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    Tourmaline

    4.6 (37 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Tourmaline Photos

    Business Info

    TOURMALINE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Tourmaline

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    Reviews With Photos

    Poached pear dessert
    Jeannie T.

    10 stars - Tourmaline is refined dining, in a very intimate dining room with a French countryside decor. The menu has French inspired dishes with a hint of fusion into other cuisines. In some featured dishes, you would not even think French at all but Chef Yvan delivers, regardless of cuisine. He deserves a Michelin Star or at the minimum, the Bib-Gourmand. As of this review, I've dined there three times already. And I was lucky to go when the menu changed from Summer to Autumn so I got to try both, as some dishes are seasonal. This particular review, I must tell you about their steel press duck experience. The duck entree is good for 3-4 people depending on appetite and it must be reserved one week in advance (+ deposit). Believe me, you will love it! It's literally the best duck I've ever had! (As my guests echoed the same sentiment as well). The fascinating process and the story behind the concept of this dish was what compelled us to return to try it. This meal was quite the experience. Not only do you get one on one time with the Chef, as he tells the story behind the concept of the dish, you get to watch first hand how the duck gets pressed and how the splendid sauce is made. All done table side on a portable cook top. This was worth the price tag because it's not just one dish, it's the prep before, during and in the serving of it all. Felt so much like an exclusive private dinner as he cooked and entertained us. The duck itself is quite large and the meal is paired with two side dishes (rice and veggies). The skin was glistening and wonderfully crisp (not oily). The meat was cooked to medium temp, absolute perfection. And gorgeous! The duck is served in three courses - first, a taste of the crispy skin by itself. Chef Yvan explains how he achieves this and the attention to every detail to make this a success. Second, the duck breast with the signature sauce - which you get to see how the Chef operates the press and presses every ounce of juice from the bones and the duck carcass. It's further reduced and a roux is made (with some added alcohol). Watch as Chef Yvan drizzles it onto your plate. And the third course, the rest of the duck (think the leg and thigh and other parts) gets plated and served in a stunning silver plated duck platter! The dome is the shape of a duck. This presentation was unlike any other. Past visits I've ordered the celery root Latkes, peach and burrata salad, the beet salad with amaranth and goat cheese, and an eggplant dish with quail egg served in a phyllo nest. Presentation is everything! The other notable entrees are the mushroom pasta with black truffle, the Montauk Cod en papier and the steak. Desserts were even more imaginative and unique - think Raspberry meringue, Panna Cotta and even an option of a cheese plate (which I tried, of course). I'm reliving each dining experience as I write this. You must make a reservation and get there before it gets even busier.

    Kitchen
    Marina C.

    It's a nice, elegant restaurant away from the main areas of Forest Hills...we walked over.. The restaurant was full of locals though the space wasn't too big. The chef can be seen working all night in the back in their open kitchen. The host was very nice, as well as our server. I did try a few cocktails but they weren't very strong. We also had sparkling water. We ordered lobster ravioli, the cod for me and L had the steak. The lobster ravioli was a bit overpriced since it's a really small amount but expected since it's lobster. I thought it was just okay. The cod was not salty ..its was a light and healthy dish. L liked his steak and all the accompaniments. Not a lot of meat since L is a big guy but we got a lil snack after the restaurant even though he wasn't really hungry. We also ordered dessert. It was delicious...The peach one was amazing. We'd return for that alone, it was so good. Don't expect big portions. Everything is light with quality ingredients. I should've ordered one of their salads.. We did enjoy our dinner and the atmosphere.

    Lamb lasagna
    Karen M.

    Had a couples night out and enjoyed a lovely meal in a candle-lit cozy environment with attentive service. The dishes are unique and you can't find anything similar in the area. The level of attention in preparation, technique and presentation is apparent as each dish is extraordinary. Will be back to try their specialty dry-aged duck (which requires pre-ordering).

    Butter and fresh veggies which came with the delicious warm bread
    Sharon B.

    Wow, a true fine dining restaurant in our neighborhood WORTH what they charge! Lately this feels very rare in forest hills. Tourmaline is beautiful, well lit, intimate, yet roomy. Staff and service were phenomenal- went out of their way to accommodate us (I had my 3 yr old son with us). And most importantly, food was really really good and so worth the price. Truffle pasta was delicious, chicken was tender with crispy skin, peach dessert was so good and you could see the fresh peaches in the open kitchen. 100% will be back - this is a place to be proud of!!

