Dining Out Review: Mimi’s Cafe

Drive through Short Pump on any evening around dinnertime, and no doubt you'll find the parking lots of just about every chain restaurant filled. Chili's, Bertucci's, Cheesecake Factory, Applebee's -- Short Pump's got them all.

With so many local eateries offering distinctly Richmond dining adventures, I prefer to spend my time supporting our city's restaurateurs rather than these national corporations. However, I'll gladly visit a chain if the experience it offers has an element of geniality, not a staff and kitchen operating on autopilot.

Owned by Bob Evans Farms Inc., Mimi's Café opened near West Broad Village in Short Pump in late spring. It's the first location of this chain in the area, so when I stopped in on a recent weeknight, I was hoping to find something new.

Mimi's is different from Short Pump's original lineup of chains. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its menu features everything from eggs and comfort food to seasonal dinner specials, such as seared scallops with asparagus ravioli ($13.99), and smaller-portioned entrées, such as honey Dijon salmon ($10.99).

Despite this, Mimi's currently fails to distinguish itself from its corporate competitors, mainly because the experience it offers feels completely robotic. During our visit, we were treated like numbered beepers rather than actual customers.

From trying to interact with a glassy-eyed bartender to ordering from an aloof young waiter to watching our entrées dumped on top of our yet-to-be-touched appetizer by two clueless food runners, it was not an experience I'd rush to have again.

But service can improve with time and proper management, and luckily, Mimi's menu had a few surprising treats I'd like to try again.

Oddly enough, the premature arrival of our entrées turned out to be a good thing given that our appetizer, Mimi's Trio ($8.59), a selection of crispy zucchini Parmesan, chicken fingers and spinach-artichoke dip, left plenty to be desired.

The zucchini spears, Mimi's signature starter, arrived piping hot with a delicate breading, but they needed some sort of seasoning to make them more than simply warmed vegetable spears. The salty appeal of Parmesan was undetectable.

The chicken fingers sported adeliciously crunchy coating, but they were served lukewarm, a stark contrast to the temperature of the neighboring zucchini.

The spinach-artichoke dip should have been called "Four Cheese Dip with Sun-dried Tomatoes," as any semblance of spinach or artichoke completely missed my taste buds. However, the decadent dip combined with the zing of the tomatoes turned out to be addictive when eaten with accompanying garlic sourdough baguette.

Perhaps the Caesar side salad we ordered to accompany our entrées -- crispy Parmesan-crusted chicken ($12.59) and a seasonal special of citrus-broiled shrimp and asparagus ($8.99) was forgotten during the appetizer snafu. However, our server did admit to forgetting it as he brought the bill.

Mimi's version of chicken Parmesan was enough to feed two. Two chicken breasts coated in the same crunchy deliciousness as the appetizer's chicken tenders sat atop a mountain of spaghetti, housemade marinara and melted mozzarella. The overall flavor was what one would expect of this classic dish, but what stood out was the breading's prolonged crispiness, never getting soggy as the meal progressed.

The two skewers of lightly broiled shrimp gave off a subtle citrus bite that was nicely tempered by a light drizzle of creamy basil pesto. A side salad of mixed greens topped with juicy strawberries was the perfect size for a light summer meal. And the price couldn't have been better. Finally, finally, a chain restaurant gets the importance of "seasonal" and "manageable portions."

Mimi's dessert menu features portions to share ($4.99-$5.99) and "Petite Treats" ($2.49), sized for one person. While options include housemade bread pudding and a triple-chocolate brownie, we had filled up on Mimi's signature bread basket, featuring a spicy-sweet carrot loaf that I would gladly eat for dessert.

Among the lineup of Short Pump's been-there-done-that chain restaurants, Mimi's menu offers a slight break from the ordinary. If its staff can treat customers with a little more affability, I see it being a suburban hit.

.