Mimi's Cafe
Last verified 6/08
www.mimiscafe.com
Warning: The menu items listed below were reported by the restaurant. However, they still should only be considered as a starting off place for choosing items. You still must take the responsibility of being vigilant and always reconfirming the GF status of a menu item each and every time.
The following was sent by Charlene Trinidad, Customer Relations, Mimis Cafe
(714) 544-4826:
"Thanks for writing inquiring about Gluten Free menu items at Mimi's Cafe. Attached is a copy of our recommendation listing for those with allergies to Gluten. We hope the information is helpful."
RJ's Note: The following information was dated August 2006.
Allergies to wheat gluten, caramel color, MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP),
grain vinegars, etc.
Format: This list shows specifically what can be ordered
from each menu category. If it is not on this list, you may assume that it
is made with wheat flour, caramel
color, grain vinegar, or with a flavoring base that includes HVP or MSG (or
both), and it is produced in a facility that manufactures items using
wheat gluten.
General Notes:
Avoid all muffins, quick breads, dessert items, soups,
sauces, salad dressings and marinades from Mimi's restaurants,
as they
are made in a facility that
utilizes flour and wheat by-products. Food service
manufacturers change their formulas quite frequently, so what has no
HVP today might have it tomorrow.
Occasionally you will come across a
new server who will be unfamiliar with our liberal substitution
policy; but our managers are always present
and
always happy to help. Just ask for a manager if you don't see one.
We are always happy
to make substitutions for anything. Most of our guests get "creative";
we're very good at
fulfilling special requests in the kitchen. Please direct your allergen
requirements directly to a unit manager. With the large quantity of
menu items at Mimi's,
we want to be extra careful to ensure your safety, while providing
you with Mimi's own great tasting food and service.
You can order just
a side order of anything we have in the restaurant. If you want just
a piece of chicken or meat, a wedge of fruit, or a
little plain
green salad, please ask. It is something we
do quite frequently.
It would also be a good idea to take a careful
look at your plate when it's delivered to your table. Occasionally,
during the hustle
and bustle,
it's
quite possible for a server to pick up the wrong plate by mistake
or for a chef to mis-read a hastily entered check.
Bon Appetit!
Please don't hesitate to let us know how we can better serve you.
Final
Note: The information here is current and accurate as of August
2006. Please note that the companies we buy food products
from do
change formulas
from time to time. If in doubt, please don't eat it. If you
have ordered the wrong thing by mistake, please do not be embarrassed
to send it
back. We will never charge our guests for something they didn't
eat.
Sincerely,
Adam Baird
V.P. Food & Beverage
Fried Foods: I have been informed that
some Celiacs may be sensitive to foods that have been fried in
the same deep fat
that floured
and breaded foods
have been fried in. Many of our items are breaded using flour.
For example, if French
fries are cooked in the same shortening as breaded shrimp,
it is possible that minute particles of wheat flour may still
be
suspended
in the
oil and be deposited
on the French fries. Unfortunately, Mimi's does not have a
separate fryer for French fries. We use the same fryer that
is used for
breaded foods.
Therefore, we do not recommend eating fried items at Mimi's
Café.
Griddled Foods: Food that is sautéed
on the griddle (like breakfast potatoes) may pick up tiny grains
of flour from pancakes that have been cooked on the same griddle.
Please check with your doctor on this issue, as sensitivity
varies from person to person. We can have griddled foods prepared
singularly in a sauté pan
and get the same
relative cooking effect. Please ask if you are concerned about
cross over contamination.
Black and Bleu Chicken Quesadilla – Order
them made with corn tortillas, without chipotle sauce. The fresh
salsa is ok.
Vegetable Quesadilla – Though not
a current menu item, our cooks can make the exception utilizing
our seasonal vegetables and corn tortillas.
