Restaurant Review: Bliss Bistro, Sunnyside, Queens, New York

Situated on a quiet corner in sleepy Sunnyside, Queens, Bliss Bistro looks like the type of restaurant that every neighborhood should have - a warm, inviting space with a spacious bar and a lovely backyard garden area. Bliss Bistro opened in 2004 as "Bliss," then a New American restaurant, but it changed hands about a year ago. The new owner changed the name to Bliss Bistro and the menu to classic French bistro fare, making Bliss Bistro the only French restaurant in Sunnyside.

I had been to the original Bliss a few times and was never all that impressed with the food, so I stopped going after it had been in business for about a year. A few months ago, a neighborhood friend told me that the ownership had changed and that the food at Bliss Bistro was vastly better than at the original Bliss, so I decided to give it a shot. I went with a group of friends and had the opportunity to try a number of dishes.

Unfortunately, Bliss Bistro was even less impressive than its predecessor. I sampled a tasteless burger, undercooked frites, overcooked filet of sole and two different cuts of steak, both of which were tough and dry. Even the salads were terrible, with bland, watery dressings. Bottled dressing from the supermarket would have been a 100% improvement! The bread, normally a hallmark of French cuisine, was nothing more than a soft Italian sesame roll - and given its staleness, it was probably a leftover from the local pizza joint. The only dish that showed any promise as all was a mushroom ravioli appetizer special - it was over-sauced, but tasty. Service was polite but almost painfully slow - and the restaurant was nearly empty.

With food this mediocre, I was almost offended by the prices. While $20 is a perfectly acceptable price to pay for a steak (by NYC standards), it must at least be edible - otherwise, one might as well go to Outback! Although Bliss Bistro is the only restaurant of its kind in Sunnyside, there are many, many similar restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan serving better food at the same price point, so unless I MUST eat French food in Sunnyside for some reason, I will look elsewhere. I understand that the food at Bliss Bistro isn't supposed to be haute cuisine, but if they want to develop a local following, they need to pay a lot more attention to both their preparations and the quality of their ingredients.

Address: 45-20 Skillman Ave, corner of 46^th St.
Phone: 718-729-0778
Hours: M-F 5-11pm, S-S 11am-11pm
Price Range: appetizers $5-9, entrees $12-22