Thyme Cafe and Market

A wonderful new cafe and market has opened on Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica. It's called Thyme Cafe (www.thymecafeandmarket.com). It's a neighborhood kind of place, with wooden tables, flowers everywhere, food displayed beautifully in cases, and sweets to die for just out of reach. We were there for an early dinner, as they close at 7pm, and many single men and women came in to pick up dinner. Also, many singles were eating in the cafe, most seem to like the community table.

Thyme Cafe is open from 7am-7pm. The food is healthy, creative and abundant. The chalkboard lists the soups, salads and sandwiches for the day, plus a printed menu tells you the standard items. I had a three salad medley. I picked from the 10 or so prepared salads in the case, which was already a difficult decision. I had roasted beets (yellow and red)with goat cheese with just a little olive oil. Fresh and delicious. I also had curried lentils that I devoured. My favorite salad was a roasted butternut squash with bacon, walnuts, dried cranberries, and cheese. That was fantastic. One of the best salads I've ever had. My mom had a thick ham and cheese sandwich on rustic bread and a bowl of homemade soup. We were too full for dessert.

Desserts looked exquisite from lemon bars and brownies, to carrot cake, chocolate ganache cake, to mini cupcakes which vary from day to day.

The breakfast menu is short but full of flavor. Scones, coffee cake, croissants, homemade granola with yogurt and fruit, challah French toast, BLT egg sandwich, and banana pancakes are what they offer. The rest of the menu for lunch or dinner is many salads, like curried chicken salad, greek salad and chinese chicken salad, and lots of sandwiches such as cuban pork, grilled cheese, turkey meatloaf and steak sandwich.

If you're ever in the Santa Monica neighborhood, Thyme Cafe is a great spot to stop for a light meal or just to pick up some great food to take home. I wish there were more places like this. I might never cook again!! (just kidding, I love to cook)