among the first to enjoy their new outdoor patio in the back. It still needs some TLC but it was a nice option to the inside restaurant. I ordered the seafood saffron risotto — it was so tasty! Combination of muscles, shrimp and muscles — none of it tasted chewy or fishy (first sign of non-​fresh seafood). I gobbled it up and was stingy on the tastes I gave the bf. He ordered the muscles which were good — a bit salty for me but he enjoyed them.
For dessert, we got espresso and profiteroles — a perfect end to a great meal. The waitress was lovely and attentive. Her son was at the restaurant and often came running out with her and even tried to help her carry things (like the sugar for our coffee). I thought it was cute and didn’t bother me, but it may deter other restaurant goers.

I had a voucher for dinner for two so my husband and I schlepped all the way to Queens from Westchester to enjoy some French food, my fave cuisine. So, we found parking right in front and went inside for our table. They had a sign on the window that said the garden was open, so when we initially went in, I asked the gentleman who was seating us, whether or not they had outdoor seating and he firmly said no as though I was asking something out of this world but I let it go and took a booth table.
The waitress/​hostess? came over and took our drink order and at that time, we told her that we had a voucher. She told us that there were some items on the menu that they did not have but to look it over and she will let us know, if anything. So, when we were ready to order, my husband and I asked which items were not available and she tols us that we can order anything. My husband asked if her could order a particular item and she said that they don’t have it. I got fed up and said that it would work better if she just tell us what they don’t have and then we’ll just make a quick decision. We opted to share the Fired Calimari and I also ordered some Escargot, for our starters.
We were given bread and because our starters were taking so long to come out, we asked for another basket of bread which also took for ever to get to us. Our appetizers finally arrived and both dishes were good. They were not great but decently prepared.
Hubby had the New York Strip Steak for his entrée and I went with the Cod over Spinach and Mashed Potatoes. Our food came out after the table next to our and we ordered our food twenty minutes before that table. The patron was still waiting for her husband to arrive to dinner but somehow they received their meal BEFORE ours. I find that very odd. It was not that busy and it seemed like the waitress/​hostess was overwhelmed. When our entrees finally came to the table, I was immediately turned off by the smell of my fish. I am Jamaican and we eat cod fish, salt fish, bacalao, however you want to call it, all the time and I have NEVER had cod that smelled like the cod at Tapenade. It almost smelled as though it was old and might have been disinfected to try to cover up the smell. I was grossed out. I couldn’t eat it. I pushed it aside and attempted to eat the side items but they, too had the nasty smell all over them. Hubby gave me a few pieces of his steak which actually tasted decent. It was the wrong temp but it was fresh, at least.
I didn’t bother saying anything about the fish because I knew I was not going to be coming back, we were tired from the drive and I just didn’t have it in me to deal with it. Not to mention that it took us so long to get our food in the first place. I, instead, asked them to wrap it up so that I could further inspect it because I tell you, there was something definitely wrong with that fish.
While we waited the 25 minutes to settle our bill at the end of the night, the oddest thing occurred. The manager emerged out the back and apologized if we had any problem with our meal. He went on to explain that the chef in the kitchen are new on the job and have only been with them for two weeks. No one complained so it was very weird. I guess he has had problems with the dishes that came out of the kitchen and the little speech he gave showed that they have some problems in that place.
As we were walking out, I noticed the Grade Pending sign which was issued in April of this year (2012). Is it just me or does that seem a pretty long time to be waiting for a grade? Not appealing.
On our way home, the to-​go bag was stinking up the car. After we parked, I opened it while we walked to our home and the stink that emerged out of the container was horrendous. There was the scent of VERY OLD fish and a cleaning solution. My husband was walking behind me and almost lost his dinner because of the smell. It was unreal. I started to feel ill and had an upset stomach for the rest of the night. I was and am completely grossed out by that meal.
Don’t eat here and if you do feel lucky, make sure you don’t get ANY seafood. They need to use fresh produce. When fish goes bad it is obvious. They need a new system, new chefs and to take the quality of their food seriously. My entrée was cod and it tasted and smelled as though it had gone bad and they tried to cover it up with bleach or some sort of detergent. It was very nasty and I didn’t eat more than a bite and that caused me a stomach ache. Never again.

