Mimi’s Cafe New Menu Brings Back Old Favorites
Visiting Mimi’s Cafe last week was like catching up with an old friend.
For several years, it was the restaurant of choice when my husband’s side of the family met for dinner. Several of the relatives liked liver & onions (don’t judge!), and Mimi’s is one of the few restaurants that serves it.
A friend and I sometimes met at Mimi’s for lunch, and the savory French onion soup, creamy corn chowder, and the signature muffins helped make those meals memorable.
Sadly, these memories took place at the restaurant chain’s Layton location, which closed a few years ago. So, when I was invited to check out new menu items at the Mimi’s in Murray, I had some pleasant anticipation. It had been awhile.
I found out that some of the “new” items are actually old favorites that went off the menu for awhile and have come back, explained Fred Gonzales, manager of the Murray location. He named some of these new/old dishes:
- The Thai Chicken Wrap of grilled chicken, rice, cabbage, cilantro, onion, wontons, and spicy peanut sauce in a sun-dried tomato wrap.
- The Florentine Benedict (crisp bacon, spinach, sliced tomatoes with poached eggs on a grilled English muffin topped with Hollandaise sauce).
The Tuscan Omelet (with spinach artichoke dip, feta cheese, and tomato).
- A Chipotle Breakfast Burrito (scrambled eggs, shredded beef, cilantro, onions, jalapeño and avocado in a sun-dried tomato tortilla).
“Those were things that people kept asking for,” Gonzales said. “We serve breakfast all day, so you can have the the omelets and Benedicts any time. Mimi’s has a French touch, and we have several Benedict dishes that you are not going to find anywhere else.”
I tried the new Hibachi Plate. It’s a choice of grilled salmon, shrimp or chicken served over rice with strips of crisp-tender veggies such as carrots, onions, broccoli, celery, and bell pepper.
My generous salmon portion was moist, with the honey teriyaki glaze adding a hint of sweetness. I liked the sprinkled garnish of sesame seeds and green onions. If you’re cutting carbs, you could order it without the rice and still have a very satisfying meal.
My daughter Amy decided on the Fire-Grilled Shrimp Brochette. She found the peppery seasoning on the plump shrimp a nice change of pace from other chain restaurants. The broccoli was bright-green and tender. So often, restaurant broccoli is underdone — too crunchy and “raw” tasting. Or it’s overdone — grayish and mushy. Mimi’s got it just right. Interestingly, I liked Amy’s au gratin potatoes better than she did. The thin slices were compressed between layers of cheesy sauce so that they were firm enough to be cut with a knife. Next time I’m at Mimi’s, au gratin potatoes will be one of my side choices.
We finished off the meal by splitting a Pumpkin Spice muffin. There were lots of dessert choices, but the muffins are large, and sweet enough to double as dessert. It came to us warm-from-the-oven, crusted with sugar and spice, and sprinkled with crunchy pumpkin seeds.
One side that we enjoyed along with our meal — crusty breadsticks and carrot-raisin nut bread. I think these are muffin tops.
Some of the other new entrees that are items are Roasted Chicken Croque Monsieur sandwich— pulled roasted chicken and caramelized onions on grilled sourdough, topped with Mornay sauce and Swiss. There’s also Tuscan-Style Grilled Chicken, and Provencal Veggie Pasta with roasted zucchini, squash, eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes, onions, and grape tomatoes. Mimi’s has a lot of mix-and-match soups, salads and sandwich options, and one of the new sandwiches is the Turkey Royale, a twist on the usual chicken salad sandwich spiked with craisins and celery.
And FYI….. I checked the menu and Mimi’s still serves Grilled Beef Liver. It comes with grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, and crisp bacon. Just in case one of my Phillips relatives is reading this and gets a hankering for it.