Locations in South

Mimis Cafe is new construction trying to wear an old-world face. Sitting on Millenia Boulevard, on the fringe of our most popular consumer mecca, there wasn't anything authentic or quaint about it.

Actually, Mimis is exactly the kind of restaurant I hate. Don't get me wrong, the food is fine. Not great, but good enough. What I hate about this kind of restaurant is the jumbled, unfocused menu of more than 100 items. Mimis features everything from comfort food to New Orleans jambalaya to diner fare to brunch to pseudo-Asian to middle-of-the-road Italian – all of it trying too hard to unexceptionally please the masses. Also distasteful are the bright, prefabricated rooms filled with assembled paraphernalia – a fake 2-foot wrought-iron porch hosting a phony candlelit table hovered over our table. When dining at an establishment like Mimis, one can't help but think of the market surveys and trend magazines that must have inspired it.

The ruling theme at Mimis is New Orleans, although one can't help but wonder why. I searched and searched for an answer. Was the founder/CEO Tom Simms from New Orleans? No. Did he spend a lot of time there? No. Was his muse Mimi Cajun? No.

"We used to be more French countryside," the PR representative told me. "But we found that the New Orleans theme had BROADER APPEAL." Say no more.

So Mimis has nothing to do with New Orleans, despite the décor, and even the proprietors do not consider it a New Orleans-style restaurant. Mimis, in fact, started in 1978 in Orange County, Calif., as a place that served hearty portions of freshly prepared food at reasonable prices. And that mission is what Mimis continues to do moderately well. The only problem is that when you see a New Orleans theme you mouth-wateringly expect Cajun or Creole dishes, which are sparse on their bloated menu. We tried the pasta jambalaya ($12.29), an oversized dish of penne with chicken, shrimp, sausage and pork tossed in a lightly spicy sauce. It was good enough to finish, but lacked depth. The other Cajun-style offerings on the menu included popcorn shrimp ($8.99), a Cajun chicken sandwich ($8.79) and a rather large portion of bread pudding with whiskey sauce ($4.79). Clearly, none of these dishes were made by that breed of New Orleans chef who has the flavor of the "holy trinity" (green peppers, onions and celery) running through his or her veins.

As for comfort food, I tried the barbecue meat loaf ($9.99), which is made fresh daily. The meat was tender and flavorful, while the sauce was a sticky, sweet concoction that seemed a cross between pan gravy and Texas-style barbecue sauce.

We tried the soup special, corn chowder ($3.99), which was a little on the thick side but was spiked with fresh red peppers and sweet kernels of corn.

As of last July, the Bob Evans restaurant company has owned Mimis Cafe, and they are expanding (like every other chain outfit). By next spring they'll have gone from zero to six restaurants in Florida alone. A new store already opened in Altamonte Springs on Feb. 15 and I have to wonder: Will Orlando's local market take to it as well as tourists have?

Fill your belly at Mimis, yes. But if you really want to eat – in the sense of engaging in a transcendent journey of culinary sensations – head somewhere that is run by passion rather than market surveys.

We didn't review this location but you can check out the review of the N.Y.P.D. Pizza & Delicatessen on Orange Avenue.

Some pubs in Ireland keep a rack behind the bar for personalized beer mugs -- sort of an incentive for steady guests and a companionable gesture. Why don't other establishments do that -- personalized chili sauce dispensers at Thai House? Monogrammed bibs at O-Boys?

Nagoya Sushi has the idea, with a rack of labeled chopstick holders by the front door. Owner Jenny Tay Lu says it lets her get closer to frequent visitors and saves a tree or two.

Nagoya Sushi has the idea, with a rack of labeled chopstick holders by the front door. Owner Jenny Tay Lu says it lets her get closer to frequent visitors and saves a tree or two.

Nagoya the city is dead center in the island of Japan and is a cultural and economic hub. Nagoya the restaurant isn't in the center of anything, tucked away in a MetroWest shopping center. But judging by the rows of chopsticks, it attracts a loyal following. Lu's husband, Danny, can be found behind the sushi bar, along with his brother, Calvin, creating masterpieces from deep-red tuna, paper-thin cucumber, neon-orange fish eggs and translucent yellowtail.

Nagoya the city is dead center in the island of Japan and is a cultural and economic hub. Nagoya the restaurant isn't in the center of anything, tucked away in a MetroWest shopping center. But judging by the rows of chopsticks, it attracts a loyal following. Lu's husband, Danny, can be found behind the sushi bar, along with his brother, Calvin, creating masterpieces from deep-red tuna, paper-thin cucumber, neon-orange fish eggs and translucent yellowtail.

There's a view of the action from the booths and tables in the relatively small place, but give yourself a treat and sit at the bar. Watch Calvin slide his knife across the grain of fatty salmon (let it melt on your tongue), as well as chop pickled mackerel and slice slivers of tender octopus for the chirashi bowl ($16.95). Dobinmushi ($4.95) is seafood soup steamed (mushi) in a little teapot (dobin) and served with a tiny cup. Danny peeked his head over the counter to see if we liked it. And we did.

There's a view of the action from the booths and tables in the relatively small place, but give yourself a treat and sit at the bar. Watch Calvin slide his knife across the grain of fatty salmon (let it melt on your tongue), as well as chop pickled mackerel and slice slivers of tender octopus for the chirashi bowl ($16.95). Dobinmushi ($4.95) is seafood soup steamed (mushi) in a little teapot (dobin) and served with a tiny cup. Danny peeked his head over the counter to see if we liked it. And we did.

I adore grilled eel but hadn't tried grilled lobster sushi (ise ebi; $3.75) -- now it's a new favorite. Try the miso eggplant ($4.95), a stubby eggplant-half covered in sweet miso sauce that caramelizes under the grill -- a simple but extraordinary dish. Miso shows up again on tender pan-fried scallops ($14.95), which would have been more exciting if I hadn't had the eggplant, too. Pick one or the other and enjoy.

I adore grilled eel but hadn't tried grilled lobster sushi (ise ebi; $3.75) -- now it's a new favorite. Try the miso eggplant ($4.95), a stubby eggplant-half covered in sweet miso sauce that caramelizes under the grill -- a simple but extraordinary dish. Miso shows up again on tender pan-fried scallops ($14.95), which would have been more exciting if I hadn't had the eggplant, too. Pick one or the other and enjoy.

The owners successfully play with flavor and color combinations. The flamboyant "New York roll" ($8.95) combines pale hamachi (young yellowtail) with tuna, salmon, avocado and flying-fish roe. Tender shrimp peek through baked mango like crustaceans swimming in a sweet ocean for the "mango shrimp" entree ($15.95). There are several beautiful vegetable rolls -- bright-green asparagus, avocado and cucumber ($3.25), or a dark and spicy kimchi ($2.95).

The owners successfully play with flavor and color combinations. The flamboyant "New York roll" ($8.95) combines pale hamachi (young yellowtail) with tuna, salmon, avocado and flying-fish roe. Tender shrimp peek through baked mango like crustaceans swimming in a sweet ocean for the "mango shrimp" entree ($15.95). There are several beautiful vegetable rolls -- bright-green asparagus, avocado and cucumber ($3.25), or a dark and spicy kimchi ($2.95).

The sushi rice -- a recipe Jenny Lu brought from her former restaurant in Manhattan -- is as tasty a starch as you'll find anywhere. Which means it's about as good as everything else at Nagoya. Go several times, earn your chopsticks.