I came here for dinner on a Wednesday night with three other people because somebody bought a groupon deal. Sadly, I think that would be the only reason to go to Tapenade in the first place.
Ok, that was kind of harsh. To be fair, the food is actually good. The french onion soup is a little sweeter than I would prefer it to be; it could use a pinch more salt, but it was surprisingly refreshing. The fried calamari was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside and it was tasty. I also go the escargots just because. They were really good, too. For my entrée, I had the seafood risotto (which somebody else ordered, too). To me, it was a little underwhelming. I thought there would be a bed of risotto with seafood on top. Instead it was kind of like a plate of seafood (shrimp, mussels, and scallops) with a dollop of risotto dumped on top. I had to scrape out risotto out of the mussel shells since that’s where most of the risotto was. At least it tasted good, there was a lot of seafood, and the little bits of rice from the risotto were cooked well. My cousin ordered the steak with a peppercorn sauce. He said it was too peppery; I thought it was tangy. Somebody else in the group ordered the duck confit. I didn’t try it, but it looked good.
What really turned me off was the service. The front of the house was a little dysfunctional. There was only one waitress handling all the tables, while the hostess just stood there, waiting for customers to arrive. We got our glasses of water 20 minutes after we sat down. We didn’t even get the store-​bought bread on the table until our first course arrived; probably should have had bread before that. Eventually, when it became too much for the waitress, the hostess finally stepped in to help clear tables and serve food. The owners came out, too, to help, but I think they should have assisted earlier. And about the water– it was like they didn’t have enough regular cups, so they poured water in wine glasses. It wasn’t like the restaurant was that full. There should have been enough proper drinkware for the restaurant. Also, why is the only soda option diet coke?
The kitchen-​side of the restaurant wasn’t any better. Food took way too long to get out. I’ve never worked in a kitchen but from what I see on TV like Hells Kitchen, or Kitchen Nightmares, or even Bar Rescue, food usually needs to get to the table within a certain time. Like, once the appetizers are almost consumed at the table, the kitchen has to ‘fire’ up the entrees so that you’re not waiting long between courses. i think waiting at least 20 – 25 minutes between courses was a bit too long, even if I don’t know what I’m talking about. Again, to be fair, it’s not the chef’s fault. He was really the only one in there with another guy.
So, if the owners are reading this (and they probably are), don’t take this as a negative criticism. You just opened. It’s going to take time to get everything straightened out. But hire another cook and a waitress/​waiter. Perhaps, don’t do take out (i’m assuming those aluminum plates you were filling with newly cooked food and covered was takeout). First of all, you’re cooking for people who aren’t even at the restaurant and then you’re taking away a member of a small staff to deliver the food. Make people come to the restaurant. More people = more money. That, I think everyone knows. Best of luck and hopefully you can draw more people without a groupon deal.

I would rate this place a 3 and my boyfriend would rate it a four. We’ve been here a few times. The food is tasty and the service is good. The place is mostly empty which is good and bad.

Since my first visit here in April, there has been a huge improvement, They’ve definitely worked out the kinks that come with opening a new restaurant. The food was amazing, the service was prompt, professional and efficient. My husband had the dinner special which was a beautifully prepared brook trout with white wine and capers and I had the lamb chops which came with the best roasted potatoes i’ve had in awhile. Not those dry, cooked to death briquettes we usually get at most places, especially brunch buffets. These were fluffy inside with a slight crunch outside. Very nicely done. All in all, Tapenade is destined to be one of our new favorites.
BTW, they now have a liquor license and serve wine.

