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Old 11-01-2013, 06:39 AM
 
2,886 posts, read 4,976,621 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Briolat21 View Post
Re: Mimi's.

I don't know about their Tgiving dinner, but just for a normal dinner - we tried them (twice - in case the first time was a fluke) - they were overpriced and obnoxious.

If you want reasonably priced comfort food, Cracker Barrel wins hands down over Mimi's.


Again, I make allowance for the fact that for one special themed meal (likeTgiving) Mimi might not be terrible.
Yeah, I've never eaten at Mimi's otherwise. Too long a drive rom where I live for mid-price chain food. But everything about the Thanksgiving meal tasted like it was prepared fresh from scratch, and the price was reasibabke, Hubby opts for trying Cracker Barrel this year, so I'll post a report.
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Old 11-01-2013, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Mason, OH
9,259 posts, read 16,794,131 times
Reputation: 1956
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah Perry View Post
Yeah, I've never eaten at Mimi's otherwise. Too long a drive rom where I live for mid-price chain food. But everything about the Thanksgiving meal tasted like it was prepared fresh from scratch, and the price was reasibabke, Hubby opts for trying Cracker Barrel this year, so I'll post a report.
We don't frequent Mimi's very often considering how close it is to us. But the reason is more we have so much to select from than not liking their fare. I am a big meatloaf fan, give me a good meatloaf any day. I qualify a good meatloaf as one with a liberal mix of diced onions and or mushrooms and loosely formed into a loaf. Has to be prepared with lots of gravy, whether tomato or beef based, since I want a large mound of mashed potatoes with it. I have found the meatloaf at both Mimi's and Cracker Barrel to be satisfying.

We bought one of those meatloaf pans you see on TV, the kind with the insert, and it really works. When you lift the insert out of the pan all of the dissolved grease remains in the bottom. The only problem is you don't really have any good gravy, a real bummer. Sometimes we just prepare a meatloaf, remove it and the liner from the pan, let it sit enough to congeal, and slice into about 1/2 inch slices. After refrigerating, cold meatloaf sandwiches, what else is better?

But Cracker Barrel does sound like a good bet on Thanksgiving. If they even equal their everyday fare it will be fine.

We have two local places which are our favorites. Don't expect either one of them to offer Thanksgiving fare.

The first is the Mason Grill on East Main Street. It frankly is a hole in the wall which has gone through several incarnations during our time living here. They are mainly known for their everyday overstuffed breakfast omelets and the Friday night prime rib special. You will likely never hear of them outside of Mason but they have developed a very loyal clientele.

The second favorite is Ruby Tuesday's over off of Kings Island Drive. #1 they have a very good layout from the parking lot, to the front door, to the interior to accommodate my wife's power wheelchair. #2 we both are big salad fans. Their salad bar is always well stocked with a variety of ingredients, fresh looking and attractive. If we are particularly hungry we will order an entre, otherwise it is just the dinner salad bar. Their staff is very pleasant and overdo themselves making my wife comfortable. Until you reach a point in life where a handicapped situation dominates everyday life, you do not appreciate how welcome this is. People are always maligning fast-foot chain operations, but this Ruby Tuesday's is an exception.
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Old 11-01-2013, 09:24 AM
 
59 posts, read 111,555 times
Reputation: 39
Several places offer dinners you can pick up and warm at home on T day (Kroger, Bob Evans). Depending on how early you eat, you would have left overs for later in the day. This does not eliminate all the mess you make in the kitchen, but you would not have to face the crowds (my complaint) or spend the day cooking. We ate at Bob Evans one day this past week and learned that they would be open on T day for the first time ever, but only until 2:00 p.m. Has anyone every picked up meals to serve at home? Bob Evans is not bad if you eat in, I would imagine they would offer the same quality for take home.
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Old 11-01-2013, 10:30 AM
 
Location: Mason, OH
9,259 posts, read 16,794,131 times
Reputation: 1956
Quote:
Originally Posted by $honey View Post
Several places offer dinners you can pick up and warm at home on T day (Kroger, Bob Evans). Depending on how early you eat, you would have left overs for later in the day. This does not eliminate all the mess you make in the kitchen, but you would not have to face the crowds (my complaint) or spend the day cooking. We ate at Bob Evans one day this past week and learned that they would be open on T day for the first time ever, but only until 2:00 p.m. Has anyone every picked up meals to serve at home? Bob Evans is not bad if you eat in, I would imagine they would offer the same quality for take home.
I think the warm and serve at home meals fill a void. It has been awhile since we did that, and our last experience was Kroger. We were quite satisfied. The one difference is we will drop by a Frisch's and buy a whole pumpkin pie to take home. For whatever reason their pumpkin pie is yummy, possibly the spices?

