New deal

Thyme's Square chef Gary Killian decides
bigger is better

by Margaret LeRoux

Thyme's Square on Hudson 455 Pleasant Street Worcester 791-6102 Hours Lunch Tues.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner Tues.-Sat. 5 p.m.-closing Major credit cards Full bar Handicap accessible

Tampering with a menu can be risky, especially when a restaurant's reputation has been built on creativity. But Gary Killeen, chef/owner of Thyme's Square on Hudson, is a risk-taker. For the past five years, he's produced a different menu almost every week; now the focus is on grilled meats, seafood, pasta -- and volume. Prices may not be any lower on the new menu, but the size of the portions has certainly increased. Fans of his flashy entrees can still find them on a shorter, separate, specials menu.

Besides a new menu, there's also a bit more room in the main dining area. The bar, which dominates the right side of the restaurant, has been moved back, giving more space to customers. Now the wait staff no longer has to dance between customers seated on the bar stools to deliver plates to tables.

Some friends and I visited Thyme's Square on a recent Friday night. We were relieved that the changes in decor were subtle; Thyme's Square's decor with its high ceilings, white walls, and, especially, the cloud-painted skylight is one of our favorites.

We honed in on an old favorite for a shared appetizer, a Thyme's Square classic modestly named flat bread dips ($5.95). What you get are two large plates, one with two generous mounds: a silky dip of grilled eggplant and a rustic mixture of puréed white beans and roasted garlic. Another plate held wedges of hot, grilled pita bread for dipping; they disappeared in short order.

We passed on soups and separate salads, as our main courses included vegetables and potatoes. Plus, there's the basket of crispy, hot, sour-dough rolls that could fill you up before the main course ever arrives. We've made that mistake before; now we can take these delicious rolls home -- a baker's dozen for $5.

The new menu offers a pasta and sauce section for a very reasonable $8.95. Choose from linguine, fettuccine, tortellini, or penne and from a variety of sauces such as Alfredo; pesto; fresh tomato and garlic; Mediterranean -- fresh oregano, white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives and feta cheese -- caramelized onion and bacon with fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, and sherry; and Southwestern with cilantro, garlic, cumin, tomatoes, roasted peppers, black beans with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

New specialties include paella, both chicken ($11.95) and seafood ($15.95), and a sauté of red potatoes with vegetables, garlic, and herbs ($10.95).

Seafood, served grilled, blackened, oven roasted with fresh herbs, or pan seared, includes center-cut swordfish ($16.95), Atlantic salmon ($14.95), and haddock ($15.95). You can choose from several sauces: Romesco, a mixture of ground hazelnuts, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and garlic purée; lemon basil butter; sun-dried tomato; orange and herb; roasted red pepper aioli; pesto; and roasted tomato.

The new grill selections -- wood grilled or blackened -- include sirloin steak ($14.95) and ribeye steak ($15.95); beef tenderloin ($15.95); two boneless pork chops ($11.95); and mixed grill ($18.95) with beef tenderloin, barbecue loin of pork, and grilled chicken breast.

One in our group ordered seafood paella -- enough for us to sample -- creamy risotto with scallops, shrimp, grilled portabello mushrooms, eggplant, roasted peppers, and smoky sausage combined in a complex mixture of flavors that were smoky, sweet, and hot all at the same time. I really liked the richness of this dish.

In comparison, the oven- roasted haddock I had was understated; a light herb seasoning enhanced the simple, fresh fish. I chose the rich, Romesco sauce as a topping; what a good contrast. A fan of thinly sliced sweet potatoes, flash fried, was a colorful and delicious addition to the plate, as was a julienne mixture of zucchini, carrots, and summer squash.

The third member of our group chose a New York sirloin, blackened -- very tasty. And the most adventurous eater among us went for one of the night's specials: mixed bones. The size of the lamb, veal, and beef shanks was impressive.

"Here's the Fred Flintstone meal," our waitress quipped as she hoisted the plate from the tray. Far from being overwhelmed with the size, my friend dug in and was delighted with the tenderness of the roasted meats. A mound of mashed sweet potatoes was good too.

Most of us sampled from the wine by the glass selections. I especially liked my choice, a creamy Lolonis chardonnay ($5.95). The paella fan was satisfied with Hedges fume-chardonnay ($4.00). And Blackstone merlot ($5.50) was a great complement to the bones.

Dessert, after such big meals, was debatable. But my sweet tooth won, and we shared a Bavarian apple torte ($4.95), thin and still-crunchy slices of apple layered over a custard filling on a crispy pastry crust. The bill for four satisfied diners was $109, not including tip.