Mimino Restaurant
“You can even order out, if you call few days ahead 😉
Georgian food is not MacDonald and takes time to be cooked, as it is quality meals.”
“We enjoyed the Eggplant and Walnuts, the khinkali , khachapuri and lamb kebab .”
“Tarkhun (the tarragon soda) is sweet but yummy, and just as their pear soda (also sweet) goes well with food.”
Mimino Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
1 review
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John and I were fortunate to be invited as guests to a birthday feast at the Russian/Georgian restaurant Mimino, hosted by our friend Yuri, who is originally from Belarus. Mimino, which means "Mountain Eagle," specializes in serving large groups as well as welcoming individual parties of diners. Alcohol is not served, but guests may bring their own. Live music by Russian performers is advertised on weekends.
Our friend Yuri takes great pride in teaching our band of friends about the language, culture, and food of his homeland (as well as neighboring areas). It was to our great delight that we were treated to the table d'hôte "Russian Banquet" this past Saturday afternoon at Mimino. We were feted with many different Russian and Georgian traditional dishes and learned a bit about each as we sampled them. Yuri explained to us that the cuisine of Georgia was significantly different from the grain-based diet of central Russia, and that it incorporated influences from many other nations, including France, Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East. Another unique feature of Georgian cuisine is the use of ground walnuts. Satsivi is a walnut-based sauce used in various dishes. Georgian food is popular throughout Russia and the former Soviet Union due to peripatetic Georgians, who have migrated and introduced their cuisine in many other locations.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were escorted to our table. the places were elegantly set and a selection of "zakuski" (appetizers or "first course") were waiting for us. These were arrayed around the table between guests and elevated in the center on vertical servers. We sat down, began with a series of toasts, and tucked in to ample platters of starters. Russian cuisine is noted for its interesting and varied salads, of which there were several on our table. We were introduced to "Olivier salat," (here called "Stolichnaya salad") a creamy potato salad of small dice, interspersed with cubed carrot and other vegetables, that is traditionally found (with variation) at almost any Russian gathering. There were two other salads, one Greek (Grecheskiy) – with large chunks of cucumber and tomato, topped with crumbled cheese, and another Caesar-type salad.
There were platters of pickled vegetables (cabbage, and red and green tomatoes), and platters of assorted thinly sliced meat, fish, and cheese. The meat selections were roasted pork loin (buzhenina), tongue (yazik), and seasoned, air-dried beef (pasturma). There were two delicious choices of fish – salmon and paltus, a baltic flounder-like fish with a luxurious, buttery taste. I did not catch the name of the two cheeses on that platter. One was feta-like and the other mild and semi-soft. Joining these platters were bowls of roasted potato wedges with mushrooms, and a basket of crusty bread (lavash). Then out paraded a second series of dishes. Khachapuri, nicknamed "Georgian pizza," led the progression of new treats. In taste and texture, this was a soft bread, much like Indian naan or puri, stuffed solid with a mixture of three types of cheese melted together. This was followed by mushrooms Julien (a casserole of mushrooms and cheese), and platters of blini (Russian crepes) with salmon roe caviar. But wait – more was on its way! Seafood (shrimp, salmon, and mussels) in a light cream sauce over noodles (lapsha s krevetkami) arrived at the table, followed by a platter of shish kabob (pork, lamb, and chicken). Non-alcoholic cold beverages were available with the meal, and coffee and tea accompanied dessert.
Dessert consisted of platters of fresh fruit and "Napoleons." These Napoleons were not the typical tall multi-layer rectangles with the thick layer of icing on top! Instead, they were puffy, flaky triangles of dough stuffed with a single layer of custard cream. Delightfully light after that button-popping feast. (A special "Kiev cake," a light confection of hazelnuts and meringue, brought in from an outside bakery, followed the Napoleons as the birthday cake.)
Everything we tasted, from start to finish, was delicious. I did not have enough room to taste absolutely everything on the table, but I managed to sample quite a bit. The highlights for me were the paltus, the blini, the pasturma, the khachapuri, the potatoes and mushrooms, and the lavash…and the Napoleons…and the Olivier salat.
As one might imagine, the entire staff and many of the clientele are international. This was a completely different experience from dining in a standard American restaurant and it had the exciting feel of visiting another country right in central New Jersey.