Matter of Thyme: Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville

by Pauline Uchmanowicz and photographs by Bob Barrett, April 29, 2009

Known for diners, pizzerias, all-you-can-eat buffets and cheap gas available along its Route 209 corridor, southwestern Ulster County seems an unlikely place to open an upscale eatery.  But, concluding that it's only a matter of time before regional redevelopment blossoms there, Marcus and Jamie Guiliano chose New Year's Day of this year to open Aroma Thyme Bistro in the Village of Ellenville.

Featuring classic continental "clean cuisine" married to holistic cooking, the restaurant and wine bar specializes in simple steak, seafood, and vegetarian dishes.  Housed in an understated, clapboard colonial painted in subdued colors, it sits two doors down from Shadowland Theatre-on the same block of main-drag Canal Street as Off-Track Betting, Dollar World, and vacant storefronts.

"Main Street is coming back," says Jamie, a former elementary school teacher who runs the front of the house.  The bistro's brisk and steady business supports her viewpoint.  "Many people say that we have started a trend and should be part of the revitalization history of Ellenville."

Village manager Elliot Auerbach concurs.  Speaking to me over a glass of Santa Lucia mineral water, seated at a table in the mock-rustic interior of the Guilianos' establishment, he ticks off the addresses of recently purchased buildings in the vicinity slated for large-scale redevelopment.  "Two more bistro restaurants are coming into the village.  The momentum started quite honestly with Jamie and Marcus choosing to open their restaurant in Ellenville, and part of it has to do with the fact that [the Guilianos are] homegrown."