Restaurateur Ray Myers, one of the founders of Greenville's popular Staccato's restaurant, is re-entering the local restaurant scene with the Thursday opening of University Chophouse of Greenville at 3130-A Evans St.

It's in the new brick building in front of Lowes Foods in the Lynncroft shoppping center at the corner of Greenville Boulevard and Evans Street. Lunch and dinner will be served.

Myers said it's an "upscale but not pretentious" restaurant with a traditional chophouse menu of prime cuts of steaks, chops and seafood. Instead of a dark, men's club atmosphere, he said he designed the restaurant's decor to blend "traditional library style with a plantation/sun-room feel."

"I've been working on the concept for two years," he said in an earlier interview. "This restaurant is more me, the food that I think is my strength — fusing steaks, chops and lamb with family-style sides and Cajun dishes."

Chophouse dinner entrees include a 10-ounce filet mignon ($30), 14-ounce New York strip steak ($30), 22-ounce Porterhouse steak ($28), two 8-ounce lamb chops ($32), 14-ounce veal chop ($30) and a rack of St. Louis-style pork ribs ($22). The menu notes that steaks are "broiled at 1800 degrees to seal in the flavor." Top your steak with a sauce — lobster gravy, tasso gravy, hollandaise or bernaise — for $5.

Also on the menu are wasabi-citrus ahi tuna ($20), sesame ginger salmon ($20), bourbon pecan chicken ($20), Cajun gumbo ($18) and Bayou shrimp and grits ($20).

Entrees come with a choice of several salads. Two soups will be offered daily and may replace a salad with an entree.

Side dishes are sold a la carte. Myers said the sides are big portions that are sized to share, family-style. They include creamed spinach, garlic mashed potatoes, jasmine rice with lobster gravy, steamed asparagus with hollandaise, onion rings, sweet potato casserole, potatoes au gratin and steamed broccoli with cheddar sauce ($5-7).

Desserts include carrot cake, New York-style cheese cake, key lime pie and "New Orlins Apple Crisp."

In addition to salads and soups, the lunch menu includes specialty sandwiches such as a 10-ounce burger ($10), barbecued beef brisket ($10), crab cake ($12), soft-shell crab ($10) or chicken cordon bleu ($9). Lunch entrees are $10-$12 and include salmon, tuna, ribs and gumbo.

Executive Chef Paul Rohrer helped Myers create the menu.

Patrons enter University Chophouse's foyer, which features a hostess stand and a "wall of fame" with photographs of celebrities with ties to Greenville. Just steps away is a "community table" for 12 diners; it can accommodate large groups or allow small groups or individuals to join others for a meal and conversation.

The nonsmoking dining room, with seating for 118, has pale yellow walls, cushioned chairs of dark wood and tables with white tablecloths. The exterior wall of windows looks onto the outdoor dining area. French doors separate the dining room from the bar. A partition can divide the space to accommodate private parties.

The outdoor dining area features seating for 48 people, with a pergola that will eventually be draped in vines, columns with decorative fencing, a border of trees and planters brimming with colorful plants by Designscapes of Ayden. There are outdoor speakers, overhead fans for the warm months and heaters for cool weather. At night, the outdoor space is lit dramatically.

The nonsmoking bar area, Myers said, "is a cosmopolitan, fun, upbeat place with great energy — not stuffy." The chophouse has all ABC pemits; bar manager is Trish Galloway. The walls of the bar area are pale lavender and are decorated with old and new black-and-white photographs of East Carolina University. The bar — made of brick and dark wood with a tiled top — provides seating for 16. Patrons also may sit at secluded booths or small tables with white tablecloths. A raised stage in front of a large window provides a dramatic spot for dining when there's no music scheduled. (Greenville's Victor Hudson will perform from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday.)

A large, paned window allows bar patrons a glimpse of the adjacent dining room and, through the large exterior windows, the patio beyond.

Myers designed the space with Pete West of Greenville's Custom Building Company.

Myers had been involved with Staccato's for 14 years before shutting the restaurant's doors last August. He said it was time for a creative change.

"I felt like this (chophouse) concept has better capabilities for growth," he said. "I felt like Staccato's (with its menus of sandwiches, salads, pasta and American fare) had run its course. I could tweak Staccato's, but I couldn't compete against the corporate chains.

"And to do the new concept successfully, I couldn't run both."