    Eggs in a nest appetizer
    Lu C.

    A rare French jewel in Forest Hills, everything was absolute perfection. From the butter presentation by the chef himself for the bread service, to the chocolate cocoa pod with the thinnest dark chocolate shell with airy and melt in your mouth chocolate mousse- the dining experience was totally memorable and will definitely be repeated in the near future.

    Chef Yvan preparing a special duck dinner (that requires advance booking and a week's preparation.)
    Herb C.

    Heidi and I had a wonderful experience at Tourmaline restaurant (on Metropolitan Ave) this evening. This is one of the best meals I have had ... ever. A true experience. Great food, attentive waitstaff, and really good people as owners. Rebecca and Yvan have exponentially upticked the Forest Hills dining experience. A+

    CELERY ROOT LATKES
 salmon rillettes, smoked salmon mousse, apple-celery salad, trout roe

    As good as I hoped! After reading the reviews, which set a very upscale expectation, I was pleased that by the end of my meal all my exceptions were met. The creativity of the menu, the presentation of each plate, the attentiveness of the staff, the thoughtful interior design, and of course the flavors, were all worth what turned out to be a very reasonable expense. When my wife and I left we were already talking about when we could return. I will not praise a specific plate since the menu does change. I suspect that whatever Tourmaline creates will be as delicious as the meal we experienced.

    bread basket
    Vincent L.

    My wife and I went to Tourmaline to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary and the food was impeccable and the service was magnificent. I highly recommend the bread basket from Balthazar as an appetizer. The warm bread comes with olive oil/butter and some delicious vegetables on the side. I also recommend the buratta and peach salad which was outstanding. The flavors were rich and tasty. I had the lamb lasagna which was very different with flavors of dill and extremely satisfying. My wife had the chicken over mashed potatoes which was fabulous. We had a delicious raspberry dessert with fresh raspberries and ice cream on the side. The presentation was awesome and all of the food was spectacular. I would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone!

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    3 months ago

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    Rebecca S.

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    Rebecca S.

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    Rebecca S.

    Jeannie thank you so much for these kind words! You made our day!

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    8 months ago

    I walked out hungry after we 2 appetizers and main course. The pernil was very small, just 2 strips

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    9 months ago

    Exceptional food with attention to detail. Great date spot. Very high end menu at a very reasonable price point.

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    Ask the Community - Tourmaline

    Is it easy to find a parking spot around restaurant?

    Hi, yes! It is typically easy to find parking in this neighborhood. Directly in front of the restaurant there is metered parking but across the street and on the side streets there is ample parking.

    Is it good for groups?

    Yes, Tourmaline is great for groups. Just be sure to make a reservation. And if your party is larger than 10, they have an event space as well.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Bloom Botanical Bistro - KRISPY BRUSSELS SWEET POTATO FRIES

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    4.2(203 reviews)
    0.1 miForest Hills
    $$

    This was my second time dining here, and I thoroughly enjoyed it once again…read more After enjoying a delicious meal paired with a fantastic all-jazz performance, I'm already looking forward to coming back. I ordered the short ribs and the five-onion soup again, and both were excellent. The service was spot-on and impressively quick--my food arrived in under 15 minutes. The owner is also really cool; he personally greets guests and makes a point of chatting with the performers to ensure they're comfortable. This is a wonderfully romantic spot. The beautiful flowers add such a nice touch (as I mentioned in my previous review). While it's not fully upscale, it has an elevated, sophisticated vibe that makes you want to dress up for the occasion. Highly recommended!

