John Driscoll

Review of "Bar à Thym..."

Nice location, great ambience, accomodating staff ...

Nice location, great ambience, accomodating staff and excellent food ... BUT my 5 star rating is really for providing great affordable fare. This was my first time to visit and was the selection of my guest, who got to choose the place having won our annual football bet. I arrived 20 minutes early and found we had no reservation but they seated me at a nice table and served me until my guest arrived late. Fortunately my guest is a health nut and does not drink. The best deal was the 3 course lunch set menu at $38. Good variety of entree, main dish and dessert plus you can opt for specialty dishes (lamb, octopus salad) at nominal markups. I suspected the place was a bit to posh for me and would make a major dent in my wallet. Two attractive French ladies arrived early and sat at the next table chatting in the native tongue. When I heard them order bouliabaisse ... one of my all-time favorite dishes, if it prepared well. We both ordered specials ... mine was salmon tartare entree with seabream fish ... exquisite, perfectly prepared and well-presented. The only possible criticism is the staff got a bit overwhelmed ... the place got packed (and we got in without a reservation) and was a little slow to take the order. But it was served quickly and it put us both in a great mood. I sneaked a peak at the wine list. Choice wines but a little outside my budget. The well-heeled should love this place, but I was very grateful to have an outstanding lunch for under $100. When I hit the jackpot I will come back and do it right.