VENTURA COUNTY WEEKEND : Newest Link in Mimi’s Chain Very Busy : The restaurant offers an array of American, French and Italian fare. Nearby Cafe Bellissimo has caught some of the overflow.

As the business district around Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks grows, so too do the dining options. The latest addition is Mimi’s Cafe, which opened last month in the Best Buy shopping center.

Mimi’s, open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, is the 21st restaurant in a chain that has settled predominantly in Orange and Los Angeles counties since opening in 1978. There is one Mimi’s in Scottsdale, Ariz., and further expansion into that state, as well as into Nevada, is planned.

Like its older siblings, the Thousand Oaks cafe combines classic American cuisine with French and Italian fare. Pot roast and chicken potpie share the menu with quiche Lorraine, filet of sole meuniere (sole dipped in seasoned flour and sauteed in lemon), capellini with tomatoes and basil, and turkey focaccia.

For lunch and dinner, Mimi’s offers a selection of pasta dishes (including fettuccine with chicken and cream mixed with scallions, wine, artichoke hearts and dried tomatoes); meat dishes (including roast pork with red cabbage, and grilled beef liver sauteed in mushrooms and onions), and fish dishes (including broiled halibut steak).

The list of appetizers includes zucchini Parmesan and deep-fried artichoke hearts, and the sandwich selection includes pot roast, French dip, and a five-cheese concoction.

Thus far, the response to the restaurant has been tremendous, with guests waiting for up to 35 or 40 minutes for a lunchtime table.

“It’s been overwhelming,” said manager Terry Lung, who has been employed by the Mimi’s chain for five years. “In truth, I think it’s because we are a new restaurant in town with accessibility from Moorpark Road. A lot of people travel up and down the 101 freeway and we’re right off the freeway.”

Mimi’s is at 400 N. Moorpark Road.

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The lunchtime success of Mimi’s has been so great that it has spilled over onto a neighboring restaurant, Cafe Bellissimo.

“Our lunch business has doubled since Mimi’s opened,” said Anthony Bellissimo, 26, who co-owns the 4-month-old Italian restaurant with his father, Tony Bellissimo, 51.

Cafe Bellissimo features a large selection of fish, meat, chicken, pasta, pizza, sandwiches and antipasto dishes, most of which come from old family recipes brought from Sicily by Tony Bellissimo’s mother, Sara Bellissimo, or Mama Sara as she’s know in the kitchen.

A sampling of the menu: shrimp scampi sauteed in fresh tomato, garlic and brandy, served over linguine; breaded veal cutlet sauteed in a lemon wine sauce; chicken cacciatore; Italian sausage with peppers; fruti di mare linguine (shrimp, calamari, scallops, clams and mussels served in a red or white sauce); and clams served with linguine.

An extensive list of pasta dishes includes angel hair with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil; rotelle with fresh vegetables; cannelloni; gnocchi; mostaccioli baked with mozzarella, meat sauce and peas; manicotti; meat or cheese tortellini; and vegetarian or meat lasagna.

For lunch, Cafe Bellissimo offers a $5.95 buffet, in addition to its $5.50 to $6.95 sandwiches, and $5.95 to $8.95 entrees. And beginning this week, Anthony Bellissimo expects to offer an expanded lunch menu that will include hamburgers and other non-Italian food, in addition to the usual cuisine.

With an Italian brick courtyard appearance, singing servers, a karaoke machine, Tuesday night psychic readings, and balloon artists, the restaurant is more than a place to eat, said Anthony Bellissimo.

“It’s a dining experience,” he said. “We try to transport people to Italy for however long they are here.”

Bellissimo said that, beginning this month, he expects construction to begin on an outdoor patio that will wrap around the back and side of the restaurant.

Cafe Bellissimo is open for dinner from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 4 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch Tuesday through Friday; and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for Sunday brunch. The restaurant is at 105 Brazil St.

Leo Smith is a regular contributor to Ventura County Weekend. Write to him at 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001, or send faxes to 653-7576.