Thyme Out Cafe and Bistro

Could not get service after being seated. Finally just had to leave and go to Sherlock's down the street.
Dec 13th, 2001

Food was mediocre at best. Lobster bisque came out at near room temperature. The reuben was tasteless, other than the overpowering (and improper) wheat bread. The pasta salad was quite good, though. The service made you feel like you were in a horror movie where your car broke down in a small town; unless you know the owner, you're just money to them. The atmosphere is hard to beat. Very quaint century-old home. The only complaint here is the noise level. There aren't many seats, but it only takes a few people for it to become noisy enough to have to yell. The value is just not there. It's a bit above-average price-wise, but the food is nowhere near average to justify it. They also need to get their prices straight. It depends where you look in the restaurant for the price of a beer. Overall, I can appreciate what they are going for: a small town, customer/food-oriented establishment in the middle of suburbia. However, they've done everything wrong except for the building. Don't waste your money.
Oct 22nd, 1999

I love the IDEA of Thyme Out Cafe. I have lived in the area for over 15 years and have always wanted a good neighborhood restaurant. I have had several good experiences at this restaurant, but none recently. I took the entire family there for lunch on a recent Saturday afternoon. When we arrived at the door, we were turned away by the manager who said the had no food becuase they were "slammed" the night before. There were no outside signs to indicate they were closed. I can't imagine running a restaurant that closes at random and expect customers to guess when you are open. I understand that things happen, but if I ran out of food at my restaurant on Friday night you better believe I will be up bright and early Saturday to restock. A few days ago I took the family back. It was a hot Sunday and the kids were starving. When we arrived we were greeted by a young female server who didn't seem at all happy to be there. She informed us that the menu is limited to pizza and appetizers on Sunday. This was new to me and a little odd for a restaurant. Since it was hot, we decided to stay to avoid packing the kids back in the car. We needed a table for 5, but were given a table for 4. My wife found a chair at another table and pulled it over since the server never offered or explained. We were the only customers, so Im not sure why a larger table was not offered. After looking at the menu we agreed on the family pizza meal since none of the appetizers met with the approval of the kids or adults. It includes 2 pizzas, salad, and garlic bread. As we have done several times in the past, we ordered one pizza with just mozzarella cheese and the other with the combination of cheeses that is standard. On the menu it specifically states you can get a pizza with only mozzarella cheese insted of the combination. My daughter then odered a Sierra Mist to drink. The server returned and informed us that they were out of Sierra Mist. After finding an alternative drink, we grabbbed some coloring books for the kids from the stock they keep on hand (this is a plus). After sitting for 15 minutes, the server came back out and told us they could only do a combination of cheeses. I informed her that we had done this in the past. She said she would check again. She returned and said she contacted the manager and that they only had the combination. I wanted to show her the menu where it was specifically printed that you could order your pizza with "Mozzarella only", but felt it was not worth continuing the conversation. She didnt seem to care much about our disappointment and this left little on the menu for us to eat. We cancelled our order (not that anything we ordered was even cooking yet) and left. She did comp the drinks. Often you can see employees in the parking lot smoking when you arrive and one of the tables is usually occupied with a laptop computer and papers related to the business I assume. In my opinion, either of these makes the restaurant look less than professional. In summary, if you hit the restaurant when they have food and have the correct server, you will walk away with a good meal and good atmosphere. I'm not saying I won't go back and give it another try. The food is fresh and has good flavor. I love the idea of a laid back neighborhood restaurant in Cottleville. With some improvements to the service and better consistency this could be the place.
May 4th, 1978