Toluca Lake's New Resto and One Stop Shop: Olive & Thyme

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Local residents Melina and Christian Davies grew tired and frustrated with the lack of great food and gourmet markets in the area, hence Olive & Thyme was born. Part cafe, part market, Olive & Thyme brings a new seasonal breakfast, lunch, and dinner option to Toluca Lake. The wife and husband team have brought on Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections to help with recipe development, early in the morning look for breakfast panini, open-face breakfast sandwiches, and sweet and savory croissants. During the day and for lunch they will offer 15-18 salads (farro with roasted beets, raw kale salad) and veggie options behind refrigerated cases, in addition to sandwiches with both Middle Eastern (chicken on grilled pita with hummus) and Danish influences -- Melina is Armenian and Christian is Danish.

Dinner brings a bevy of comfort fare from lasagna to bacon mac and cheese to meatloaf, and yes, there's a beer and wine license secured. As far as alcohol, come by for a glass or grab a bottle to go, mostly organic and biodynamic selections from Italy and France. Beers are generally sourced from small local breweries, although there will be a Blue Moon on the list as well. Lastly, coffee hails from Intelligentsia, with baked goods and chocolates prepared by Valerie Confections.

As far as the marketplace, anticipate a refrigerated case with about 20 or so cheeses selected by Norbert Wabnig of The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, fresh baked bread, olive oil, vinegar, cutting boards, cookbooks, basically a one stop shop to organize a dinner party or scoop a last minute gift if you're on the way to a dinner party.

While the space is clearly still in plywood mode, the overall design aesthetic is farm house industrial built by Mozza architect Osvaldo Maiozzi. Once complete the eatery will offer 25 indoor seats, six counter bar seats, plus an additional 12 seats outside. If you live near by and don't have time to make it in or would rather not deal with traffic, Olive & Thyme will offer bicycle delivery. As it now stands, an opening is expected the first week of January.
·Olive & Thyme Resto and Gourmet Market Hits Toluca Lake [~ELA~]