The Mimi's Cafe mentioned earlier is of course owned by Bob Evans. We have a large Bob Evans here in Mason on Beach Boulevard next to I-71. Can't say we have ever been disappointed there. Can't say the same for the Wolf Lodge next to KI. They have a holiday buffet, and for the price I felt it was mediocre. But what can you expect from a tourist trap?
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Old 11-01-2013, 12:01 PM
 
16,393 posts, read 30,270,786 times
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Mimi's Cafe is actually pretty good and offers a lot of options that are acceptable for everything. Their service is very efficient and not artificial like many of the chains. I was a bit surprised when I found that they were affiliated with Bob Evans which I am not a fan of.

Having said that, there are two things to remember about eating out on Thanksgiving. First, make sure that you know when the place is open. A good number of places CLOSE around 5 pm so that there employees can head home and enjoy their holiday meal with their family (the good ones). Second, make a reservation as there are limited options on the holiday and they can get very crowded.
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Old 11-06-2013, 09:50 PM
 
17,569 posts, read 13,339,567 times
Reputation: 33007
Quote:
Originally Posted by Briolat21 View Post
Re: Mimi's.

I don't know about their Tgiving dinner, but just for a normal dinner - we tried them (twice - in case the first time was a fluke) - they were overpriced and obnoxious.

If you want reasonably priced comfort food, Cracker Barrel wins hands down over Mimi's.


Again, I make allowance for the fact that for one special themed meal (likeTgiving) Mimi might not be terrible.

Mimi's is a chain restaurant. It is fair, breakfast is ok, not great but OK. Lunch and dinner---we'd never go back
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:07 AM
 
Location: Cincy
254 posts, read 983,047 times
Reputation: 109
Went to Mimi's once, the service was awful, slow as heck!
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Old 11-07-2013, 11:19 AM
 
Location: A voice of truth, shouted down by fools.
1,086 posts, read 2,702,101 times
Reputation: 937
We went to the Mimi's in Mason that Brill has mentioned years ago, once. Our experience was satisfactory. I also remember that they gave us some bonuses of some big, freshly baked muffins to take home. But NOBODY I know has ever eaten there and food review sites absolutely trash the place. Mimi's was owned by Bob Evans a few years ago. In my opinion they're trying to be too fancy at too low a price point.
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Old 11-27-2013, 03:55 PM
 
Location: Mason, OH
9,259 posts, read 16,794,131 times
Reputation: 1956
Well we decided to try something different this year. We thought about the dinner in the box from such as Kroger. But we waited too long to order. Also, how are two people going to consume a dinner for six?

So today I phoned Cracker Barrel, and yes they do not take reservations. So we are aiming at about 2:00 PM tomorrow at our local outlet. Hopefully we can be served by 4:00 PM. My wife will investigate everything in their country store in the interim. Will advise what our experience is.
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Old 11-28-2013, 02:34 PM
 
2,886 posts, read 4,976,621 times
Reputation: 1508
Hubby and I just returned from the Cracker Barrel on Winton Rd. We got there at 2:00, put our name on the list for an hour and a half wait, left and returned at 3:00. The staff were doing an amazing job of crowd control, with the gift shop area so packed with people it was nearly impossible to move. We were seated by 3:15, and our food was out in about 10 minutes. We both had the standard turkey/ham dinner, which comes with stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, two additional sides, choice of biscuit or cornbread, beverage and pumpkin pie for the astounding price of $9.99. Our server seemed busy, but was pleasant and efficient and did not act harried or rushed. This is of course not a fine dining experience, but if you want a decently prepared traditional Thanksgiving dinner, over and done and for a cheap price, I have to give them kudos for doing it very very well.
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