Thelma On Clinton

Alright overall. I’d rate it an actual 2.5, but will grudgingly bump up to a 3. The service was attentive, ambience was comfortable, but food is bordering on meh, especially for the price. Went here on a Friday night and they had plenty open tables, which says something for this area, I guess.
The server started off by telling us that other than the night’s two specials, everything else is smaller size plates to be shared family style. So we ordered the smoked duck (which hubby very much liked), cauliflower soup (yummy, good consistency), miso glazed salmon (not bad, nothing to get too excited about) and the asparagus and sweet pea risotto (soOOo salty and kinda undercooked).
We had the only two mocktails on the menu, a ginger lemonade concoction with blueberry hints and a lemon/​lime/​strawberry/​basil spritzer. Both were just a little too tart, decent in taste, and $ 10 each (really?); definitely wouldn’t order again.
Oh and we also shared a strawberry shortcake dessert, which was more of a biscuit than a cake. It was fine. Just fine.
Our bill came to over $ 100 for four small plates and two non-​alcoholic drinks and one dessert. Doesn’t really make sense to return, to be honest.

As far as brunch goes, Thelma is standard and pretty much your next option when you can’t get in its neighboring popular restaurants, Ivan Ramen, and especially the ever-​so-​popular Clinton St. Baking Co.
Brunch menu isn’t huge, as Thelma is still relatively new. I had the Eggs Benedict with Mushrooms and they were tasty, but not memorable enough to make me want to go all the way to the LES just to eat at Thelma. My friend, on the other hand, had the Smoked Salmon Benedict and he really loved it. Small selection of brunch food in a growing restaurant that is small, but a cozy space that is pretty fitting for a coffee date. When all fails at Ivan Ramen, Clinton St. Baking Co., and Sons of Essex, Thelma will welcome you with arms wide open.

This place is absolutely delicious! Thank you Unilocal!
The food was excellent, if you’re a coffee drinker you will be a happy camper, and the ambiance is calm and wonderful. I give it 4 stars because our service wasn’t as good as everyone else’s… Our waitress was really sweet, but I think she was slightly hungover (sorry!) and a bit distracted. The other waitress had to keep reminding her that we needed attention.
Overall, I was a happy camper!

I went here for New Year’s with a big group of people (for larger groups, I would have a reservation). It was fantastic – great ambiance and service, interesting cocktails, and a diverse menu. There was something for everyone, vegetarians and pescatarians included.
The only reason why I gave 4 stars and not 5 is because two dishes were slightly underwhelming. Everything else was awesome. I loved the combinations of flavor and texture. I highly recommend the onion risotto, trout salad, pickled eggs, salmon, and earl grey crème brulée.

I live nearby and have managed to completely miss Thelma’s existence. Having just dined for the first time it’s made me wonder: What have I been doing with my life? Why would I choose to eat anywhere else? I could have been eating here. I wish I could take back meals I’ve eaten elsewhere and replace them with this one. Don’t sit around and watch Netflix series about life-​changing food — go eat some. Here. Food, aesthetic, music and people are all perfect. Best meal of 2015.

Im a restaurateur not a weekend Unilocaler. Im giving Thelma 5 stars because of ambiance, food, service, cleanliness and overall running of a great restaurant. It reminds me of a restaurant in the village that was called La Metairie that was on Bleeker and 10^th street. It has the cozy, elegant charm. I give stars who deserves them. If I do have problems with a restaurant, I don t trash them on Unilocal.I make sure I let the owner know what is wrong from one restaurant owner to another. If something is wrong with your dining experience Tell them, not me. Keep up the good work guys.

Quaint, tiny little restaurant with surprisingly unique and unforgettable fare. When we arrived we were honestly in awe as to how the tiny little kitchen was capable of being so quick and serving such generous portions. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The risotto was one of a kind, the cauliflower soup was a truffle dip for our roasted potatoes and our smoked trout salad was phenomenal. Even the homemade dill pickle was awesome. Bartender was super nice and gave us drinks on the house because the beer was a little flat.

