Mimi's Cafe features delicious food, beautiful presentation and elgant surroundings

For the past 25 or so years, I've had the pleasure of working for the largest telecommunications company in the U.S. in one of the major centers in the company where we monitor and maintain the network in "real time." For various reasons, I work the night shift, which has its plusses and minuses, but all-in-all, it's a pretty good shift to work. As in any big corporation, safety is a concern, and our company has make on-the-job safety a top priority. As an incentive to promote a safe work environment, and to promote teamwork, the company offers our team a all-expense paid breakfast, on company time, once per quarter.

Left: Some members of our team mill around the front of Mimi's, as we arrived 10 minutes before they open. Right: When you walk in the door, this elegant decor greets you.

We have several favorite restaurants not far from work, and for today's breakfast on April 25, 2006, the crew chose Mimi's Cafe, located near the corner of Alta Arden and Howe Ave., in Sacramento, Ca. Since we work the graveyard shift, we normally get off at 0800, but today, we were allowed off at 0630, so we could all meet together at Mimi's and enjoy a breakfast. Since our network is very redundant, one of the company's other surveillance centers picked up our work load until the day shift reported for duty.

Naturally with a name like Mimi's, you'd believe that the place is some European influence, and it certainly does. From the outside, it looks like the Gingerbread House in one of the Hansel and Gretel fairytales, and on the inside, it looks almost like a restaurant in a German hunting lodge, complete with reddish tile floors, flagstone on the walls, elegant chandeliers, wood-beamed ceiling, and a nice big, cheery fireplace to greet you. Then, you're greeted by a friedly hostess who will seat you. Since were 15 of us in our group, our boss had made prior arrangements, and we were seated at a large table, in a semi-private room, that could accommodate all of us. On the way to our table, we got to walk past the inviting, full-service bar. Should I think such thoughts at 0700 in the morning?

Left: We had to walk past the bar to get to our table, which was not a bad thing. Right: Our team is seated and the friendly waitress is bringing menus.

Immediately our server asked us who wanted to order coffee, and within minutes, coffee, with all the amenities was served. There's something about staying up all night, keeping the network running, that calls for a good cup of coffee after the shift, and Mimi's won't disappoint you. Next, menus were brought to us.

For most diners, choosing your breakfast is probably the hardest thing to do all day, as the selection is extensive and varied. You can choose anything from Southwestern omelets to German pancakes, and anything in between. I've been to Mimi's a few times before, and for me, and several other coworkers, including my boss, the choice was simple: In-house made corn beef hash, home-style potatoes, eggs over easy, buttered sourdough French toast, garnished with parsley and a slice of orange. Some of the breakfast choices made by other team members included pot roast covered with gravy, fruit plate, various omelets, including crab, pancakes, and eggs benedict. Naturally, most of these dishes include eggs, meat, toast or muffin. No matter what you order from Mimi's, the food is good.

Left: Here's my yet-untouched breakfast of corned beef hash, potatoes, eggs over easy, sourdough toast, coffee and cranberry juice. Right: Niki snaps my photo as I take my first bite. Mmmmmm good!

In what seemed like only a matter of a few minutes, our breakfast was presented to us, by a team of three friendly waitresses. These folks were amazing, as they were able to match the breakfast dish to the diner. Now to me, that would seem like a hard thing to do, as many of the dishes look similar, and there were 15 of us, and they didn't know any of us. Besides, who really tell, at a glance, the difference between eggs over easy and eggs over medium? Whatever method they used, it worked well, as within minutes, all of us were enjoying our delicious meal. Our boss mentioned, as we were starting to enjoy our meal, "I haven't heard you guys this quiet before. Well, maybe at 5 o'clock in the morning..." Hey Niki, we have a job do, and it had nothing to do with the network...

My delicious breakfast was created from fresh ingredients, arrived piping hot, yet not so hot as to burn you, and featured a very desirable presentation. The corn beef hash is made in-house, out of real ingredients, and was simply delicious. The eggs were cooked just right, not burnt nor were the yokes hard, and the potatoes were tender, but not mushy, and absolutely no grease was to found on the breakfast! Truly a delicious meal. Mimi's has the approval of the night crew, as everybody felt the same about their breakfast.

Left: Steve, Ken and John are served. Ken ordered pot roast, covered with gravy, and it looked especially good. Right: Niki enjoys her breakfast of corned beef hash, while I make her laugh. Cyndi had some sort of seafood breakfast and I'm not really sure what it is, but it certainly looks good!

If your taste buds desire fresh, delicious food, served by friendly and efficient staff in truly elegant surroundings, then Mimi's Cafe is the place for you. I'll see your there...

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