Greenville's upscale StarLight Café, 104 Fifth St., has expanded once again.

A new dining room for the European-style downtown restaurant was created by knocking out a wall and opening up the restaurant into the adjoining space. The addition features an expanded bar, a cold oyster bar and a stage for musical entertainment. Private parties may be accommodated there, and on Thursdays, jazz performances will take place there.

"The buildings have historical character and offer the opportunity to bring out the unique qualities of the original architecture," said Alan Boutilier, whose owns StarLight Café with his wife Susan and chef son Toby. "This time, we have created a space that reflects the character of eastern North Carolina.

"We have exposed the original brick and revealed the original pressed tin ceiling, even though one-third of it was damaged beyond use. Rather than replacing the missing sections with new metal, we have left sections exposing the floor joists from the second floor. It's like a view through history.

"The bar top is made from recycled heart pine from an old warehouse, and the front of the bar is from antique solid heart pine doors we purchased at Shipyard Antiques in Grimesland. All the elements come together well and create a space that is interesting to look at and feels very warm and comfortable.

"At one time in the early history of this building, Mary Ann's Soda Shop resided here," Boutilier said. "Once again the sounds of plates, silverware and clinking glasses fill the air. We feel like it is a circle that honors the history of downtown Greenville and demonstrates the possibilities of rebirth."

The café, which opened in 2000, formerly shared space with The Upper Crust Bakery just down the street at 212 E. Fifth St. The bakery used the space during the day, and the Boutiliers ran Starlight Cafe from the building on Wednesday through Saturday evenings.

In January 2003, the Boutiliers moved the cafe just down the street to its present location, where The Percolator Coffee House had once operated.

The Boutilier family opened their first restaurant in Yuba City, Calif., in 1984. Alan Boutilier had a vision of a restaurant "with an ambience that combined a comfortable casualness with an element of refinement and perfectly prepared food.

"We have been working on that theme ever since we opened our first restaurant," he said. "I think our newest addition to the StarLight expresses another incarnation of this vision.

"We have never been attracted to the cookie-cutter look of chain restaurants. That's one reason we like being downtown."

StarLight Café features a morning coffee bar and an eclectic lunch and dinner menu ranging from Jambalaya to Steak-Frites to Boiled Lemon Grass Scallops with Coconut Mango Risotto. The café also features an outdoor European-style courtyard dining area and an extensive bar. Call 707-9033.

New Krispy Kremes

Krispy Kreme, 300 E. 10th St., is now offering fall specialty doughnuts:

Football-shaped cream-filled doughnuts frosted in East Carolina University's signature colors of a purple and gold are available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the football season. Also, doughnuts with the traditional chocolate icing in purple, with the football design in gold and black, are available on weekends. Cost is $7.05 per dozen.

Creme-filled doughnuts shaped like pumpkins and iced to look like a jack-'o-lantern will be available through Oct. 31.

The popular Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts, old-fashioned cake doughnuts flavored with pumpkin and spices, are available through Dec. 31.

Winterville Cubbie's

Cubbie's Winterville location, 657 Worthington Road, recently celebrated eight years in operation, and owner Mark Howard has announced some changes.

Beginning this week, the location will be open on Sundays, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Several new items have been added to the lunch and dinner menu, including collards, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas and pork chops.

"I think we are the only Cubbie's location that offers milk shakes and serves breakfast," Howard said. "We've been serving breakfast for the past five years. Breakfast items include eggs served like you want, bacon, grits, country ham, link and patty sausage, pancakes, french toast, omelettes of all kinds, cheese biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, sausage dogs, cheese grits and tenderloin biscuits."

The Winterville location also offers free wireless Internet access. Call 353-0666.

Domino's Lunch Box

Greenville-area Domino's Pizza locations are one of five markets introducing the delivery pizza chain's new Lunch Box promotion.

The Lunch Boxes feature an 8-inch individual pizza with up to three toppings, three warm chocolate chip cookies and a bottled Coca-Cola or Diet Coke for $7.99.

The local Domino's now open at 11 a.m. for lunch deliveries or pick-up.

Domino's locations are at 3192 E. 10th St. (752-6996); 2305 Dickinson Ave. (756-9998); 1201 S. Charles Blvd. (758-6660) and 4201 Lee St. in Ayden (746-4042)

Nibbles

The Daily Grind, 1909-A Fire Tower Road, will hold a wine tasting from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday. The tasting will feature 10 wines; cost is $10. Participants will receive a 10 percent discount on dessert. Call 830-2233.

Panera Bread is selling its Pink Ribbon Bagels this month, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting breast-cancer programs.

The bagel, shaped like a ribbon, features cherry chips, dried Bing cherries and cranberries, vanilla. honey and brown sugar.

Greenville's Panera Bread is at 518 Greenville Blvd. in the La Promenade shopping center. Call 317-8787.

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.