Lunch hours are 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; dinner is served from 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays and from 5-11 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Appetizers and lighter fare will be available until 11 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays and until midnight Thursdays-Saturdays. The bar will remain open until midnight Mondays-Wednesdays and until 1 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays.

Reservations for the dining rooms are accepted by calling 439-CHOP (2467). Spots on the patio will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ham's new menu

Ham's Restaurant and Brew House, 701 Evans St., has added new appetizers, sandwiches, entrees and smoothies to its extensive menu of American fare.

"I've been with Ham's five years, and I think this is the best menu yet," said General Manager Seth Lucas.

New appetizers include fried mushrooms served with a side of horseradish sauce ($5.29), fried chicken "thumbs and toes" tossed in hot sauce ($7.99) and Ultimate Nachos ($7.99).

The sandwich menu now includes an Italian Sub ($6.99), a Big Island Chicken Sandwich for $6.99 and a Beef Wrap ($6.99). BBQ Chicken Salad ($7.99) features barbecued chicken breast on top of salad greens.

New entrees include Hawaiian Sirloin (marinated steak topped with grilled pineapple) for $11.99; grilled chicken skillet for $9.99; chipotle chicken pasta for $8.99; fish and chips for $9.99; and a combination plate with ribs and shrimp or steak and shrimp, each for $14.49.

Frozen smoothie varieties include bananaberry (banana and strawberry), mango colada (mango and pina colada), Cape Cod Crush (raspberry and sour mix) and Cookie Monster (Oreo crumbles and ice cream).

Call 830-2739 or visit www.hamsrestaurants.com.

a Tavola! changes

a Tavola! Market Cafe, 620 Red Banks Road, has added some new items to its bistro-style menu.

A new starter is the Gilroy Garlic Shrimp — a half pound of shrimp tossed in butter, wine and minced garlic ($8.50).

Among the new entrees are Mama's Spaghetti and Cheese with bolognese and mushrooms ($9.50), The Swine and Cheese Pizza with pepperoni, bacon, ham, sausage, cheddar and mozzarella ($8.95 for individual pizza, $14.95 for 14-inch pie) and the Asian-inspired Noodle Bowl ($10.95).

The Catfish Hunter sandwich — fried catfish with remoulade sauce — is $7.95. The Mediterranean Market Salad, with ham, salami, feta cheese and pepperocini peppers with Green Goddess dressing is $8.50.

Also, a new air conditioning system has been installed.

Call 321-5533.

Farmers' Market

Available this week at The Pitt County Farmers' Market, 4560 County Home Road: string beans, pole beans, bush beans, eggplant, broccoli, beets, cabbage, collards, turnips, cucumbers, red tomatoes, green tomatoes, roma tomatoes, lettuce, onion, carrots, a variety of squashes, sweet potatoes, new potatoes, butter beans, peas Japanese radishes, kale, kohlrabi, white sweet potatoes, blueberries, peaches, cantaloupes, watermelon and plums. Fresh herbs and local honey also is available.

Eggplant will be the topic for the food demonstration, from 8 a.m.-noon Saturday. Children's activities will be offered.

The Pitt County Farmers' Market is open from 8 a.m-1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays. A satellite farmers' market is now open from 3-6 p.m. Thursdays at Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church, 1095 Allen Road.

The Farmers' Market Nutrition Education Program plans to publish a cookbook featuring some of the recipes used at the weekly food demonstrations. If you have a healthy, crowd-pleasing recipe that features local produce, you are encouraged to submit it. Recipes may be dropped off on Saturday mornings at the market or e-mailed to Donna Ware at donnarware@earthlink.net. Recipes will be accepted until Aug. 25.

Nibbles

With the addition of its seasonal summer salads, The Daily Grind now offers 17 entree salads, owner Jennifer Shearin said.

The summer salads include Nuts and Berries, Cobb and Blue on Blue (with bleu cheese and blueberries). In addition to these seasonal offerings, the menu always includes a house salad, Greek salad, Daniel's (spinach) salad, Katie's (Caesar) salad and Sarah's salad with strawberries and cranberries.

The Daily Grind is a 1909-A E. Fire Tower Road.

Call 830-CAFE or visit www.dgrind.com.

Lopaus Point Market will hold a casual wine tasting beginning at 5:30 p.m. July 11. Terra Andina Vineyard's United States representative Kristin Hays will be at the market to discuss the vineyard's wines. Cost is $5.

Lopaus Point Market is at 620 Red Banks Road. Call 321-FOOD or visit lopauspointmarket.com.

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.