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By Kristine Bailey kob@iusb.edu
Small wonders are tucked all round campus. Finding them is part of the fun. One recent dreary afternoon, quite a few people found their way into Thyme of Grace.
This locally owned restaurant just opened on Mishawaka Avenue, right next door to a gas station and the Avenue Bicycle Station. As unlikely a location as it may be, once inside, patrons are transported to simple elegance and delicious food.
Filled with girlfriends enjoying a lunch out, couples having a lunch date, and IU South Bend's vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, Alfred Guillaume, the lunch rush was in full swing.
The tables are surrounded by an eclectic mix of wooden chairs and set with a variety of salt and pepper shakers. The plates, which don't necessarily match, are pretty and charming. What is on the plates is the best part.
The menu features sandwiches, soups, salads and specials. These include the tart or quiche of the day, and a chicken salad of the day. All run under $10, with soup and salad available for $6.50. The food comes out of the kitchen in the hands of owner and cook Michelle Lankford. She is full of smiles and obviously enjoys her work. Her daughter wanders the tables filling glasses and chatting with all the customers. The atmosphere is comfortable and friendly, and the food is delicious.
Although the restaurant just opened on Mishawaka Avenue, it has been around before. A couple entering the restaurant declared, "Oh, yes, we've eaten here before. We used to go when they were in Mishawaka over the antique store." It was their first trip to the new location, but it surely won't be their last.
One item that was generating lots of conversation was not on the menu.
"Have you seen the bathroom yet?" asked Lankford. "Come and see the bathrooms. They're my favorite." They are tiny, as if they were once a broom closet, but they are simply and elegantly designed. Surprisingly, they don't feel small once inside.
When asked if they will someday be open for breakfast, the owner declared, "I got in at 5 a.m. to get ready for lunch and for catering an event for Barnes and Thornburg. I can't add on anything else yet."
The food has been in demand in the area for a while. Now, it is available to the IU South Bend community. All it takes is a short walk and some cash or a check. No credit cards are accepted yet, but a table awaits all who enter for "upscale, eclectic dining."
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