The mural on the front of chef and owner Mike Smith’s Westlake restaurant reads “Good things take Thyme.” Opening just before the pandemic will give you that kind of patience.
In 2020, we named Thyme Table our Best New Restaurant. These days, lobster-topped tots ($14) offer a fun high-low appetizer, while the BBQ braised short ribs ($34) with creamy cheddar grits warmed me up on a January day. The seared lobster shrimp cakes ($27) arrived atop attractive jet-black noodles made from infused vegetable ash and a thick, tomato-based sauce.
Still, the craft cocktail menu from barkeep Eric Scott steals the show with drinks like the Earl Boss ($13), which uses oleo, a margarine made in house by soaking spiced orange peels in sugar and extracting their oils.
With time, Thyme Table has come into its own. thymextable.com
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