From The Dish, Saratoga Social. Published June 2, 2017.
We’ve made it (kind of) to summer! Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, the farmer’s market is in full bloom and town is bustling and vibrant. The dog days of summer are slowly coming, where slow walks, long brunches and cold brews are musts and fresh greens, fruits and vegetables are plentiful and at their peak. Make sure to fold Sweet Mimi’s into this mix and you’ll thank me. Whether it’s an early morning breakfast, a relaxing lunch or a quick stop for a coffee and a bag of homemade granola, this place has a little bit of something for the sweets and the savories.
Classically trained chef and owner Jeannette Liebers fulfilled a lifelong dream when she opened her doors at Sweet Mimi’s Cafe and Bakery on Phila Street in between Circular and Putnam, in 2013 after 20 years of catering, personal-chefing and teaching in Saratoga and beyond. Jeanette strives and succeeds in creating a warm and inviting atmosphere and a menu that boasts fresh, seasonal produce, local eggs, coffee, bread and gelato, among other things. “What I think makes Sweet Mimi’s special is our hospitable front of the house staff making each customer feel at home”, Jeanette says. “Our cafe is cozy & quaint very much like dining at home. We just completed a remodel in the dining room adding a wall of gorgeous built in mirrors to bring in the light and added a lighter fabric on the benches reminiscent of sea grass. We want our customers to come in and settle in with a big mug of freshly ground coffee and a platter of scones while they peruse the menu.” From scratch recipes and this true attention to detail steal the show here and the cafe’s dedication to Jeanette’s vision of hospitality adds to its authentic charm.
Mimi’s menu is chock full of mouth-watering omelettes, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, oatmeals, muffins, and more, making it tricky to even begin to make a decision on what to order. Luckily, our server was an excellent source of advice as to what direction we should go in and helped us narrow down our options. As we were deciding, she also wondered if we might enjoy a grilled, homemade three-berry muffin to start, a seriously nice touch. And the answer to that question is always yes. We made our decisions and gladly dug into the warm muffin embedded with whole raspberries and blackberries and topped with a crumbly, brown sugar topping- all golden brown from the grill.
Soon after, our main courses arrived, I with the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and my lunch date, my Mom, with the Spring Scramble, two total opposite dishes and the best of both worlds. The Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are a Mimi’s best seller and a decadent treat for those with a breakfast sweet tooth. Mimi’s is known for Jeanette’s fluffy, airy pancakes and in this whimsical dish you get two, sandwiching a generous spread of gooey, cinnamon roll filling and topped with a drizzle of classic glaze. As if that wasn’t enough, the cakes are served with a side of whipped cream and, if you desire (which you know you do) a side of bacon. Biting into this stack, I felt a sense of nostalgia, something that most likely came from the pure sugary joy I experienced while enjoying this dish. It’s not just sugar that stands out here though, the flavors are warm and the pancakes are light, it’s satisfying without being cloying but still a guilty pleasure.
My mom’s dish was quite the departure from mine and delicious in its own right. The scramble is a spring special featuring local eggs scrambled with roasted cherry tomatoes, asparagus, onions and zucchini topped with a balsamic reduction, shaved parmesan and julienned basil and served with a nutty oat toast. Fresh, bright and hearty, the scramble was the perfect antidote to the pancakes, and vice versa.
The only thing that our meal was missing was one of the three affogatos that Sweet Mimi’s offers, all made with local coffee and Saratoga gelato… considering I was heading to a wedding dress fitting after our meal, I couldn’t quite fit it in but you know I wanted to.
My mom (from Connecticut) is already looking forward to our next visit to Mimi’s and I am too; not only are there other menu items I am looking forward to trying, but Jeanette updates the specials on a weekly and seasonal basis, meaning there are always new creations to try.
I must note that a secret to getting into Sweet Mimi’s is showing up midday on a weekday; this popular gem is a breakfast hotspot, so prepare for some kind of line at (or out) the door. I promise, though, it’s worth it (and you can satisfy your caffeine fix while you wait). As John Gunther once said, “All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast,” something I learned from the menu at Mimi’s.
Michele Vidarte 