    Well, at least business was "Blooming" due to Mother's Day reservations…read more All jokes aside, I visited this restaurant yesterday for a Mother's Day brunch with a group of eight others. Our reservation had been confirmed the day before by both our host and the restaurant. When I arrived early, I was surprised to find the place jam-packed and clearly overcrowded. The front-of-house staff, along with the presumed owner, seemed overwhelmed and initially could not locate our 12:00 reservation. There were also guests with 11:30 and later reservations that were still waiting to be seated, along with several other groups scheduled around our time. After waiting nearly 50 minutes, talking with others who were also waiting, and watching two other tables be hastily set up and filled, we were finally seated. The table had been quickly wiped down and set with placemats, but it was missing silverware and several glasses. Most of this was resolved fairly quickly, though two people still never received glasses, with one person asking a few times for one. Our clearly overworked waitress brought us water and eventually took our order after a shorter additional wait. I ordered a $6 cappuccino, which was enjoyable, with a moderate amount of foam and a pleasantly bitter flavor without tasting over-roasted. However, another person's $4.50 iced coffee did not seem worth the price, as it appeared to be no more than a 12-ounce glass and was mostly filled with ice. Outside of coffee, the staff was understandably slow with water, with long waits, and we finally got a pitcher near the end of the meal. For my meal, I chose the $16 Poached Browns, which included two poached eggs, pulled pork, an English muffin, hollandaise sauce, and their Bloom hash. Many minutes later, and I mean many, the eggs were properly poached and were the highlight of the dish. The pulled pork, served without any additional sauce, was dry, and the small amount of hollandaise did little to help. The hash on the side lacked crispiness and vegetables, aside from what might have been a tiny piece of chopped yellow pepper. Overall, it was below average but passable. Two others ordered the Make Your Own Omelette for $19, which comes with a choice of three ingredients, the same hash, and bacon. They made two specific requests, both of which our waitress confirmed: first, that they did not want bacon, and second, that they could substitute fries for the hash--regular fries for one person and sweet potato fries for the other. Despite this, both plates arrived with bacon, as you can see in my first photo, where one of them transferred her bacon to my plate. The other person sent her plate back and ended up receiving her Mother's Day meal well after everyone else. The omelette also looked a bit more like a frittata, which I didn't mind. After waiting a while, including finally getting pitchers of water, we finally left after a long and annoying bunch. If this spot indeed had reservation issues, why on earth were they still allowing walk-ins? Why did they tell people it would take 15-20 minutes to seat when it would clearly take 30+? This entire experience was inept from beginning to end. The food this time is closer to a 2, but our experience as a whole was closer to a 1. I would never go back.

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    Dinerbar - Boozy Banana Split Shake with rum

    Dinerbar

    4.1(830 reviews)
    1.5 miRego Park, Forest Hills
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    So went to my friends office nearby and for lunch we ate at diner at. I haven't tried this place…read moreso it was a beautiful ambiance with the cherry blossoms. My friend and I both ordered the same chicken salads. It was actually pretty filling and too much for me so doggy bagged the rest. Service was super nice. They were attentive and helpful.

    My daughters 9th bday was coming up and she loves milkshakes so I started looking on yelp (of…read morecourse) and found this place which also has a bar #winningfortheparents lol We came on a saturday around 6:30-7 table do four was seated right away. We were also intrigued to try the sangria that yelp raved about. We got a pitcher! It did NOT disappoint. It was a decent size pitcher for the price. Roza came to us and asked if we liked it and told us it was her recipe. No sugar ,No soda .It was tasty, thick full of fruit and definitely had liquor because I left with a buzz She also brought out the rosè for us to try pretty good too very refreshing will definitely do that one in warmer weather. I got the Dbar burger it was good but so big I didn't finish it all. My husband got the rib eye burger. He liked it but it was a little to greasy for him he didn't finish it. My 13 year old wanted breakfast.It was not in the menu but we figured we ask since it is a diner. She got pancakes with fruit and scrambled eggs. My youngest daughter got from the kids menu grilled cheese with fruit she enjoyed it so much we had to order another. Both girls for the marshmallow milkshake they LOVED it! For appetizers we got calamari good but could've used a little more breading. Also got chips with guacamole and honestly for a diner it was delicious. Everyone was friendly. Roza knew she had a bday past since we conversed for a bit and suggested we can sing her happy bday and asked what she liked I told her chocolate cake. They asked for the correct spelling of her name which I thought was sweet. Anyway the staff came out and sang with us super cool. Even the bathrooms are really clean. It was a great experience will definitely come back.I must be honest it's a hit pricey.The price for the pancakes with eggs was $23 when we saw the bill I was a little surprised. Kids' meals are $13 and I thought we were getting the cake (free,lol) since I technically didn't suggest it. It was $12 for a slice. But overall it was a pleasure she even gave us a sample of vodka with lemon and ginger which was actually good and helps settle the stomach.

