Mimi Review - Greenwich Village - New York - The Infatuation

"Mimi is a sexy restaurant. Not “sexy” in the way a lifestyle magazine would describe a Meatpacking lounge that has a lot of couches, but legitimately sexy. Legitimately sexy in the sense that everyone we’ve brought here has left saying, in some form, that this restaurant made them want to go home and have sex in a bathtub. Mimi is a tiny little spot in Greenwich Village with dim lighting, ice cold martinis, a marble bar, tables that are extremely close to each other, and a general aura of cool French person-ness. Once again: sexy. It’s possible that your next question is: “But what about the food?“, but it’s also quite likely that it’s not. Because the food at a vibey restaurant like this is usually besides the point. Chop up some tuna tartare, shuck some oysters, stir some strong drinks, maybe cook a decent steak frites, and throw on a cool playlist, right? Except, wrong. Which is what makes Mimi a restaurant we like so much. In fact, Mimi’s daily-changing menu is actually one of the most serious you’ll find in a not-too-serious restaurant. You’ll find monkfish liver mixed with your vegetables, sea urchin mixed with your gnocchi, and pork rillettes to start everything off. If you’re into blood sausage, you can have that, too. And the only tartare we’ve seen at Mimi is veal. Most restaurants serving these ingredients tend to be where the waiters are in suits, which Mimi is decidedly not. The menu is handwritten, the waiters wear white t-shirts, and so on. If you like to stick to fish and chicken, you’ll find those here, too, and you can definitely still have a good meal doing so. But the fun of Mimi, really, is pairing a bottle of red with some innards. That’s sexy, right? Food Rundown Ankimo Mimi mixes ankimo, Japanese-style monkfish liver, with vegetables (we had it with porcini mushrooms) as a starter, and the result is extremely delicious. If you like foie gras, you’ll like this - think of it as a lighter, seafood-ier version. Bibb Lettuce Not sure what they put in the champagne vinaigrette exactly, but it might be crack. A simple but delicious salad. Bonito There’s a good chance you’ll see some kind of raw fish on the menu. Order it. Riz Noir Black squid ink risotto, topped with grilled squid and shavings of bottarga. Never seen this dish before, would definitely like to see it again. Roast Chicken A tasty, reliable option if you’re not as into trying something new. The chicken tends to be on the moist side, so don’t expect the dried out crispy bird you’ll find at so many restaurants." - Hillary Reinsberg