All Fries Are Not Equal: Mimi’s Café, the French-American chain with a Northridge location, just launched a “frites” menu based on two months of research in France, where their culinary team sampled authentic French frites and talked with local chefs in brasseries, bistros and Michelin-starred restaurants in order to create their own recipe. The frites are thick, hand-cut potatoes that are double-cooked, fried to order and sprinkled with sea salt and herbs. No frozen-from-the-bag fries here. They are served with a choice of steak, mussels, salmon or chicken ($11.99 to $17.99).

“We wanted our new, made-from-scratch frites to be so authentic that they would be worthy of the all-important ‘fait maison’ certification if our restaurants were located in France,” says executive chef Katie Sutton, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. Fait maison is a government demarcation certifying that a French restaurant serves house-made cuisine, with particular standards for frites. mimiscafe.com

Southwestern Bowl                                                                                                   Photo: Jinky's

On The Healthier Side: As if Jinky’s doesn’t have a big enough menu, they’ve just added new vegan choices, with a collection of globally-themed dishes including: Kung Pao and orange “chicken,” southwestern bowl, Bombay bowl, black bean burger and fiesta burrito. They’ve also introduced chia seed lemonade in four flavors, or they will add chia seeds to any drink. There are five locations: Studio City (Studio Cafe'), Sherman Oaks, Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks and Santa Monica. jinkys.com

 Half-off wine bottles on Mondays                                                                Photo: Bleecker Street

A New York State of Mind (and some bang for your buck): Bleecker Street in Tarzana is offering a special three-course prix fixe menu Thursday through Saturday for $40 per person that includes a glass of wine. Also special on Thursday is live music from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Start with an appetizer of your choice: mac ‘n’ cheese, coconut shrimp, warm mushroom salad or marinated ahi tuna.  Entrees include ribeye French dip, penne pasta with filet of sole, grilled rack of lamb, and a seafood risotto with truffle oil. To finish the meal, choose any dessert from the menu. Stop by on Mondays for half-off on wine bottles. thebleeckerstreet.com