A Note on Dressings: Our mayonnaise contains "vinegar" as
an ingredient, but does not specify what type of vinegar it is
distilled from. Also, we use ketchup in some salad dressings (Heinz
and Hunt's)
and mustard (French's and Gray Poupon), which both contain "vinegar" on
their labels, without further specification.
Lemon
wedges and bottles of oil & balsamic vinegar are available,
or you may bring your own dressing. Mimi's nonfat Sweet & Sour
French Dressing will be ok, as long as you can eat
ketchup. Our other dressings may contain grain vinegar, soy sauce,
Worcestershire
sauce and/or caramel coloring.
Ranch Dressing is very bad, it contains
both HVP and yeast extract, so avoid this.
Cobb Salad – Ok
(see note on bacon, in breakfast section), order without dressing.
Zesty Tostada Chicken Salad – Ok, order without Ranch Dressing
and without Chipotle sauce.
Chicken and Fruit – Ok, request
broiled chicken.
Bleu Cheese & Walnut Salad – Ok,
order with selected dressings as mentioned above; can add broiled
chicken.
Salads are accompanied by a muffin or roll. You
can order corn tortillas instead.
Accompanied by soup or salad; order a green salad,
no croutons and be careful with dressing selection.
You
can substitute
fresh fruit
wedges
or sliced
tomatoes in place of salad. Many dinners have choice
of potato or rice. (The rice is
natural steamed jasmine rice, with nothing added).
For French fries & breakfast potatoes, see "fried
food note."
Order: Baked potato, mashed potato
or rice. French fries contain corn and wheat starches. You can
also substitute
tomatoes,
fruit, or extra
vegetables.
In place of dinner breads, you can get corn tortillas.
Roast Turkey Breast – Order no gravy, no stuffing, baked
potato or rice ok.
Pot Roast – Order no gravy, baked potato
or rice ok.
Meatloaf – NOT
OK. The meatloaf contains gluten, as there is a small amount
of Japanese bread crumbs used as a binder.
Please DO NOT serve this
to a Celiac guest.
Center Cut Pork Chops – Ok
with baked potato or rice and seasonal vegetables.
Grilled Beef Liver – Order it "no
flour", we dip it in
flour before sautéing it. If you ask the server to have
the cooks "pan fry it with butter",
that might be better. That way they won't be cooking
it on the griddle, which might have crumbs of flour left on it
from previously cooked foods.
Flat Iron and Top Sirloin Steaks – Order
broiled, not blackened.
Seasonal Pan Sauce – Ok with any broiled fresh fish.
Sole
with Shrimp Creole – Not blackened. Sauce is ok.
Tuscan Chicken – Marinated with "distilled" vinegar, so
it may be suspect if you cannot have vinegar. Order no crouton.
Salmon and Today's Fresh Fish - Order broiled rather
than blackened. It has been marinated with oil & vinegar.
If vinegar is a problem, you might ask a manager
if there is any unmarinated fish in the fridge;
we'll be happy to
make it for you. We recommend you order either
type of fish with no marinade (avoid tartar sauce
if allergic to mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and/or
pickle
relish).
Sandwiches:
We'll be happy to make a sandwich "no bread." Don't order any
sandwich that has dressing, mayonnaise (if mayonnaise is off
limits) or sauce (like the au
jus on the beef dip). The roast beef we use does
contain caramel coloring, as does the au jus.
Hamburgers:
We'll be happy to make any burger "no bread." Don't
order a hamburger that has dressing or sauce. Don't order the
meatless veggie burger,
it contains
wheat gluten.
Blackened Chicken Tacos - Ok, request
broiled chicken rather than blackened, get corn tortillas instead
of flour. Order
without Chipotle
sauce.
Fresh salsa is ok.
Ice cream and fresh strawberries are available,
if ice cream is ok.
Also, we can hand-cut a fruit salad for you consisting
of melon,
watermelon, orange, berries and more.
Note on Breakfast Meats: Many brands of bacon,
sausage, ham, and corned beef may possibly be cured
or flavored
with HVP – so it is best to avoid them altogether.
