Mim's Finds Its Roslyn Niche

By Joe Scotchie

After months of preparation, Mim's has opened its restaurant in Roslyn, at the site of the former Roslyn Cafe on Roslyn Road. Last Friday, the owners, Richard and Chris Cutler and their partner, Kenneth Walsh, held a reception for invited guests before making the official opening to the public this past Tuesday.

Mim's has been in Syosset for 14 years. The owners have long eyed Roslyn as a place for a new establishment. Richard Cutler recalls that Roslyn area residents who used to frequent the Syosset restaurant always asked him when he would open a similar place in Roslyn. More importantly, the Roslyn area is similar in demographics to Syosset. That is the main reason they came to town.

At the Friday night gathering, Mr. Cutler noted that plenty of young families with "new money" are moving into the Roslyn area, another reason for his optimism. Concerning the interior of the restaurant, the owners had several partitions knocked down in order to make more room for customers. The new Mim's will hold about 180 people in its new surroundings.

Mr. Cutler also acknowledged the hold the building has on Roslyn residents. At the Friday event, he met one middle-aged woman who had her "sweet 16" party at the building. Last summer, some Roslyn High School alumni decided to hold a huge reunion, one that applied to all the classes in that school's history. When the long day ended, many attendees made the building at 235 Roslyn Road their final destination. Cameron Stracher, the novelist who grew up in Roslyn, also remembers the Roslyn Road Cafe as a popular meeting place for the village's young people.

Previous owners had live music at the restaurant as a way to drum up business. Mr. Cutler said Mim's won't bother with live music, instead, the owners will operate the establishment as a restaurant only. However, the owners are anxious for Mim's to become part of the community. That would include, among other things, sponsoring youth athletic teams, such as Little League squads. The old Roslyn Cafe, Mr. Walsh said, "had a good crowd. We want to keep it that way."

The Mim's in Roslyn will have the same menu as the restaurant in Syosset. Brett Hudes, formerly of Baxter's Grill in Port Washington, will be the chef for the new restaurant. In all, the owners hope Mim's will fill a niche between high-end restaurants and diners, while remaining a place familiar to generations of Roslynites.