Mimi’s Cafe is seeking to bring “Joie de Vivre” back to its chain of restaurants with new ownership, an exciting new executive chef and an all new French focused menu.
To start with, I must admit that I was never a big fan of Mimi’s Cafe. The menu was bloated and it seemed that Mimi’s was going in the opposite direction of where it once started, going further away from French cuisine. After a few visits over the years, I marked it off of my list and have never had a desire to return.
However, I was quite intrigued when I was invited to a media preview event for an all new “Menu Relaunch” that was going to showcase a new dedication to French Cuisine.
With the hiring of Phil Costner in February 2013 after Le Duff America Inc. acquired Mimi’s , They are looking to refocus the brand and reassert a strong market presence.
Before joining Mimi’s Cafe, Phil Costner previously worked for six years as President and COO at La Madeleine Country French Cafe , which is also owned by Le Duff America. At La Madeleine Phil was responsible for operations, marketing, menu/product development, purchasing and development. He has a good sense of where Mimi’s needs to be at, and is committed to making the 34 year old cafe chain relevant again.
The biggest challenge Mimi’s faced was cutting the fat out of the menu. As I said previously, the menu was bloated and at times out of place. That’s where Katie Sutton comes in:
As Executive of Chef of Mimi’s Cafe , and a graduate of The French Culinary Institute, Katie Sutton has worked really hard at changing the menu and adding exciting and creative elements. The menu redux consists of more than thirty new items that are of French influences. Some of the new foods include baked brie, seafood crepes, coq au vin, mussels and open-face sandwiches, as well as a few of Mimi’s classics that have been reworked like the chain’s French onion soup.
Baked Brie
We started the evening with Baked Brie:
In the center of the plate is warm brie that is baked in a cast iron pan and topped with an apricot chutney.
It’s served with French baguettes and some thin sliced green apples. This was a very tasty treat that we all enjoyed very much.
Mussels a la Mimi’s
The Mussels a la Mimi’s are steamed with white wine, herbs and garlic.
I am not a big fan of Mussels, but these were tender and flavorful.
French Onion Soup
The French Onion Soup is a holdover from the old menu, but its been kicked up a notch and is even better than before.
Brioche Croque Madame
My guest had the Brioche Croque Madame.
It is an open faced Ham and Swiss sandwich with French Mornay sauce served on brioche and topped with a fried egg.
The Croque Monsieur or Madame, is a staple of many French Cafes, and Mimi’s was pretty tasty. Its a rich and filling entree, but packs flavor in every bite.
Bistro Bavette Steak
The Bistro Bavette Steak is French-style grilled steak served with mushroom-infused au gratin potatoes.
You have a choice of a bordelaise or béarnaise sauce and seasonal vegetables.
I opted for the béarnaise sauce. My steak was cooked very well and was very tender.
Some of the Desert menu was still being tweaked, but we treated to a taste of some of Mimi’s new breakfast items.
Strawberry Waffle Perdu
The Strawberry Waffle Perdu consists of three petite waffles filled with cream cheese and orange marmalade topped with fresh strawberry sauce.
This was a favorite of many guests, and certainly could be for desert or breakfast.
Bacon Apple Waffle
The Bacon Apple Waffle is three petite waffles topped with apples, hickory-smoked bacon, syrup and a hint of orange zest.
This waffle provided that salty and sweet combo and would really be good for breakfast.
What Mimi’s Cafe has lost over the years, looks to be making a comeback and headed in a great direction. The new menu at Mimi’s has brought together people who believe in heritage, quality ingredients, and a focus on good food enjoyed with people.
Tastes Of Orlando recommends you to stop by and see all that the new menu has to offer for yourself….I certainly will return.