Cafe Europa, downtown at 301 S. Evans St., has reopened for breakfast and lunch under new ownership. The restaurant is across from the Pitt County Courthouse at the corner of Third and Evans streets.

Owners Mary and Jim Fedash recently moved to Greenville from Durham to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Jim Fedash retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Mary Fedash was a caterer in Durham for several years.

The couple took over the spot, which formerly offered sandwiches and packaged snacks, last week. They have added an oven to the kitchen.

The breakfast menu features homemade muffins, bagels and English muffins. Breakfast specials are available daily, including doughnuts, sourdough cinnamon rolls and plain or blueberry buttermilk pancakes.

Many of the lunch items reflect Mary Fedash's Greek heritage: gyros, stuffed grape leaves and Greek salad. Other entrees include pizza bagels, BLTs, chicken tenders and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Daily lunch specials include almond chicken salad, "Grecian Delight" with spinach pie with feta cheese and stuffed grape leaves, homemade pimento cheese sandwiches, linguini salad, barbecued beef, taco salad, egg salad sandwiches and Maryland crab cakes.

Jim Fedash said his wife planned the menu and prepares the food herself. "She really put her heart into this one," he said.

Cafe Europa also sells gourmet coffee, fresh fruit cups, chips and applesauce.

Hours are from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Call 695-6296.

Francesca's

Francesca Di Gioia said she still plans to open Francesca's at Brook Valley Country Club, but the opening has been postponed a couple of weeks.

Di Gioia operated Antonello's for five years on 10th Street before closing in August 2004.

She had hoped to take over the Brook Valley kitchen on Friday and Saturday nights at the end of June, but she hasn't been able to work out all the kinks yet, she said. She hopes to open sometime this month.

"Hot Dish" will have more details later.

Chico's

Chico's in Winterville is offering three summer lunch specials — ceviche toastada, two shrimp tacos and Cancun oysters — each served with a cup of homemade gazpacho. Cost is $6.99-$7.99.

The lunch specials are available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.

Margarita specials are offered on Thursdays.

Chico's is at 4054-C S. Memorial Drive. Call 439-0003.

Courtyard Tavern

When you order from the express lunch menu at Courtyard Tavern, you'll get your meal in 12 minutes or less, or your next lunch is free.

"We're trying to pull in more of a business crowd, so they can get in and out in a hurry," said Manager Kenny King.

Express lunch entrees include most of the Courtyard Taverns sandwiches, chicken fingers, salads, soups and shrimp quesadillas.

Courtyard Tavern is at 703 S.E. Greenville Blvd. in the Kmart shopping center. Call 321-0202.

Sonic competition

The crews of two Greenville Sonic drive-ins are competing in the 2006 Dr. Pepper Sonic Games, the chain's annual crew-retention and incentive program.

The two local restaurants, at 2085 E. Fire Tower Road and 1907 S.E. Greenville Blvd., are among the 460 remaining drive-ins advancing in the competition, which began with 2,600 Sonics.

The nine-month Olympic-style competition evaluates individual members in such categories as food delivery, food preparation, drink preparation and switchboard.

The top 12 crews will advance to the national finals in September.

Nibbles

n Cindirene's will hold an Eastern European beer and wine tasting from 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Nine beers and several wines will be tasted. There is no fee for the tasting. Cindirene's is at 559 Third St. in Ayden. Call 746-9222.

n Dixie Queen in Winterville will close through Monday for a summer holiday. Call 756-2333.

n Starbucks is offering icy Pomegranate Frappuccinos and Tangerine Frappuccinos this summer. Greenville has two Starbucks locations: La Promenade, 518 Greenville Blvd. (353-2537) and Stanton Square, 2205 Arlington Blvd. (757-3180).

Hot Dish is a weekly column of restaurant and food news. To submit items for consideration, call Jane Hudson at 329-9577, fax 754-8140 or e-mail jhudson@coxnc.com.