(Currently, our bacon and ham, made by Farmland,
appear to be ok. They contain just water, pork,
salt, and nitrites.) We can make a turkey omelette
or instead of sausage and eggs you can have a hamburger
patty and eggs or a turkey burger & eggs.
Many breakfasts are accompanied by muffins. You
can order corn tortillas instead, or substitute
fruit
for a muffin.
Note on Breakfast Potatoes: See
note on griddle-fried foods. Potatoes and pancakes are cooked
on the
same griddle. Of
course, the griddle
is cleaned
with a griddle scraper before a new food is put
on it, but invisible particles of flour may remain.
Check with
your
doctor. You may
have fruit or sliced
tomatoes instead of potatoes.
Huevos con Tortillas – Ok
with corn tortillas
Mediterranean
Omelette – Ok
Egg white Fitness Omelette – Ok
Monterey Omelette – Order
no bacon, if bacon is a problem
Ham & Eggs – Ok if ham is not a problem
Bacon & Eggs – Ok
if bacon is not a problem
2 Egg
Breakfast – Ok
Steak & Eggs – Ok
"I dined at Mimi's Cafe in Oceanside yesterday. I eat there frequently and have
figured out on my own and with management help which
dishes I can eat. The good news is there is a new General Manager who is very
familiar with celiac disease.
His name is Chris Burke. He used to manage a Mimi's
in northern California, and the local Celiac Disease support group ate there
frequently. He will gladly check
on ingredients of the dishes, make recommendations,
and can even have some items such as french fries made in a gluten-free way in
separate oil if we just give
him enough preparation time. He is happy to accommodate
us whether we go there individually or as members of our celiac dine-out group.
Also, he said that at the corporate level, Mimi's
Cafe is updating and evaluating their menu and
will be providing
nutritional
and dietary information
in the
future. He mentioned they are working with one
of the national
celiac organizations. Two executives have recently
joined from Outback Steakhouse
so there is
even more reason to hope for increased knowledge
of the gluten-free diet.
I have found that almost
all the servers and all the supervisors at Mimi's Cafe in Oceanside,
Santee
and
northern California
to be very
accommodating
about making substitutions, such as fruit or cottage
cheese instead of seasoned potatoes, etc. In the
few cases that
a server said
there would
be an extra
charge, I just ask them to check with the manager
and it's always been done with no surcharge for me."
Jill Easton, Carlsbad 3/07
"We found a Mimi's across the street from Disneyland, which
I recognized from this group (SillyYaks). They didn't know about
any
GF menu when I asked, but after a while he came out with an "allergy
book" and
let me look at it. Sure enough, there was a whole section specific to
celiac disease." From SillyYaks site, 2/06
"When I eat at Mimi's, I order the Chinese Chicken Salad without the wonton
noodles and have fruit instead of the muffin. It is very good."
Debbie
M., Poway, 6/04
"I went to the location today in Mira Mesa and was quite
disappointed to experience the waitress and someone who looked like the manager
on duty who had no idea what gluten-free was and no suggestions for me at
all except the low-carb and low-fat menu. . . . I ended up ordering a plain
broiled
chicken breast with a side of cooked veggies, and hopefully the marinades
had no gluten or weren't cross-contaminated with other ingredients containing
gluten.
If so, it was my fault for ordering anything at all. But . . . wouldn't it
be super to know that dishes really are gluten-free with a staff that is
well-informed."
Suzanne W. 2/05
Mission Valley
5180 Mission Center Rd. 92108
619-491-0284
|
Mira Mesa
10788 Westview Parkway 92126
858-566-6667
|
Oceanside
2177 Vista Way 92054
760-721-8086
|
Santee
9812 Mission Gorge Rd. 92071
310-326-4477 |
Temecula
40825 Winchester Rd. 92591
951-296-9970 |
|
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