Ottawa Foodies

6

I was quite disappointed with Thyme & Again. I dropped in for lunch and ordered two servings of the filet mignon with sesame sauce and a side for each: parsnips and carrots and basmati rice. It took approximately 15 minutes while I waited at the counter for the waitress to retrieve the filet, sauce and side from the fridge, plate it, and warm it up in the microwave (yup you heard right !). The staff as a whole was very slow. It was almost like they were walking in quick sand. Painful to watch. By the time I paid for it and took it to my table (which took another 2 minutes) the meat was ice cold. It was nearly raw in the middle, and one of the two portions was at least 1/3rd gristle and fat. To add insult to injury the standard issue knife they provided was very dull and we both ended up having to basically saw back and forth around 10 strokes to cut through each piece of the meat. I asked the waitress for a sharper type of knife and watched as she asked several of the staff. In a few cases they reached for butcher knives and laughed at her, in others they merely shrugged their shoulders. Alas they were not able to come up with a proper knife and we were left to struggle with our dull utensils after receiving a "sorry that's all we have". The espresso was also disappointed. They need to invest in a proper espresso machine (see coffeegeek.com for reviews/blogs, etc.). It had no crema and was burned, resulting in a strong, bitter taste. All in lunch with the espresso including a soup came to $53.00. I don't mind paying those sorts of rates but in this case Thyme & Again fell staggeringly short. I will not return.

Went here for the first time yesterday, after having tried their appetizers at the NAC Food and Wine show 2 years ago. Tried their white chocolate cranberry scones, which were super moist!! I always find scones dry, but this one was great! Also had the peanut butter square, which the first few bites were delectable, but then it started to get too rich and too sweet. They give a huge piece; I think I would have been happy with just a quarter of it. My husband had the cappuccino brownie, which was pretty good but I’ve had better brownies. We also had the pecan cranberry tart, which after eating realized I prefer good old fashioned pecan pie/tart. Adding cranberries didn’t impress me. Lastly, we had the almond croissant, which was quite nice. The filling was more custard-like than baked frangipan, so it was very moist. I am planning on going back to try some of their savory foods next time. The place was packed, as well as upstairs and all the lunch items looked delicious!

2

Needed something to eat for supper after a long arduous day at work and did not feel like the usual take out (pizza, thai, indian) so decided to drop by here (they are open until 8pm).

Opted for a grilled beef dish and bacon wrapped scallops. It was not made clear but I think you get to choose a side with each main. We picked the lemon poppy seed spaetzle. It was assumed that this was the chosen side for both mains which was OK but I would have preferred to have been prompted to get a veggie side too.

Heated the beef in the oven and the scallops and spatzle in the microwave. The meal was surprisingly delicious for something that has been half cooked and sitting in a refrigerator. Beef was perfectly tender and not overdone. The scallops also not overcooked. My favourite though was the spatzle which was very flavourful - in the end I was glad we had two servings!

Total was $33 – a great deal for quality take out.

Their weekly take out menu is posted on their web site.

2

Stopped by this morning for a cheddar-chive scone and coffee on my way to work. The coffee was very good, and the scone was tasty.

However its texture was like neither a scone or tea biscuit, not at all flaky, and the dough wasn't layered like other scones and biscuits I've had. The white-chocolate cranberry scone is closer to traditional scones in its texture.

It was still very good, and I'd order it again, but it's much closer to a bun than a scone.

Stopped in for scones and hot drinks. The place was busy, but we managed to find a seat downstairs at the windows, which was a nice spot to settle with a view of the street outside. The place is really bright inside with all the light coming in.. this is good.

We shared 2 scones: one was cheddar/chive, the other cranberry/white chocolate. Both were perfect.. fresh, flavourful, and went perfectly with our coffee/hot chocolate. I can't comment on the coffee, but the hot chocolate was good-- the marshmallows were a nice touch.

I love their white chocolate-cranberry scones. Those and the lemon poppyseed ones they sell are the best scones I've had in Ottawa.

I was never a big fan of the customer service at T&A, but this last time I went, I was very impressed. I had bought a bag of six frozen scones to make at home. I made them, but only two baked properly and were as good as, maybe even better than the ones I bought baked in the store. The other four did not rise, hockey pucks, duds.

A week later, I go back to T&A, I was worried I might get attitude, but I took the chance. The lady behind the counter gladly agreed to reimburse me or replace the scones. When I said I'd stay in line to pay for the difference (after all, two of the six scones were good), she said 'nah, don't worry about it, sorry for the trouble.'

Top-notch!

Anyway, I hope this time it works. I might just opt for my friend's more sophisticated modern oven to make sure all bake well.

I was at Thyme & Again this morning and saw that they carry Art-Is-In Bread now on Monday's-which is great!!!!

On a side note, I also saw that they carry Gluten Free bread (I Think it's multigrain)- I believe Thyme & Again bakes it on site.
They seem to be coming out with more and more Gluten Free items, especially in the baked good section. Most baked goods that are gluten free don't really taste good- but I have a friend who is Celiac and loves every gluten free item that comes out of Thyme & Again- never a bad experience!

Wonderful catering. I have had T & A several times at parties and functions. The orzo salad is phenomenal! Their gourmet sandwiches are pleasant on the palate and jam packed to balance out the yummy breads & buns they are on. Well done!

I was just at Thyme & Again yesterday and wanted to mention that there is a photography gallery upstairs. It is called Exposure Gallery. What a great way to utilize the space! I am not sure but, you may be able to use the space for a party, gathering, etc... very clever of them.

1

They still have them and they're still amazing! Wifey picks one up for me any time she visits the store. And this time I even managed to snap a photo before we ate it all! :-)

They have some killer chocolate peanut butter squares here. If you love peanut butter they are one of the best things you'll ever eat!

I bought a flourless chocolate cake from Thyme and Again to bring to a friend's house for an after-dinner dessert. It was beautiful, and we couldn't resist taking a bite before dinner. The next thing we knew, the flow of the meal had been shuffled around with the cake in its entirety becoming the appetizer. It was spectacular: dense and rich and perfectly melting in the mouth, and the flavour was intensely chocolatey. This is probably the best cake I've had in years.

1

Excellent roast beef sandwich on a nice soft, kaiser with carraway seeds I believe. Great fruity relish (apples and nutmeg I think), spicy and sweet, a little mayo, very fresh cole slaw, and the best pickle wedge I've had in a very long time. So crunchy and fresh. Serving the pickle in a little plastic sleeve is a nice touch.

The white-chocolate/cranberry scone was as excellent as always, as was the coffee to round out a perfect lunch on a sunny Wednesday.

The muffins are moist and not too sweet. I had a strawberry bran and cranberry oatmeal; both delicious!

I find baked goods at T&A are hit and miss but the lemon cheesecake is one of the best I've had (other than my mom-in-law's amazing cheesecake). Normally I stick to plain cheesecakes with just some fresh fruit and whipping cream on top and stay away from the "flavoured" cheesecakes, but the lemon curd on top of this cheesecake really works.

Not everything at Thyme And Again is exceptional, but the things they do right they do very, very right. Shortbread Cookies are one of those things! Wifey and I agree that these plain-looking round cookies are probably the best shortbread in town.

There's a small rack of loaves and baguettes (Baguette) from Art-Is-In Bakery (Art-is-in Bakery) tucked away behind the cashier.