Thyme Café
1540 N. Milwaukee

The Basics
Where you’ll find it: 1540 N. Milwaukee. Just south of North Avenue, in the heart of Wicker Park. (773) 227-1400.

When it’s open: 5:30 p.m-10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday; Sunday brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed Monday.

Reservations: We made reservations on a Saturday evening but decided not to mention them as, at 7 p.m., there were only two other couples in the restaurant. We dined there for over two hours and only two more people arrived to eat after us.

What you’ve heard: We hadn’t heard much about this place, but decided to go because we liked the original Thyme (now Timo) downtown.

Visual Aids
First impressions: With exposed brick walls and simple tables ending in a bar, the décor was typical of a Chicago restaurant, with a few added touches like the earth tones of the French countryside and a hall of mirrors on one wall, a la Versailles. ... There was a large cluster of artwork near the doorway, and oddly, a sculptural belly of a pregnant woman near the bar. Interior décor style: Frenchicago Fertility. ... The best location to sit would be the window spot to people watch; however, another couple had already claimed it.

The atmosphere: Of the six other diners we witnessed at Thyme Café, we got a general 20s and 30s vibe of the local neighborhood mix. ... It sounds like Sunday is the day to visit Thyme Café, as they have Brazilian jazz and a buffet.

The Experience
At your service: Although we all live within a few miles of the restaurant, we (Kristin and Michelle) dealt with this review assignment by assuming the identities of tourists from Peoria and Decatur, intent on taking pictures of everything at Thyme Cafe. ... Our waiter was quite friendly and very casual. He giggled when he recited, “soup du jour, of the day.” He expressed repeated concern that everything be camera-ready, as we snapped away our pictures for this article. These shots are going to look great in our scrapbooks in Decatur! ... We had to wonder why another table was served dinner rolls and we were not; possibly a policy against rolls for out-of-towners?

Get your drink on: Thyme Café has a limited wine list, and every bottle is only $25. They also have a full bar, but with such value in the wines, we didn’t even check out their specials (and completely forgot to try ordering a kir royale!). ... We decided on some La Vielle Ferme syrah, which was very good.

Menu variety and prices: You have to love the French and their prix fixe menus. At Thyme Café, you can get a three-course meal with appetizer, main course and dessert for $25.

Description of what you did decide on: The beet salad was tasty and nicely put together. The tilapia main course was just okay, but definitely not memorable. Cranberry apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream for dessert was also just okay. ... The Rabbit Ragout appetizer was decent and contained some fun bursts of sweet-dried fruit, though there were a few too many bones in mine. The duck main course was absolutely delicious, with a creative apple sauce and sweet sauce accompanied by spinach. My mouth still waters thinking of it. Chef’s special dessert was a chai tea crème brulee, which was blah. I ate about two bites of it (not a good sign for me since the movie “Amelie” made me decide that cracking crème brule topping was also one of my favorite activities). ... I selected the Rabbit Ragout; it was decent, and luckily I did not find bones like Michelle did. The “chef’s special” was a spinach ravioli. Although it was grayish in color, it was excellent. Definitely better than some of the ravioli I’ve had elsewhere (in Peoria). For dessert, I chose the cheese plate. The selection was good, but I wished I would have ordered something sweeter. ... The only thing that stopped me from being thoroughly underwhelmed was the price (I mean, it takes a certain snob to complain about three well-portioned courses for $25). The salad of fennel and pear was heavy on the olive oil, yet light on flavor. The second course of grilled, farm-raised salmon with fennel, leeks and basil oil was bland and uneventful. The apple and dried cherry crisp with caramel, cinnamon and vanilla ice cream at least made me forget how average the previous two courses were. What can you expect for $25?

Something that caught your eye: Wow — this place is empty for a Saturday night! This always initially gives a relieved, followed by a suspicious feeling. You know you will get a seat, at least for now, but do you want to take it and risk loving said restaurant if no one is here and it may be closed in two months? ... Most things at Thyme Café listed as a “chef’s special” are grey in color. We would like to suggest food coloring.

What you’ll tell your friends: Overall, we thought the Thyme Café had great potential.  Though we didn’t necessarily love all the food, we loved the value of the prix fixe menu and the casual atmosphere. If nothing else, we would suggest Thyme Café as a place to get a seat on a Saturday night if you don’t want to wait an hour for a table at other Wicker Park restaurants.

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