Thyme Cafe & Market opens Tuesday in Santa Monica

[Update 3:01 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly listed Thyme's phone number. The correct phone number is (310) 399-8808.]

On Tuesday, Maire Byrne takes the paper off the windows and officially steps up from caterer to restaurateur with the opening of Thyme Cafe & Market in Santa Monica. Inspired by Clementine in Century City and New York's Dean & DeLuca, Byrne, who has done stints at Aqua in San Francisco and Chez Panisse in Berkeley, says she wanted to create a casual, seasonally focused (though not strictly organic) eatery.

Housed in the former Talking Stick location on Ocean Park, Thyme's menu includes a Provençal tomato tart, salmon salad, potatoes au gratin with fennel, chocolate croissants, meatloaf sandwich and desserts such as cupcakes, cookies, bars, scones and more. The breakfast fare includes homemade granola and yogurt, a BLT egg sandwich and challah French toast. Almost everything on the menu is less than $9.

For the first two to three weeks, Thyme will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. After that, they'll gear up for their full hours, open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thyme Cafe & Market: 1630 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 399-8808, www.thymecafeandmarket.com.

[Pictures after the jump]