First of all, let me say that I am over the moon that Sunnyside’s culinary offerings are expanding of late. That said, Tapenade’s «French cuisine» really falls short of success.
I went there with my family, and we ended up ordering the fried shrimp appetizer (tiny portion!), cod with a side of mashed potatoes and spinach (overly salted by a mile), lamb chops (significantly burnt in some parts to the point that a lot of the meat was inedible), and the hangar steak (flavorless).
The music was weird, the ambiance was dreary and the restaurant was empty around dinner time on a Wednesday evening…
On the other hand, the service was great — our waitress was very attentive and nice. The meal was certainly affordable (around $ 90 total for 4 people), but honestly, I’ve had better food on airplanes.

I tried this place with my boyfriend, and the food was excellent, overall. We shared a hangar steak and the pork. Pork was meh, but the steak was excellent. So were the potatoes, and the crabcake entrée. (Only one crabcake, though, which was disappointing.)
As others have noted, it’s currently BYOB (no corkage), which I actually consider to be a plus.
I’m sure we’ll be back again.

I have been to Tapenade for the fifth time since it opened and I have had wonderful experiences each time. I am truly glad that Sunnyside is expanding its food genre (it’s about time!). I simply adore the food and have been impressed with the escargot, french onion soup, coq au vin, seafood risotto, duck confit and the specials (duck breast tonight). The owner is welcoming and the staff was very friendly and attentive.
It’s a BYOB for the moment, which I don’t mind since I save money and there’s a liquor place down the street on 43^rd avenue and 43 street. Tapenade is a great welcome to the neighborhood and I hope it does well so that I may have more nights of dining there. The owner mentioned that the garden in the back may be available for the summer. I assume once the liquor license is received, the garden will be more inviting but BYOB may be more fun as the Met supermarket carries a plethora of great beer that will be great to drink at the garden.

Decided to try Tapenade for brunch this morning. Sat down at a table and noticed that the tablecloth was extremely dirty and stained. We started to place our order and the waitress informed us that they ran out of bacon. How can a restaurant advertising brunch run out of bacon first thing in the morning??? There is a Key Food right across the street! Overall the food was average at best. The mushrooms in the mushroom omelet were fresh and well seasoned. The «roasted» potatoes were probably roasted at one point, but definitely microwaved to reheat. The complimentary baguette bread was a nice touch but it was the only thing French about our entire meal. Nothing special, but not terrible either.

There are no French restaurants on QB so Im among others was very excited about the new spot in our hood. However, my first visit there was quite disappointing.
Ambiance is very somber and uninviting. There is a fine line between romantic, cosy/​quite and solemn/​sad. Weird music, very dark and stuffy seating, useless TV, and large bar area, the use of which I couldnt figure out .Too many tables cramped together with heavy table cloth and three utensil sets on top of it. It feels a it claustrophobic and unnecesserily fancy.
Food– escargot which is m fav french appetizer was greasy and tasteless. too much oil, too little spices. Then my seafood risotto, which came way too fast, had a decent flavor but was also greasy that I had to eat it with bread so it wont make me nauseous. Profiterolls seemed very authentic with melted dark chocolate and ice cream yet choux pastry was crispy which as I remember houdlve been soft and puffy.
Service– was vey good. Attentive and helpful.
Hope they can make some changes in the décor and lose all that stuffiness. its not Midtown, its Sunnyside so vibrant setting with lighter furniture might e a good idea

My husband and I wandered into Tapenade on a beautiful afternoon last week. The front windows open up all the way, which makes it nice to sit and feel the breeze. There are not many places where this can happen in Sunnyside. I ordered the sandwich with egg, ham, cheese, on an english muffin and it was excellent. The egg was cooked perfectly, the bread was crunchy and the cheese was wonderful. My husband had the Tuna burger, it was not as good but still decent. The fries were delicious, the perfect mix of crunchy and soft. I hope this place sticks around… it’s really nice to have some variety in the middle of all the thai and irish joints around here.
They should really take advantage of the open windows and have a chef making crepes from the dining room. The smell alone would bring in a packed house.

