Mimi's Cafe Archives - Jen is on a Journey

The Newest Dish for Fall at Mimi’s Cafe #MimisCafe @Mimis_Cafe

September 18, 2016 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

The weather is definitely changing, it’s getting darker earlier, kids are all settled back into school, that means fall is just around the corner! Just last week the cool evenings had me grabbing a blanket and cuddling on the couch with a comforting warm noodle soup. Fall menus are on our minds as well as the minds of the chefs at Mimi’s Cafe. The popular neighborhood cafe recently asked it’s guests to come up with a perfect dish for the Mimi’s Cafe menu to showcase this fall. The winner of the contest would win a trip to France, where Mimi’s parent company is based.

After an entire summer combing through 175 guest-submitted recipes that combined French-inspired, American comfort food and with help from Ellise Pierce author and owner of CowgirlChef.com the winner was selected! The winner was Michael Watz of Evanston, Illinois with an original recipe for Honey Lavender Pork Chop. The meal offers a light honey, herbs de Provence, and lavender glazed center-cut pork chop paired with a mixed green salad. The salad includes green apples, cranberries, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, and roasted potato croutons tossed in a balsamic dressing.

My husband makes great pork chops. The kids love them and he was excited for the chance to try Mimi’s Cafe’s newest menu addition. When the plate arrived the pork chop was substantial and the salad was just as big. Grill marks criss-crossed the chop and the glaze and parsley were prominent across the top. Cutting into it was easy and it was on the well done. My husband and I prefer ours that way when we cook a thinner chop at home, some may say it’s dry. Each piece around the edge had enough glaze, the center pieces could have used a side of the glaze to dip. The glaze was sweet with a very subtle hint of rosemary on the finish. The salad was a meal in itself, we loved the fruit and walnuts added and the potato croutons were more like halved new potatoes and almost too much as a salad addition, but they were very tasty.

We paired the pork chop with the house red wine (only $5 glass every day) and we also had an appetizer that we’d pass on in the future, it’s a lot of food! We would have loved dessert, but again, no room. You leave feeling full, satisfied, and it’s a wonderful comfort dish added to their menu!

The Honey Lavender Pork Chop is available nationwide beginning on September 19!

We received a gift card to enjoy our meal. We dine here often, we love their food, all opinions are 100% honest. Thank you to Mimi’s Cafe in Gilroy (Nichelle) for taking care of us. Gratuity was paid by us.

Treat Mom TWICE for Mother’s Day at Mimi’s Cafe

May 3, 2016 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

My children have been asking me what I want for Mother’s Day this past week and my answer is usually the same, lots of love and no fighting! My 10 year old mentioned she made me something in the classroom and also in Girl Scouts, so I’m eager to see those homemade gifts. Most often, I love a good meal with family and a nice cocktail or glass of wine! Satisfying both of those things, there is a special going on this weekend (May 8, 2016) and you can treat mom TWICE for Mother’s Day at Mimi’s Cafe!

Known for their French-American comfort food, a special menu is being created especially for moms and in addition, they are giving away free goodies and most compelling- a coupon for a free entrée that you can use through May 29 which is Mother’s Day in France! Here’s what each mom will receive if you dine at Mimi’s Cafe on May 8:

–a French Herb Heart-Shaped Palmier (French pastry) in every bread basket
–a take-home muffin square to enjoy later
–a Mimi’s French herb seed packet with the French Herb Palmier recipe on the back
–a coupon to return through May 29 for a free entrée*

To start off your meal Mimi’s will offer its signature Mimi-Mosa: fresh-squeezed orange juice with a Tangerine burst and Korbel California Champagne for $5/glass. Three other Mimosa flavor choices, including Triple Berry, Mango and White Peach are also available. Glasses of wine, red or white from France, are $5 and bottles are $20.

On Mother’s Day beginning at 11 a.m., Mimi’s will offer a three-course celebration menu for $16.99. Start with choice of cup of soup (French Onion, Corn Chowder or Tomato Basil), House salad or Caesar salad before moving onto the main entrée, which includes a choice of:

Quiche Florentine with fresh spinach, tomatoes, aged Parmesan and Swiss, with mixed fruit
Mushroom Brie Burger with sautéed whole cap mushrooms, caramelized onions and melted Brie on grilled sourdough
Hand-carved Slow-Roasted Turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread dressing, fresh vegetables and orange-apple cranberry relish
Chicken Tillamook Cheddar Mac with pulled chicken in a rich Tillamook Creamery cheddar sauce with crumbled bacon, penne pasta and Parmesan crust
Chicken Chop Salad with a slow-roasted chicken breast, red & green bell peppers, mandarin oranges, basil, cilantro, chopped cabbage and romaine lettuce tossed in sesame dressing with fried wontons and sesame seeds
Grilled Atlantic Salmon with a light Chardonnay Dijon sauce, sautéed garlic spinach and roasted potatoes (add $1)

Dessert course includes Chocolate Chip Croissant Bread Pudding with all-butter and almond croissants with chocolate chips, salted caramel and whipped cream.

Or, for $1 more guests can enjoy Strawberry Shortcake Crêpe Cake or Key Lime Slab Pie.

