44-07 Queens Blvd (Photo: QueensPost)
Feb. 14, 2012 By Christian Murray
The former proprietor of Bliss Bistro is opening Tapenade, a casual French restaurant located at 44-07 Queens Blvd, on Thursday.
Alim Maruf, with his business partner Abu Khan, will be marking the restaurant’s grand opening by offering free drinks and hors d’oeuvres from 12 p.m. through 10 p.m.
“Tapenade will be a French bistro–just more affordable and with a larger menu than what Bliss Bistro had,” Maruf said. Bliss Bistro was a French restaurant located on Skillman Ave. (46th St.) that closed about 12 months ago.
Tapenade will offer typical French fare, with a brunch and dinner menu. The brunch menu will includes: omelets (9.50); eggs Benedict ($9.50); eggs Florentine ($9:00); quiche ($6.50); and sandwiches ($7.00 -$8.00).
For dinner, the restaurant will offer appetizers such as calamari ($7.00) and escargot ($6.50) and entrees that include duck ($14.00), pastas ($8.50), shell steak ($20.00), Black Angus hangar steak ($18.00) and New Zealand lamb chops ($20.00). The restaurant is expected to have its liquor license in a month.
Maruf will be in competition with the recently opened Bliss 46, which is a French restaurant run by Bliss Bistro’s former chef. However, he is not concerned about the competition, saying he has another expert chef—and that his restaurant will pay particular attention to ambiance, music and decoration.
While Maruf misses the neighborhood feel of Skillman Avenue, he expects to do much better in his new space. “Queens Blvd is the heart of Sunnyside where people come from all over…there is the subway and it is accessible to people from both sides of the blvd.”
The restaurant will be able to cater to 58 diners inside and as many as 50 in the patio out the back. He will open the patio in summer.
The restaurant will be open seven days from 11:30 a.m. through 11 p.m.
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23 Comments
The Dog and Duck – which is on Dorothy’s old place – seems to be doing well. I hope she asked for a large security deposit.
Sorry, but I’m with Novak. Bills weren’t paid at last place. That’s just wrong! Pay up your debts, THEN open your new place.
Visited there today: http://sunnysidefood.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/tapenade-bistro-preview/
I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Mike Novak on something.
Having worked once for someone who didn’t pay their bills, I can say if they’re screwing a vital creditor, they are probably screwing you too. Maybe this new landlord was smart enough to get some cash up front.
Give Tapenade a chance. Boy, that Novak gets angry!
See,Mike Novak,it’s a great world.
I said TOURNESOL is an outstanding place (better “absolutely outstanding”-my present posture)-and someone has cockroaches all over the place.
BUT for the people here who are not upset,TOURNESOL remains absolutely outstanding,amazing fun,superb value. A brilliant place. Go there. No decline over the years at all only better,best always.
Likewise,ignore Mike Novak as I have suggested above-we don’t know both sides. And I can tell you for sure there is another side!
Tapenade,give us a great experience like TOURNESOL and you will be the toast of SUNNYSIDE.
If your place is crap,it’s a month or two only!
It amazes me that there are some folks in this neighborhood who would give their hard-earned money to a man who has proven to be a deadbeat in a court of law. A man who lied, passed bad checks and put a undue and unnecessary strain on a woman who not only is my good friend, but someone who has cared for and given back to the community for decades.
Shame on you.
Mike Novak, good point. Since Mr. Maruf is already known as a liar and deadbeat who would trust his food? “Steal big, steal little”.
Good luck to Maruf. Its good that he is still in Sunnyside.
DWane4U it might’ve been Baruir’s Coffee. That place is also a small shop with tons of exotic stuff, including chocolates I believe. Try it. Good luck!
The new Bliss 46 is excellent! Very friendly staff and excellent food. I hope they make it.
My wife and I ate at the new Bliss 46 Bistro and had an awesome meal and paid a very fair price. It was delicious!
As for Tapenade, I catch the bus into Manhattan near there and have never gotten a good vibe from it and when there are people working on it ( and people standing watching the others work on it) I have only seen snarls on their faces. They weren’t very welcoming. I may try it, but am skeptical.
On another note, my wife was walking along the Boulevard and stopped into a chocolate/candy shop, it had a little coffee bar and chocolate everywhere. Notedly, Jacques Torres chocolates. Well, she went looking for it again and couldn’t find it. Does anyone know where this store actually is? It is driving us nuts because we can’t find it.
Thanks!
I liked the old Bliss, I really like the new Bliss 46, and I will give this a shot.
Here’s hoping both these new French restaurants succeed as we can always use good small businesses here. Good luck to them.
TOURNESOL went there twice, and twice seen roaches, DISGUSTING! and I bet this place will be good in the begining and then will be a GRADE PENDING, its funny how owners care in the beginning, and then, care only, for making money and run a GRADE PENDING , place.
I also say good luck to Maruf!
My only concern is that the food at Bliss 46 tastes exactly the same as Bliss Bistro.
I hope Tepenade truly offers something new.
Last time I offered my best wishes to Maruf (who has always been kind to me) I was pretty much slammed on this thread because of his business with his previous landlord.
But again, that’s none of my business. Good luck to Maruf!
Mike Novak vents again! What happened is between Maruf and Dorothy. Hopefully, she will eventually be paid.
I’ll give it a shot for sure. Did enjoy the old Bliss Bistro.
Has anyone tried the new Bliss 46? I’ve heard good things but can’t find that many reviews.
@Debra: Did you learn to type at an “If yu cld rd ths school?”
Honestly, Mike Novak, I couldn’t care less. It doesnt bother me thta he alegedly disnt pau his bills – I’m nt the landlord. As long as the food’s good, wheres the problem?
If it is on the scale of excellence of TOURNESOL it will be very welcome.
It had better be excellent an novel or it will go under in a few months.
There have been comments here about un_french sounding names and a french bistro.
No need to worry here-chefs from former french colonies are masters of modern french cuisine and France has borrowed alot from the cuisines of Morocco,North Africa,Middle East incl Lebanon.
The postings of some people here on the rent situation should be ignored.
We simply don’t know the facts,only one side.
And there is something very fishy about this one side.
So,it would be appreciated if one individual refrained from speaking on behalf of “Our community…”
Our community will decide for ourselves.
Maruf is a liar and a deadbeat. He failed to pay rent for TEN MONTHS at Bliss on the corner of 46th and Skillman, yet he has the money and balls to open another restaurant in Sunnyside???? I guess the money he saved passing bad checks to the landlord added up!!! Our community does NOT need, OR WANT, people like him.
Great job of reporting a brand new eatery in our town… plus the new massage business next door as well…
Our lovely town seems to be on the verge of many new business opening early spring for a nice walk in our town…
99cent pizza should be ready soon on 49st off skillman ave.. but I am sure this site has it covered…
It is the 1010 news of Sunnyside… if it is happening in sunnyside then it is on the SunnysdePost site