I waa very disappointed on Mother’s day –the restaurant claims to be ‘authentic french cuisine’-IT IS NOT, what french bistro doesn’t know how to make ‘COQ AU VIN
I know how to make it-​every french place in New York knows how to make it but this place did not. used pasta or noodles or something instead of traditional potato. the rest of the entrees we ordered were nothing to rave sbout but at least edible.

Their frites/​fries were prob only once cooked and were soaked in oil but still not cooked all the way through, then placed in a limp, congealed pile onto a serving plate… that is a huge red flag at a french restaurant; points to poor basic techniques and poor standards. If i may take some license here i would assume someone is trying to do fresh unfrozen fries straight into a too low temp fryer, no blanche or pre-​fry or pre freeze which even a novice cook like me knows is plain wrong. Their burger was under-​seasoned, overdone and soaked in butter (another red flag). They are cooking out all the flavor n butter wont replace it no matter how hard they try.
I think the other dishes may be better but I wont be gambling with my money on this place again, the burger i could forgive, but they lost me with the fries thing.
I know it seems like a small thing, but they are called ‘French Fries’ for a reason and any French place that cant cook a good fry is just sad. Im goin elsewhere.

I was really excited about this new spot, since Sunnyside is slowly getting nicer services. But I was sorely disappointed.
LAYOUT: Its too tight. One or two tables need to be removed for it to comfortable for the patrons AND the staff. There is a bar at the rear, but I can’t imagine it being used ever. If the seats were full, the staff wouldn’t be able to get to the kitchen!
AMBIANCE: The music was too loud and a bad selection. Who plays Eric Clapton at a French restaurant? The lighting was perfect, low enough that it was intimate but just bright enough that the food could be seen. However, there is big flatscreen over the bar that plays sports. Distracting! Detracting!
SERVICE: The service is the one thing I can’t complain about at all. My waiter was knowledgeable, fast and attentive. Exactly what is expected at this price point.
FOOD: *sigh* Everything, EVERYTHING, that I tasted was a little off. Like they haven’t practiced the dishes enough. My French Onion soup was bland. My seafood risotto had undercooked rice, overcooked shrimp and one of my mussels were still closed (if you have ever cooked bivalves, you know that is a NO-​NO). My husband said his steak and bernaise was good, but I tried his fries (undercooked) and his broccoli (way too salty).
VERDICT: Maaaaaaaaybe, I’ll try it again in six months. But probably not.

I tried Tapenade for Sunday brunch last week. I was feeling like having something new — and so I ordered the Fuille de Brique which I have not had before. I guess it is a North African influenced dish. It was a ratatouille on the bottom, with ham and swiss baked in phyllo dough on top of that, and finally a poached egg. A dash of balsamic on top of everything too. I would say it was fine. Everything was hot — well prepared. I had fresh squeezed orange juice and decaf coffee as well. They made the decaf fresh and it was good and strong, which I like. The servers were a little overly nice and interested and literally asked me to come back again, but I’m going to try it again tonight for dinner. I like the menu — it has some diversity — and when these owners had Bliss Bistro the food was usually well-​prepared. I may add a 4^th star after I try it again.

I came here on the grand opening when they offered a free meal consisting of a glass of wine, an appetizer sampler, a pasta dish and a dessert. It was amazing. I knew they were doing a free «hor douvers and drinks» day so I walked over. I was blown away with the service because even though the place was full with patrons expecting free food and service, they were still right on top of us.
The wine we were served was actually very good and the pasta dishes were amazing. My boyfriend had the pasta with cream sauce with ham and I had the tomato sauce with vegetables. The ham was smoked and the cream sauce had a great flavor. Honestly, I’m not a great food critic or describer but I was jealous of his dish. Mine was plentiful with veggies, however, which is impressive in itself.
Anyway, we’ll be back out of free-​guilt but we’ll like it. I even took a take-​out menu because they deliver!