Service, food, ambiance, plus they have delicious homemade biscuits! What more can you ask for? A cool story and homage to someone’s grandma. They have that too.
My friend and I stumbled upon this gem thanks to Unilocal!We were not going to wait over an hour to be seated at Clinton Street Baking Company for brunch.
We sat at the bar and were welcomed by the staff. I love that the cooks are front and center, having a good time with everyone else. Shout out to Karina-​I think he name was! I really felt like we were welcomed into someone’s home (designed by restoration hardware) for brunch.
The passion and food quality are top notch. The only thing I would change would be the size eggs, size pot my hot water came in and perhaps the price.
I am so excited to go back.

Came here for brunch recently and had a pleasant meal but nothing to boast about here. Very standard, new american brunch. Standard and limited options. Standard medium-​sized portion. I don’t know, given all the fun amazing places in LES I wouldn’t go back again or recommend this place if you are even the lightest bit of an adventurous eater. Like I honestly barely even remember the place from how standard it was – LOL.

Fantastic brunch. Skip Clinton St. Baking Co. And come here. No wait and probably the best brunch I’ve had in years.
Get the homemade sausage, biscuit and eggs. Or the salmon Benedict. Holy shit.
Coffee and service also great.

The menu offers variety from curries to simple American. Lots of appetizers to share. Some good draft beers. A few vegetarian choices on the menu,

Like other Unilocalers I came here because the Clinton Street Baking Company had a 2 ½ hour wait.
The restaurant has a cozy and homey feel with a rustic bar and a small lounge area by the door. The brunch menu was small. I had the poached eggs on maple sausage and homemade biscuits. I thought the biscuits were a cool alternative to the traditional english muffin. However the poached egg was well done when usually they are runny. The sausage was okay, not enough of a salty and sweet combination. Also, we ordered a side of potatoes being that it did not come with the dish. It never actually came, but we didn’t care because my friend had ordered the salmon eggs bene that came on a potato pancake (also thought it was a better choice).
All in all, an okay alternative for brunch but I think I would have rather gone to the Clinton Baking Company.

I came here with a friend for the happy hour special and we both had half a dozen blue point oysters and a glass of beer. Oysters were shucked right in front of us and was definitely fresh!
Service was superb. When we entered, the restaurant was empty and we were allowed to sit wherever we wanted. He introduced the different types of beer he had and gave us samples as well. Throughout the meal, he offered us advice on how to eat oysters and his advice changed our world.
The waiter also told us how great his brunch and dinner menu was, and we would definitely come back to try it.

It was pretty good. After trying two crowded restaurants we decided to go inside in there. It did not disappoint.
I has the french toast, which was tasty, if not a tad too sweet.
I also had the poached eggs with smoked salmon, they were pretty tasty.
I like the setting and I could see myself coming back

Wasn’t a big fan of my dinner at Thelma last night. It’s cute inside and maybe we ordered the wrong things? I mean it wasn’t bad, but Unilocal says it exactly right «Meh — I’ve experienced better.»
Duck Leg Confit, Frisee, Potato, House smoked Duck Bacon, WarmVinaigrette — kind of dry, flavors weren’t to my liking…
Honey Glazed Dates wrapped in Bacon — you can’t really go wrong with these… but nothing out of the ordinary
Veggie Curry — Flavors were nice but thought some type of potatoes or rice accompanying the curry would have made it better
Panna Cotta — Not really panna cotta consistency, more like thick pudding… it was ok.

Enjoyed a fantastic evening here with a friend whose making this her go-​to in the LES neighborhood. We arrived very late for a reservation, and the server, who I’m pretty sure introduced himself later as «Clifford on Clinton» was so gracious about it. He was fantastic!
The honey glazed dates wrapped in bacon are a must order. They were INCREDIBLE! The house smoked duck breast was delicious and cooked to perfection. We also ordered the pickled egg, which wasn’t bad, but I don’t think it was super flavorful either. My friend really loved it though, so it might just not be my preference. The only thing I could have done without were the brussel sprouts. The menu boasted brussel sprouts seared with bacon, but they arrived soggy with what appeared to be only a few pieces of pancetta fat. We had the earl grey infused crème brûlée for desert, and it was delicious! Wine list was great, too.
My friend booked a party for 10 for the next evening because we enjoyed it so much! They were able to accommodate her request, even though it was so last minute. I definitely recommend Thelma for big groups, it’s a great set up.

