Thyme Matters

Most restaurants know that presentation is everything, and, last evening, I was quite impressed by the "presentation" given by Thyme Matters, a restaurant located on the westside of El Paso. From the folded napkins - an art in and of itself - to the hot tea set, Thyme Matters knows how to please the customer's eye. Even the entrees were presented artistically; the food provided all the colors of an artist's palette and was arranged on lovely, modern place settings.

An equally important consideration in a restaurant is ambience, and I found that Thyme Matters had a lovely one. The music provided a nice background. It seemed like a quieter and classier version of house music. The music also was set at the perfect sound level; I could easily converse with my friends. The restaurant had a wonderful design - a lot of open space created by the high ceiling and second-story loft area. The restaurant also featured an outdoor patio, which would have been tempting if it hadn't been windy yesterday. The artistic pieces in the restaurant were what I call "muted contemporary" and placed in strategic places to heighten the space's effect.

Of course, even with ambience and presentation, no restaurant is complete without a good menu. Thyme Matters did not disappoint. I ordered the eggplant parmesan, which came with a side salad. It was very palatable, but what I enjoyed most was trying my friend's tilapia. I'm not that fond of seafood, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fish. It had a wonderful flavor due to the chipotle spices, and it was very tender. I think the next time I visit Thyme Matters, I may have to order it.