Based on more than 60 days of research throughout France this spring, Mimi's Cafe announced the launch of made-from-scratch, rustic cut French frites with its new "Frites Grill" menu, featuring classic combinations such as Steak Frites, Roasted Chicken & Frites, Grilled Atlantic Salmon & Frites, and Meyer Lemon Mussels & Frites.
The Mimi's Cafe culinary team sampled authentic French frites and talked with local chefs in brasseries, bistros and Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, Brittany and Normandy as a foundation for developing their new recipe.
"We wanted our new made-from-scratch frites to be so authentic that they would be worthy of the all-important 'fait maison' certification if our restaurants were located in France," said Executive Chef Katie Sutton, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, in an interview. Fait Maison is a government demarcation certifying that a French restaurant serves house-made cuisine, with particular standards for frites.
Sutton continued, "Authentic frites can be found in some independent restaurants in America, but most casual dining concepts still serve bagged, frozen French fries. Unique to Mimi's, our new frites are made with Russet potatoes grown on a collective of four family farms in Southeastern Idaho that has been growing potatoes since the 1900s."
The new recipe features thick hand-cut potatoes, larger than a half inch, which are double cooked – first blanched and cooled, then fried to order – yielding frites that are crispy and golden on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. Finally, the frites are seasoned with sea salt and fresh herbs.
Sutton also created a selection of herb-infused butters to complement the new entrées, including a 28-day aged New York strip steak with house-made thyme-garlic butter for $17.99, Grilled Atlantic Salmon with lemon-garlic butter and garlic spinach for $13.99, Roasted Half Chicken with rosemary herbes de Provence butter for $15.99, and Meyer Lemon Mussels in a white wine-lemon broth with fresh herbs and garlic crostini for $11.99.
ABOUT MIMI'S CAFE
Founded in 1978 by Arthur Simms, who was stationed in France during World War II, Mimi's Cafe is a neighborhood bistro offering American-French comfort food. In February 2013 Mimi's Cafe was purchased by Le Duff America, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Groupe Le Duff, a global bakery and restaurant company headquartered in Rennes, France. Since then, the culinary team overseen by Executive Chef Katie Sutton has launched new dishes reflecting the culinary traditions of fresh ingredients, bistro classics, and American comfort food. There are currently 119 Mimi's Cafe locations throughout 21 states in the U.S.
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