Winston Haddaway is a native of Trinidad who spent much of his adult life in London, he said. He owned a gastropub there for about a decade before moving to the United States. Now a local resident, he said he’s been searching for a space to open a restaurant in the area. A space at 496 Hamilton Ave. fell into his lap after Thai restaurant Siam Orchid closed in October.
Thyme soft opened last month and is only serving lunch as the restaurant gets settled.
Haddaway describes Thyme as a "fresh to table" concept that serves a slightly different menu each day based on what’s available locally and seasonally. This week, for example, he’s serving a lentil and chicken soup with watercress; linguine with green beans, parsley and crumbled feta; roasted pork sliders with sautéed mushrooms and cabbage; a bacon and asparagus tart; and an endive salad with roasted beets and goat cheese.
"I try to keep it simple, small and creative as much as I can, again, based on what’s available in the market," Haddaway said.
A sample menu on the restaurant’s website includes soups and starters (all $7.50-$8.50) like pea and ham soup; butternut-squash soup with kale and thyme; chicken and sweet-corn soup with root vegetables; an asparagus tart; salad with smoked salmon, endives and feta cheese; and the linguine pasta.
Mains ($9-$9.50) include a penne pasta with melted leeks and sautéed mushrooms; a BLT; the roast-pork sliders; and mini lamb burgers with garlic-mushrooms and sautéed onions.
Dessert (all $7) comes in the form of bread pudding, a cinnamon-custard tart with caramelized apple and cream and warm goat cheese served with honey, dried apricots and pine nuts.
Thyme is only every day except Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. They’re aiming to start dinner service, as well as more beer and wine options, sometime early in the new year.
