Ferguson locals flock to the Thyme Table Café for a breakfast that is both tasty and reasonably priced. Located on Florissant Road (midway between Interstates 70 and 270) in the Ferguson Citywalk, a business district with a downtown feel, Thyme Table’s casual atmosphere contributes to its appeal. There’s nothing fancy here, just a friendly place with good, inexpensive comfort food. And you’ll definitely want to save room for dessert.
Thyme Table has occupied this location (a former Hardee’s) for the past four years and has been a family-owned business for 23 years. According to Soraya Faramarzi, whose father, Farzad, owns Thyme Table, it began with her grandmother’s original tea room on Church Street. Her grandmother insisted on using fresh ingredients in her recipes, many of which are currently used to this day.
On Sundays, the brunch buffet is certainly nice for the price: It’s an all-you-can-eat feast for $8.95. Fresh melon, pineapple, grapes and strawberries are arranged on one platter; pastries, tea breads and muffins on another. Scrambled eggs – both a plain and, my preference, a tastier version with onion, green pepper and tomato – were well-prepared and hot.
There’s a full line of breakfast meats: semicrispy bacon, sausage (links and patties) and ham. Pan fries are simply seasoned but get a lot of flavor from being baked first, then fried. The French toast was sort of hit-and-miss with a few pieces suffering from sitting in the warmer for too long, but it had a nice hint of cinnamon. Pancakes with warm maple syrup and biscuits with peppery gravy rounded out the buffet offerings.
While the buffet is a good value, there’s plenty to order off the menu along with a featured quiche and omelet each week. The quiche crust was light and flaky and on one visit was generously filled with thick custard, spinach and a dash of nutmeg ($7.25).
Build your own omelet or order the special of the day. On my last visit, the special was tomato, cheese and mushroom. For fairly ordinary ingredients, the outcome was impressive. And it was huge. It arrived, a couple of inches thick, piping hot with melted Cheddar cheese oozing from the ends. Along with a side of fruit, pan fries and toast or biscuit, this is a meal that is satisfying and affordable ($5.50 for plain; $7.25 for the Thyme Table special).
Eggs Benedict ($7.25) was good, but there was an overabundance of thick sauce that didn’t taste homemade. And, if you’re in the mood for bacon and eggs, the restaurant has that, as well.
During the week, Thyme Table serves lunch including soups, salads and sandwiches. The soups are not your typical offerings. Consider the cabbage-herb bisque, which sounded unusual but elevated this cruciferous vegetable to new heights. The chicken noodle soup was pure comfort in a bowl.
The spinach salad was wonderful. Crisp and fresh, with tomato, bacon, mushrooms and a tangy poppy-seed dressing, it’s a salad that really is substantial. Sandwiches include a Philly cheesesteak ($6.50) with slices of roast beef piled into a hoagie roll, topped with smooth, melted Swiss cheese and sautéed onions.
Desserts are made in-house, and selections change daily. The moist and unusually light bread pudding garnered an inordinate number of oohs and ahhs as it was passed around the table. Don’t miss the rich and decadent hot fudge pie with its homemade crust and warm, gooey, brownie-like filling; if you’re full, order it to go. And I’m a sucker for a great pumpkin cheesecake, a daily special. Thyme Table’s is a less-dense, creamy version with the perfect balance of pumpkin pie spices.
Although the service was not always superattentive, it was exceptionally friendly and accommodating. I was impressed by our buser, who, though he was just a few days on the job, was above average.
With its cheerful, cozy and casual ambiance, Thyme Table is the perfect way to warm up a chilly Sunday.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2006.