The first thing you'll probably notice about Mimi's Cafe is the length of its menu. The ratio of food choices to seats is almost 2 to 1, 113 to 62 respectively. The list of fare can be overwhelming at first.

Here are a few navigational aids to keep in mind before you throw up your hands. Mimi Abdalla, the owner, is part Greek, part Egyptian. So, it's not off base to guess that he can make food from those countries pretty well. And, because he used to manage a few Al Pacino's pizza places in town before going out on his own in 1999, he probably knows pizza, too.

Both assumptions held up admirably well. The two exceptions were stuffed grape leaves wrapped in bitter, dry leaves and a piece of baklava burnt to the texture of shoe leather on the bottom.

The grape leaves were part of the Mediterranean sampler, an attractive appetizer that provided the most bang for the buck. For $8.95, we got a platter artfully arranged with the grape leaves (which provided color, if nothing else), zesty baba ghannouj, hummus filled with toothsome chunks of chickpeas, a square of feta, small tossed salad with tahini sauce and foul, a garlicky reddish-brown spread made of coarsely mashed fava beans, tahini, dill and olive oil. A bottomless basket of pita bread baked on the premises was part of the package.

Mimi's yellow lentil soup was thick enough to fool us into thinking it was made with cream, but it was not. Although the menu said the soup included celery, tomatoes, garlic and onion, they hardly surfaced. Nor did they need to, because the earthy, fresh taste of pureed peas was more than sufficient to please.

Less exotic appetizers included a huge platter of spicy curly fries and not-too-spicy buffalo wings with two dipping sauces, overly sweet bleu cheese and bland barbecue.

Pizzas at Mimi's are similar to those at Al Pacino's -- small, thin, crackery crusts available with just about any kind of topping imaginable.

We went the simple route by ordering cheese and pepperoni and liked both.

We ordered a lamb kabob and got a chicken one instead. But it was quite good, a stack of plump, tangy pieces of white meat chicken and plump, well sauteed mushrooms served over an ample bed of seasoned rice.

So was a vegetarian dish called koshery, which Abdalla described as Cairo street food. It was a wonderfully textured mix of brown lentils, steamed rice and macaroni tossed in a sweet tomato sauce, then covered with loads of caramelized onions.

Only two of the four desserts were available the night we went: Baklava and rice pudding. My dining companions liked the pudding's vanilla taste, which I found cloying. We all agreed that the baklava was burnt.

Decor at Mimi's is minimal, but clean with low lights. Our first server's sluggishness concerned us. Thankfully Mimi himself took over and did so with great flair, more than we'd expected. Overall, his spark made the evening.

Mimi's Cafe

Where: 2823 Smith Ave., Pikesville

Call: 410-358-7902

Open: For lunch and dinner daily

Credit cards: Major credit cards

Prices: Appetizers $1 to $8.95; entrees $5.95 to $12.95

Food: ** 1/2

Service: ***

Atmosphere: **