Bayfield Wisconsin isn’t one of my usual haunts, but well worth a visit. I now see why the late JFK, Jr used to retreat to the Bayfield area to escape. It is a beautiful area with lots to see and do, and less anyone feel that one has to sacrifice fine dining to experience the Wisconsin northwoods…I suggest…no I insist that you find your way to Good Thyme for a…(sorry)…good time! You will pass Good Thyme just outside of Washburn as you drive the final few miles to Bayfield. You will see an attractive older home with a large wraparound porch and ample parking sitting by itself in the right. It is only open 5-9 pm and I would recommend a reservation, if you are dining after 6, as it seemed to get quite busy quickly after our 6 pm seating. We were seated by the kitchen, but I did not even mind, and I could see that the staff was hustling and attentive to everyone. One of the staff (perhaps the owner or manager?) seemed to know half of the patrons and greeted them like old friends. I almost felt like I was in an upscale episode of Cheers. Our waitress, Jan, as well as the other staff, were very attentive and our water glasses never got even half empty before being refilled. Jan was extremely pleasant, did not appear rushed with us, and made excellent recommendations. Neither the wine list, drink menu, nor food menu were enormous, but definitely adequate. Everything we had was excellent and exceeded expectations. A few highlights: We started with the Brie and baguette. This sounds pretty basic but was amazing! The Brie was covered with a chutney which included rhubarb and apples and a Marsala wine sauce. Paired with the warm baguette I was quite content. Next came the house salad…on most meals just a forgettably modest segway to the main course. The Good Thyme salad has an Asian influenced sesame oil vinaigrette with a cow’s milk feta that was surprisingly amazing! At this point we were quite content, with the main course remaining. I had the Char crusted pub filet, stuffed with cheese and cooked perfectly. My wife had the freshly caught Lake Superior whitefish, which was a generous serving of light, flaky delicious whitefish. Both of our meals were generously portioned, nicely presented, reasonably priced, and DELICIOUS! Overall, we had an excellent dining experience and I recommend Good Thyme highly!

“Our dinner at Good Thyme tonight was memorable in many ways. The ambiance, partnered with the service and perfectly executed food made it a dining experience we won’t soon forget! Brooke was an amazing server, and made my 5 year old son feel so special and included in our dining experience. The owner Renee is hands on in every way, and it’s easy to see why Good Thyme has become the #1 recommended foodie stop in the area. The highlight of our trip, and we’d seriously condo driving 4 hours from the Twin Cities just to repeat tonight’s dinner!”