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    Bar area

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    Bareburger - Forest Hills

    Bareburger - Forest Hills

    3.8(985 reviews)
    0.7 miForest Hills
    $$

    It's been a few years since I last came to this location!…read more The food options have expanded, which is great, and there are now lunch promos for weekdays - I remember that was terminated a few years ago. We couldn't take advantage of that coz we went on a Saturday, but it's a great deal if you want to swing by on weekdays. Everything's fresh, and portions are good. Service was friendly and efficient. I think I'll come back and try the new options.

    First time trying Bareburger and, unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the burger. I liked the option…read moreof customizing a burger and adding as many veggies as you want. They definitely piled the veggies on, which I appreciated. However, the beef patty was not great texturally. There seemed to be an issue with consistency, three of us ordered the same burger cooked medium rare but our burgers were cooked with different levels of doneness. One was perfectly medium rare, one was very rare, and mine was in between with some parts that were rare. The rare parts felt (and looked) too much like raw ground beef, tasted mushy. It wasn't a big deal though because it was still edible. If I come back here, I would probably just order medium to be on the safe side. What actually ruined the patty for me was the chewy, rubbery gristle. The other burgers didn't have as much but mine had gristle in nearly every bite. Thankfully, the brioche bun and veggies kind of made up for the meat. The onion rings were really fried and super crunchy; they almost looked burnt. It was a little too fried for me but I still enjoyed it. The spicy barbecue sauce was really good and had a tiny kick. I preferred the spicy barbecue sauce to the garlic aioli. The aioli was too thick so I liked combining the two sauces. The fries were basic chain restaurant fries, crispy and fluffy. I would be happy with ordering either fries or onion rings again. However, I think the onions rings made the burger more enjoyable. Pretty big place with lots of seating. Quick and friendly service.

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    Bareburger - Forest Hills
    Bareburger - Forest Hills
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    The Queensboro - Drinks

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    4.2(425 reviews)
    3.8 miJackson Heights
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    We had an excellent family dinner including outstanding service from Alex. He brilliantly worked…read morewith our large, arriving-at-different-times group, offering fun conversation to the youngsters and counsel to the indecisive. The mafadine pasta was a good pick adorned with springy components like pea leaves and a compelling Parmesan vibe. Maybe I like vegetables more than I thought? The steelhead carpaccio special was a stunner. Based on my 1.5 bites of monkfish I'd also endorse that. This may be more of a "DVD extra" but when I originally looked up the QB many of the top-ranked items were breakfasts and some were p-zza (reverse SEO). Based only on lower-left menu placement I would say don't go that route and that specials are a good bet. Again this is only based on 1.5 bites but the eggplant parm special had great sauce. I'm undecided on the watermelon granita which wasn't all that watermelony but spicy dessert was different. I was surprised by how much I liked the edamame, since you can get that everywhere, but the Japanese 7-spice add an intriguing citrus kick.

    My husband chose The Queensboro to celebrate his birthday with a brunch alongside my grandparents,…read moreand it felt like a great chance to revisit a spot we'd previously enjoyed for lunch and dinner. Food: 3.5/5 We made it a point to try a range of brunch options. My grandfather ordered the sweet potato and chorizo hash, I went with the two-egg combo with pork sausage (eggs over easy), and my husband chose the Moroccan eggs. Overall, the food was good and flavorful, especially if you enjoy dishes with a bit more nuance and influence from Spanish or Mexican flavors. That said, as someone who leans more toward classic American diner-style brunch, it didn't fully hit that nostalgic spot for me. It's not that anything was bad--it just wasn't the most memorable brunch I've had. Still, it was nice to explore a different side of their menu beyond the burgers, fries, and pasta we'd tried before. Service: 4/5 The staff were genuinely kind and welcoming, which made the experience pleasant. However, they do rely on a QR code-style menu, which can be a bit of a learning curve--especially for those who prefer a more traditional ordering experience. During the brunch rush, things definitely got busy and a bit overwhelmed, so service slowed down slightly. One tip: if you already know what you want, it's best to order everything upfront to avoid delays. Vibe: 3.5/5 Like many New York spots, space is tight. Even as a party of four, we were seated at a small square table, which could be challenging if you have strollers or extra belongings. That said, the space still feels cozy and neighborhood-friendly--great for a casual brunch, just not the most spacious. All in all, It's a solid neighborhood brunch spot with interesting, flavor-forward dishes and kind service. I wouldn't call it my top brunch destination, but I'd come back if I were in the area--especially if I was craving something a little different from the usual diner fare.

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    Tourmaline - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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