We visited Mimi’s last weekend to get a taste of what they’ll offer for Mother’s Day. I had to try one of the Mimi-mosas and I went for the Mango flavored drink. It was tropical, it was bubbly, and it was a great start to our meal. The teenagers both ordered the Chicken Tillamook Cheddar Mac and I got got to sample it myself. Wow, this is comfort food sent over the top with bacon and chicken! So rich, the Tillamook cheddar sauce was perfection! It’s great to know that the main menu will still be offered that day as well, so some Fire-grilled Shrimp Skewers were also enjoyed, served with a Farmhouse Garden Salad and corn on the cob. The shrimp was delicious with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of grilled lemon.My youngest loves the kid’s meal Turkey dinner. It reminds her of Thanksgiving and she talks about going to Mimi’s for it about once a week! Mimi’s is one of our favorite family dining spots where we can get good comfort food and drink for a great price. The Mother’s Day special menu and offers are just icing on the cake, so grab your family and head to your local restaurant. It would probably be best to make reservations ahead of time to ensure seating this weekend.

We received a gift card to enjoy our meal. We dine here often, we love their food, all opinions are 100% honest. Gratuity was paid by us.

*with purchase of an entrée and two beverages

Mimi’s Cafe: Restaurant Review

March 9, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Last week we took the kids and headed to Mimi’s Cafe for dinner. It’s a fairly local restaurant for us, though we hadn’t visited before as a family. We’d always heard great things, and it was out turn to experience it.

Since we first opened in 1978, Mimi’s Cafe has been a favorite destination for restaurant goers who want to relax and connect over freshly prepared meals. Our colorful French-cottage themed buildings and lush gardens let our guests know right away that Mimi’s is a special place to visit.

Upon entering you notice the elegant decor of France and even Mardi Gras, it welcomes you and gives you an overall impression that it’s a fun place to eat. Our waitress Lizzy was fabulous, sat us down and took our drink order. Soon after that a manager came by and asked us how we were and to let him know if any problems were to arise. The customer service mid-week was excellent and the restaurant was quite busy. I had heard that Mimi’s had great muffins and baked goods, so I was pleased when the basket of bread arrived with french rolls and both banana bread and carrot raisin nut bread! My son loved the flavored breads, and while I took a roll to eat, I saved a piece of the banana bread for dessert!

The dinner menu is a book! The restaurant includes a bar area and all the great adult drinks are featured in the menu as well. You are sure to find something you love with meat, fish, pasta, sandwiches, soups, salads, and even small portion options! There is also a Price Fixed 3-course dinner meal and Fresh and Fit meal choices (650 calories or less) to select from. It’s quite overwhelming and we did need to have an extra few minutes to decide even when the waitress returned with our drinks! I was distracted also by all the caloric information on each meal, both helping me and discouraging choices. You can find complete nutritional information on their online menu as well for each meal! I’m noticing that’s a new trend at every restaurant now!

I’ve said it a million times, my girls are picky eaters. I was pleasantly surprised when on the main menu as well as the kid’s menu that breakfast is served all day, giving my daughters the choice of pancakes for dinner (something we do a lot at home!). My son ordered sliders, something new and trendy and perfect off the kid’s menu for him. I chose the “Just Enough” meal of Artichoke Asiago Chicken Spaghettini which came with soup and a Petite Treat, my husband chose the Oven Fresh Pot Roast, one of his favorites.

My salad was delicious, with dressings on the side, mixed greens were fresh, cucumbers and added a great crunchy bite. Then my meal arrived and I loved the way it looked. It was steaming and the portion looked just right. I cut into the tender chicken with just my fork and took a bite, the breading was crispy and the chicken was moist! There was a good amount of veggies in the tomatoes and asparagus, though the sauce on the spaghettini was a bit bland. There was the right amount of tangy cream sauce on the chicken, it wasn’t drowining, and paired with the spaghettini, it was a delicious italian dish. Even with it being a smaller portion, I could only finish 1/2 of it, with the second half making a great lunch the next day.

My husband’s pot roast was moist and also tender enough to cut with the side of his fork. His veggies were al dente and fresh and the mashed potatoes rounded out a great meal for him. My son’s cheeseburger sliders were just the right amount for him, he opted for fries to accompany the meal while he had the choice of kettle chips, veggies, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, apples, or mixed fruit. My youngest opted for the mixed fruit and was disappointed by the pineapple and melon. We’ll ask next time what the fruit of the day is next time.

Dessert isn’t something we always order at a restaurant, we’re usually too full, but the kids’ meals come with a choice of vanilla ice cream or “worms in dirt” and my kids opted for the latter! The chocolate pudding, and cookie mixture looked so much like real soil and the kids loved it, mainly the gummy worms, they giggled and let them hang out of their mouths happily. The portion was just like a 1/4 cup’s worth, so it was just enough to allow them to be full. My meal came with a Petite Treat, and I chose my favorite dessert chocolate mousse, primarily because the menu read 131 calories and I couldn’t beat that! The presentation was gorgeous with the strawberry sauce covering it, and it was mouth-watering. The taste did not disappoint, I savored every bite.

Everything about Mimi’s was fabulous, enough so that we returned over the weekend for lunch and their roasted tomato and basil bisque was an amazing thicker soup that I devoured! We will return again and again!

To find a Mimi’s near you, follow this link, http://www.mimiscafe.com/Locations.aspx.

Our meals were compensated in exchange for this honest review.