A Culinary Treat-Mimi's Cafe

Warning: Do Not Read This Post If You Are Hungry....

or have a weakness for delicious culinary dishes...

Mimi's Bouillabaisse

Last week I was priviledged to be a part of a small group of bloggers from the Sacramento area invited to a very special evening of cocktails and French cuisine at Mimi's Cafe.

The celebration was to promote the company's newly re-designed menu and the company's new focus on presenting "purer" French style dishes.

While Mimi's has been known for breakfasts...the new dinner cuisine is seriously amazing, which is no surprise considering that they have brought in a brand new culinary team.  Our evening was delightful and started with lovely wine and appetizers which were enough for a meal by themselves. 

I was a little worried because I knew they would serve mussels, 

and I have never liked mussels before.

Mimi's Mussels

Apparently I have never tasted mussels as they should be. 

The mussel appetizer we were served {above}

was the most delicious part of the entire evening. 

{ I wanted to drink the marinade they were served in..

but held back for fear of embarrassing myself! :)}

Executive Chef Katie, 

who is the culinary artiste behind the new menu 

joined us and was like a proud new mom 

showing off her new baby that was the "menu".  

She was full of delightful info about her delicious dishes.

Baked Brie Appetizer

In regard to the brie appetizer {above} which we were served next, she said to us, 

"What do you get a hint of in the apricot marmalade 

that is paired with the brie? It's cardamom." 

Spoken like a true foodie and Top Chef!

{who knew? Cardamom...how do you even spell cardamom? really.

...to my pedestrian tastebuds it was simply a blend of yumminess 

that I wanted to pick up and lick the dish over. But again, you will be happy to know,

I restrained myself.}

Me with Chef Katie and the amazing Pumpkin Bisque

What a treat to be able to talk with her and hear about her favorite dishes.

She was most adamant about her goal of helping Mimi's pursue preparing 

French dishes from a more "pure" standpoint.  

Meaning, in her words, the food is as fresh as possible--

basically, the foods are home-made at Mimi's.

Sauces are made fresh and are not re-packaged or re-consituted dishes; 

the pasta is handmade, the croissants follow French recipes and are baked in-house daily, 

and items on the menu also have fresh vegetables that reflect the seasonal changes.  

One example for Fall is the Pumpkin Bisque Soup....

{see bottom left corner of photo above}

oh.my.goodness.  

Okay, stop.

This is seriously the best soup I have ever had.  In.my.whole.life.

 How does one describe such yumminess?  

Here, let me try--

first of all it does not taste like pumpkin at all.

It is like a warm delicious savory blend of buttery, nutty goodness 

with a hint of peppery heat at the end of your palate. 

{which I was told by Chef Katie is white pepper! who knew?}

A must try.

{and with this bowl, since I couldn't lick it clean, 

I learned that the French use their bread

 to scrap out every delicious morsel...and that is what I did. 

No shame.}

After trying the Au Gratin potatoes...{amazing}, 

and a dinner of steak and fresh grilled Brussels sprouts {again, amazing}, 

we were treated to a sampling of other items 

including this huge bacon burger with an over easy egg and onion strings....{oh.so.good!}

The evening ended with gorgeous dessert waffles. 

Again, do you have to hear me say...delicious?

I honestly am not making this up...the food was delicious fine dining fare at a family price.

I had never been to a Mimi's before...but I will certainly be going back.

I hope you get a chance to check out their restaurant and 

enjoy an evening of good food without breaking the budget. 

Interesting facts I learned:

There are 126 across the country.

Mimi's Cafe, was recently acquired by Le Duff America, Inc., 

(a subsidiary of the Rennes, France-based Groupe Le Duff), 

and their new president and executive chef both hail from 

The Culinary Institute of America and The French Culinary Institute.

Their new menus are here for download.

Bon Appetit!

Mimis Menus

**While the meal was compensated, the opinions are entirely my own.:o)