I really wanted to like this place. I had heard rave reviews before going, so I was worked up for something amazing. I left feeling like there was something to be desired. The menu, for starters, is very, very small, and not in a tasting menu kind of way. Or maybe it was. I’m still thinking of how our server told us everything is small plates, meant to be shared, etc., but then when our entrée came out, it was huge.
Walked in on a Friday night around 8, and the place was dead. Ok, that was fine with me because I was hangry and wanted to eat fast. We were seated at a corner table (this place is like every other NYC restaurant – pack as many tables as closely together as possible without actually making everything a communal table). Exiting the table later proved just as tricky. My butt apparently is only big when I’m trying to avoid swiping the water glass off my neighbor’s table.
Anyway. We ordered the cauliflower soup with truffles, the brussels sprouts, and the pork shank. We were given a few generous hunks of crusty bread and some salty olive oil.
The cauliflower soup was good. A little on the thin side, but tasty. The truffles pulled it all together. The brussels sprouts were a little horrifying – they were really soft in texture, almost as if they were steamed or boiled, and then tossed with some bacon. Gross. The pork shank came nestled on a bed of mashed potatoes – I think the potatoes were the best part of the meal. The pork shank didn’t have any seasoning or real flavor to it, just straight pork. I was disappointed.
Would I come back? The server was so attentive and friendly that it leads me to say yes, I’d give them another try.

My friends and I came here for brunch and it’s ok. I had poached eggs with salmon and potatoe cake. and it was pretty good (it comes with a salad on the side) but for 16 $ i was expecting a bit more, I was still hungry after. Oh and they dont give fresh bread — we asked for bread and they brought toasted baguette (that could have been since yesturday), i really wanted bread for the eggs

Had a great time at Thelma.
We had a larger party, which they require to take part in the tasting menu, which was not a problem. We had one person who has a sensitive stomach, which I made the restaurant aware of beforehand. The night of, the head chef was unable to be there in person, but she called and asked to talk to the person to discuss the menu. I thought that was incredibly thoughtful.
Highlights of the tasting menu were the bacon wrapped dates and onion risotto, though much of the food was really excellent. The drinks were all fantastic as well.
Really can’t recommend this place enough.

Made super last minute brunch plans with a girlfriend last weekend and somehow strolled in to Thelma at 1pm with no wait. The rain helped a bit I suppose, although I’m pretty sure I saw a huddle of colorful umbrellas by the entrance of Clinton St Baking Company anyway. Those friggin’ pancakes though. .
Super tight but cute spot. The host originally sat us down by the loungey couches to the left of the door which was definitely not ideal unless you have a hunchback. Great seats to hang and sip cocktails but no good for eating. A quick scan revealed a party about to leave so we asked to be moved. Much better seats but not an inch of wiggle room.
We split two benedicts — one with poached eggs atop smoked salmon and a potato cake, and the other with homemade maple sausage atop a buttermilk biscuit. Both served with mesclun greens. Solid benedicts. The eggs were poached perfectly and the hollandaise sauce was light and buttery. Of the two, I definitely enjoyed the sausage more. It was so tasty — sweet and peppery and worked with the flaky biscuit. I didn’t care for the potato cake on the other benedict — it was lukewarm and extremely mushy. A crisp exterior would have made such a difference.
Each entrée was $ 16 without drinks, a tad pricier than I’m used to but there was no wait! I’ll probably make a return trip to try dinner though.

Considering you’ll have to wait for hours on end to even sniff a seat at Clinton St. Baking Co. down the way, the fact that you can strut into Thelma On Clinton at 1:00pm on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and find a table for five is unheard of. It’s even more impressive when you consider that Thelma On Clinton is a super cute French bistro that really should be packed at any given moment during weekend brunch.
Being that I’ve only been there for brunch, that’s all I can comment on… but It’s a pretty straightforward concept: a handful of Benedicts, a few brunch salads, some sweet offerings for a sugary wake up, and a nice array of breakfast cocktails. Most notable among said boozy offerings is the crème fraîche bloody Mary. The preparation and garnishes are somewhat ho hum… until they drop a dollop of butter fat to create a creamy, delicious concoction. It really takes it to a whole new level. You should definitely give it a try if you’re looking for a unique hair of the dog.
Clinton St. itself is a really pretty stretch along LES during a sunny fall day, and spending an hour or so getting your day started in this cozy, airy bistro is just the way to accentuate a fantastic weekend in the city.