Fresh Thymes Cafe in Wilmington

Mediterranean wrap and the "Best Ever Grilled Cheese" from Fresh Thymes Café. (Credit: Jessica Bratton)

Neighborhood spots are some of my favorite places to eat. They don't have to be fancy, they just have to give me food that tastes good, in a place where I feel like I can sit back and relax.

Fresh Thymes has transformed a corner spot where another cafe once stood into one of those welcoming neighborhood spots.

The walls are bright shades of purple, orange and green, the chairs on the tables each have different fabric on the seats, with the exception of the '50s style table with turquoise chairs in the middle of the room. A big window looks out onto Lovering Avenue, and lets the natural light shine in on menus printed on index cards in a small photo album.

We couldn't wait for our entrees to try their hummus, so we asked our waiterss, Jennifer Adams, if it would be possible to get a dish of it to nosh on while we waited. As it turns out, Jennifer owns the cafe with her mom, and hummus was soon on the way. It was thick, the kind that's obviously homemade and requires a dipping vessel with some substance. Bits of red pepper and carrot dotted the chickpea blend, and added an extra dimension of fresh flavor.

Their focus is on fresh, organic, local ingredients in all of their dishes. The Back Home Again Bison Burger ($10) is made with locally sourced bison. The ground bison patty came on a wheat bun, with your choice of cheeses. It had a rich, meaty and slightly gamey flavor, which should please lovers of game. My only qualm is the bun. Though it was wheat and therefore healthy, I would have preferred to take my chances with refined white flour and have a nice, soft kaiser.

Buffalo also made an appearance in two hot dogs on the menu, a plain buffalo dog ($6) and the We Love The Chicago Cubs Buffalo Dog ($8). The Chicago-inspired dog is topped with mustard, a special relish with pickled cauliflower, celery seed and the crowning glory of a Chicago dog, a wedge of dill pickle. The buffalo lends another dimension of flavor to the hot dog, but is not nearly as distinctive as the gamey flavor in the burger.

A vivid orange chilled carrot habanero soup ($3) was one of two soups of the day, part of a specials menu that changes daily. The chilled soup had the consistency of a dip, a pureed mixture that still had some texture through it. The flavors were vibrant and assertive -- ginger, carrot and then the subtly building heat of the habanero at the end.

Our resident vegetarian (who was already in a meat-free state of bliss thanks to the soup), followed it up with the Mediterranean Wrap ($7). A wheat wrap enclosed crispy field greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, feta and a light, cucumbery tzatziki sauce.

I wanted to order Pete's BBQ pulled chicken sandwich ($8), but though I was told the BBQ sauce was quite yummy, it is one of the few things they don't make in house. I was also tempted by what they attest is the Best Ever Grilled Cheese ($7), where Lancaster garlic and chive cheddar cheese and tomatoes sit between two slices of toasty sourdough bread.

Instead, I tried the Just for Paul Chicken Sandwich ($10). A huge piece of juicy organic chicken was absolutely smothered in a Lancaster cheddar cheese. Bits of red onion added bite and crunch, while the majority of the flavor came from a rosemary garlic aioli that slid into every nook and cranny of the sourdough bread.

Dessert was a cakey house-made organic brownie ($2), with a deep cocoa flavor that wasn't overly sweet and left all of us feeling that our entire lunch, even dessert, was healthy.

Insider tips: Sides

The tastiest part of our meal was the tabulleh salad that came alongside the sandwiches. Quinoa, a hearty grain, was dressed in tangy vinegar and mixed with chunks of fresh, crisp veggies. It was so good, we got some to go.

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