Mimosa, West Chester
2 Waterview Rd.
East Goshen, PA (West Chester)
610.918.9715
Rating: 4 out of 5 silver spoons
Overview: Excellent continental BYOB that consistently pushes the envelope with creative, innovative cuisine. Although Mimosa does not have a prime location, this place is worth finding.
Food: Eclectic cuisine that borrows from various regional influences. The menu changes monthly and is very adventurous. For finicky eaters, this could pose a problem — most dishes had many interesting and ambitious ingredient pairings — a great situation for those who like to try new things, but not exactly the best for those who prefer a simpler dish. To start off, chef Gilles Moret features a small selection of tapas, a slightly perplexing choice seeing as there are not enough to make a true tapas meal. They do, however, make a nice single serving appetizer. Excellent examples include “Beef Tenderloin Skewers with Saffron Aoli” and “Duck & Beef Nachos with Hoisin Sesame Sauce”. For entrees, the Chinese spiced tuna was excellently prepared, served rare over cucumber-mango salad and sticky rice, all in a ginger tamari sauce. Another popular dish at our table was the pork tenderloin, served with hickory smoked bacon in a horseradish cream sauce. On a later visit, I absolutely loved the “Roasted Normandy Chicken with Cider, Apples, Brandy Mushroom Cream Sauce”, and I hardly ever order typically banal chicken at a restaurant. The “King Salmon Filet, Almond Encrusted with Ginger Beurre Blanc” was also highly regarded at our table.
Ambiance: Nice open dining room with plenty of natural light. The only complaint is that the chairs are a bit uncomfortable.
Service: Excellent, although we did attend on non-weekend nights when the place was not very crowded. One waitress was a bit strange and overbearing, but she seemed to mean well, so it was not too bothersome.
Value: An ambitious menu with entrees in the low 20’s, combined with the ability to BYOB makes Mimosa a superb value. The tapas also run around $5-6, a nice price for a one person teaser.
Details:
# of times we’ve eaten there: 3
Reservations: Yes
Payments: Cards
Bar: BYOB
NOTE: To find Mimosa, look for the entrance to the Waterview Apartment Complex. Go through the main entrance and make a quick left into the Mimosa parking lot.
March 28th, 2006 at 10:38 am
Mimosa has evolved into a delightful byob. When I visited after they first opened, I had mixed feelings. But two more recent visits have proven Mimosa a viable contender on the byo scene. Try the sampler as an appetizer–the duck nachos are amazing! Very creative pairings of flavors and textures on everything all around. The chef seems to have found his niche and run with it. Bring a bottle of Sancerre and imagine you are in Paris… J’adore Mimosa–merci beaucoup!
January 17th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I am a dining snob who frequents fine restaurants, from Striped Bass to Savona to Gilmore’s, and Mimosa remains one of my favorites. The food is always fresh, impeccably prepared, served appropriately warm or cool, and often intriguing. Service is efficient, without being intrusive. The menu varies seasonally, but you can’t go wrong ordering one of the chef’s specials.
January 21st, 2007 at 4:15 pm
We had dinner here recently and it exceeded our expectations.
Pluses: The mussels in saffron cream sauce were divine and the sauce was finished to the last drop. Crispy calamari was terrific as was the accompanying dip. One special was a seafood paella that was phenomenal. Fresh components and savory well-balanced spices. One minus was the spring mix salad. Two in our group thought it was lackluster.
On the whole, the food is wonderful, though, and I highly recommend a visit here. Friendly staff, nice ambience.
January 21st, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Mimosa was quite a disappointment. We went with a small group and found the service unbearable. It took over 1 hour and 15 minutes to receive our appetizers, which the waiter manage to get all wrong. Without even a slight apology, our waiter continued to be rude and obnoxious. He felt his tip was guaranteed due to the menu disclaimer. It took another hour for our main course. I called the owner regarding the issues to see whether they were short handed, and once again, he just commented the 1 hour and 15 minutes seem long. No apology, just tough luck. Good luck getting a recommendation from our group.
January 26th, 2007 at 1:54 am
After four years living in Brussels, the world gastronomic capital, we have become a bit wary about what sometimes passes for French cuisine this side of the Atlantic, or at least of I-95. Sure, there is always Le Bec-Fin, but the prices, and hassle of getting into the City… Mimosa has met our expectations for a fine, accessible restaurant in the suburbs. The menu selections have consistently been fresh, creatively prepared, and attractively presented. Listen for Chef/Owner Gilles’ nightly specials - they are usually a best choice here, and the early Prix Fixe is a deal for budget-conscious diners, with selections right off of the seasonal menu. After multiple visits, we’ve found service to be efficient and responsive. We dine out a lot, and Mimosa is one of our regular stops.
