"Mimi’s Cafe with Georgia Hardstark" is Episode 38 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Mimi’s Cafe with Georgia Hardstark" was released on February 18. 2016.
Synopsis[]
Georgia Hardstark of Alie & Georgia and the My Favorite Murder podcast joins the ‘boys to review her childhood favorite: West Coast French bistro chain Mimi’s Cafe. Plus, Mitch brings an array of food and drink from his Colombian vacation for a special regional Snack or Wack.
Nick's intro[]
Marcus Loew
In the early 1920s, Marcus Loew, the founder of the Loews Theatre chain, initiated a series of movie studio acquisitions - first, Metro Pictures, then Goldwyn Pictures, then finally Louis B. Mayer Pictures - consolidating the trio of companies and putting Mayer in charge. MGM Studios would go on to dominate the film industry in the first half of the 20th century.
In the 1950s, the MGM commissary was headed by Arthur J. Simms, who, prior to serving lunching movie-studio employees, had served his country as an airman in World War II. Simms had been stationed in France during the war and developed a love for its food, which later led to him and his three sons opening a French bistro in Anaheim, California in 1978. The restaurant's Disneyland-adjacent home base was reflected in the cartoonish rendering of French culture in its menu and structural design.
Over the next three decades, Simms' neighborhood bistro expanded into a chain spread across the American West, thriving into the 2000s - at which point its valuation dipped by $100,000,000 over the course of the decade, as individual locations saw consistent negative quarterly growth.
But it still endures.
And with 145 corporate-owned locations in twenty-four U.S. states, it stands as an icon of America's ongoing conflicted relationship with France - a suspiciousness of its people and politics, but an unabashed love its cuisine and culture.
This week on Doughboys: Mimi's Cafe.
Mitch's intro[]
Lady Liberty
The Statue of Liberty.
Or, Lady Liberty.
In the late 1880s, it was a gift from France to America.
Little did we know that it wouldn't be France's best gift...
Fork rating[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
4.3 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
3 forks |
| Georgia Hardstark | (went to the restaurant, but left before getting any food)
(based her review on her childhood visits to the place) |
3 forks |
Mitch's Colombian Tasting Session 🇨🇴 Snack or Drank[]
The Doughboys sample a variety of drinks and snacks that Mitch brought back from a recent trip to Colombia. This segment was initially going to be called "Mitch's Colombian Tasting Session," but Mitch decided to just Snack or Wack them instead.
Mitch brought a bottle of Aguardiente, a strong licorice-flavored Colombian alcohol. He also brought some Colombian coffee-flavored dark chocolate, but does not indicate which brand. Further, Mitch somehow smuggled 7-year Havana Club Rum from Cuba back into the States (which he had bought in Colombia).
| guest / host | chocolate | Aguardiente | Havana Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Snack | Drank | Drank |
| Mike Mitchell | Snack | Drank | Drank |
| Georgia Hardstark | Snack | Drank | Drank |
Quotes[]
| “ | French Onion soup is the pie of soups. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | It's like you just said "Ronald Reagan is the New England Patriots of dogs". What the fuck are you talking about? | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | I saw a cheese cart once. It was exciting. | ” |
–Georgia Hardstark | ||
| “ | You guys are the cutest couple I have ever seen. | ” |
–Georgia Hardstark re: Nick and Mitch | ||
| “ | Imagine the shipping costs to bring your corpse back stateside. | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
#hashtags[]
- #FromGreenToGreat
The Feedbag[]
| “ | I live in Sydney and our first Carl's Jr. opened up in a suburb about 1.5 hours drive away. As I have never had Carl's Jr. (we have McDonald's and Burger King [in Australia it is called Hungry Jack's]) should I make the trek to check it out? What is the furthest distance you have ever traveled to get something to eat? | ” |
–Sam Cassese | ||
| guest / host | should one drive 90 minutes to Carl's Jr.? | farthest travel for food |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | only if you're a Doughboys listener | - |
| Mike Mitchell | it's a nice long drive and you could see a koala | 90 minutes for Steak 'N Shake (in this ep) |
| Georgia Hardstark | yes, of course | - |
Restaurants[]
| official visits | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mimi's Cafe | Atwater Village, CA | Mitch went to this location with Susser and Mike Carlson |
| Mimi's Cafe | Lakewood, CA | Nick went to this location (on Valentine's Day with Natalie) |
| Mimi's Cafe | Irvine, CA | Georgia's hometown location, which she based her review on |
| restaurants referenced | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| La Cevichería | Cartagena, Colombia | Mitch went there |
| The Clock Pub | Cartagena, Columbia | Mitch went there and sang karaoke |
| El Corral | Columbia | the fast-food chain of Colombia |
| Crepes & Waffles | Cartagena, Columbia | Mitch went there on his trip |
| Juanita's Taco Shop | Encinitas, CA | Mitch's favorite San Diego burrito place |
| Blue Bayou Restaurant | Anaheim, CA | Mitch says it's 'really great' and Nick's been a bunch |
| Zankou Chicken | Los Angeles, CA | they discuss the Zankou murders |
| Blueberry Cafe | Santa Monica, CA | Georgia used to work there |
| Tam O'Shanter | Atwater Village, CA | Georgia mentioned it, everyone loves it (and Walt Disney did too) |
| Chandni | Santa Monica, CA | Nick's favorite Indian place |
Drops and Plugs and Themes[]
| references | notes |
|---|---|
| Saturday Night Live / The Chappelle Show / The Family Guy (tv) / some Latin groove | in Mitch's drop |
| The Simpsons / Friends / Bill Clinton (tv) / 'Weird Al' Yankovic "Fat" | in Nick's drop |
| Unique Sweets (tv) | Georgia's plug for the show she's on |
| My Favorite Murder / Slumber Party | Georgia's plugs |
| Tito Puente | theme for Mitch's Colombian Tasting Session |
Photos (via @doughboyspod)[]