January 31st, 2007 at 6:55 pm
We have dined at Mimosa at least once a month for the last two years and rate it right up with Gilmore’s and Dilworthtown (different ambiance) as the best in West Chester and among the best in the Delaware Valley. Besides never having had anything less that a very good meal, we have never experienced what “Theresa” above describes. On the contrary, Chuck (the only male waiter, among several women) is efficient, very helpful, and disarmingly friendly. In fact, the combination of the food creations of chef/owner Gilles Moret, the service and the comfortable surroundings, is what makes dining at Mimosa so nice. It is just possible that a recent family emergency may have put Chuck “off his game” for one night. In any event, I encourage Theresa and her group to give Mimosa another try. I will be surprised if their second experience is anything less than great.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:48 am
Theresa’s review astounded us. She made no mention of Mimosa’s exquisitely prepared, ultra-fresh, beautifully presented food. Mimosa offers charming and gracious ambiance in which patrons enjoy pleasant conversation, share selected wines, and dine in a relaxed atmosphere. Our experience with Mimosa’s knowledgeable, friendly, and efficient wait staff has always been positive and congenial. Mimosa’s seasonally changed menu offers numerous delectable choices, all of which would please the most discriminating palate.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Food was just barely o.k. It reminded me of diner food or something that I would fix myself at home. Trust me, when I tell you that I can make a meal like Mimosa at home with a better presentation and flavor. After reading the reviews I thought that I was going to get a first class experience. The dishes were old kind of like being in my grandmom’s house and the place had a musty smell to it with plastic flowers throughout.
The service was very good as all had reported but the food and atmosphere was not good enough to return.
Sorry if I disappointed all of the Mimosa disciples with my comments.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:01 am
Not sure that I would consider my self a Mimosa “disciple”, but having dined here a few times recently I would love to see “Anita” prepare some of the dishes typical to Chef Moret’s style. My meals have always been prepared exquisitely and presented beautifully. From the Maine Diver Sea Scallops, to the Beef Tenderloin (always cooked to a perfect medium rare), to the zesty and bold Spanish Zarzuela, Chef Moret hits a ten each time.
There are fresh flowers placed on each table, so I am assuming the “plastic flowers” mentioned were the mimosa flower arrangements in the window. A decoration that adds ambience, not one that reminds me of a diner or of my grandmother’s.
Service is wonderful, atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and the food…impeccable.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
The comments from Theresa above seem to be agenda-driven, for whatever reason. I simply don’t believe her. This is pretty good restaurant with good service and I cannot imagine waiting over an hour for appetizers there and then being treated so poorly. Also, Anita says she can cook like that at home? Maybe, but I think some of these posts are phony. Mimosa is an excellent BYOB and we eat there regularly and will continue to do so. Try it yourself and ignore these mean-spirited remarks.
March 17th, 2008 at 5:46 am
We had a wonderful meal at Mimosa this past Sat night (3/15). We were very hungry so we ordered 2 soups, 3 appetizers (not tapas), 2 entrees and 1 dessert. The mushroom soup (I believe from local mushrooms) was flavorful - not too creamy and arrived piping hot. We also had the duck quesadillas (very good), oysters rockefeller (also very good) and the crab napoleon (excellent). The crab was large chunks of lump crabmeat on a piece of phyllo dough and a very light sauce in small circles around the plate. The chef also sent out an amuse bouche of fried shrimp (just ok). I had the lamb special and my husband had the diver scallops. The lamb was pretty good (for some reason it was not extremely flavorful other than the crust on the outside), but the scallops were excellent. The accompanying sides were just ok (risotto with the scallops was a little mushy, the potatoes with the lamb were just mashed). There were also haricot verts and carrots on the plate. My husband had the homemade key lime pie, which he said was excellent. All of the desserts are home made. The coffee left a lot to be desired (too watery), but hey you can’t have everything:) We will definitely be back. I’d like to try the 3 course prix fixe menu (wed, thurs or sun).
April 1st, 2008 at 10:33 am
I must have had the same waiter on 3/29 that Theresa had. A supreme JERK. The food was decent, but not good enough to make me ever want to go back, or the 5 others in our party. Rude, rude with attitude. It enraged me to have to leave this _utz a 20% required tip. Where to begin. Party of six seated by the hostess at 8:35. After 30 minutes, 9:05, I kid you not, waiter arrives with a question of who seated us? Ten minutes later, 9:15, menus appear. Bread will be forthcoming. My friend asked for water (to take medecine) After a wait, 3 glasses arrive. My wife asked nicely if she could also have water thinking that if you don’t ask you don’t get. The answer, I only have two hands, but nasty. We ordered finally at 9:35 with some difficulty. I had gotten up to ask the hostesss for service, and returned to the table (10 feet away) to “oh, here he is”, but snide. Apart from other rude remarks from time to time, my friend is still waiting for the second wine glass he requested, and a second round of rolls after the entree is finished doesn’t work for me. If you go here, stick to a waitress, they seemed pleasant, but avoid the waiter like the plague. Otherwise leave. Life is too short to put up with this. The next time I go to restaurant with a mandatory tip for 6 and above (why I don’t know) I will either get that waived or leave.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Our party of six dined at Mimosa on 11 April and the food was excellent. Our food and service was excellent - if there is a shortcoming, cos82 missed this or he would have really been mad, it is not the practice of adding an automatic tip of 20% for groups larger than six, it is the practice of calculating the tip on the amount including state tax. Effectively the tip becomes 21.2%. It doesn’t make much of a difference to the final bill, but I don’t like the principle. Ed Rendell didn’t serve any portion of the meal.
John from Pa
April 14th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Our party of six dined at Mimosa on 11 April and the food was excellent. Our food and service was excellent - if there is a shortcoming, cos82 missed this or he would have really been mad, it is not the practice of adding an automatic tip of 20% for groups larger than six, it is the practice of calculating the tip on the amount including state tax. Effectively the tip becomes 21.2%. It doesn’t make much of a difference to the final bill, but I don’t like the principle. Ed Rendell didn’t serve any portion of the meal.
John from Pa