New Orleans-themed restaurant to open 

The downtown corner that last hosted longtime Caffe Phoenix before it closed this year has a fresh tenant promising a New Orleans-themed restaurant by mid-December.

Authentic New Orleans cuisine will be on the menu at Bourbon Street, 35 N. Front St., owner Kevin Corbett said.

Originally from Wilmington, Corbett said he has always worked restaurants, starting as a dishwasher in Market Street steakhouses in the 1980s while attending Laney High School. Corbett moved to New Orleans, where he clocked time at the famous Commander’s Palace. During his restaurant career, he cooked, waited tables and opened his own shops, two of which, Crescent City Grill and New Orleans Breakfast and Pancake House, he still operates in the New Orleans area, Corbett said.

Over the years, restaurateurs have tried various looks and concepts at the downtown spot. Since the early 2000s, the building has hosted five restaurants, including Italian-themed Prima and a nightclub. Caffe Phoenix closed July 31, after nearly 23 years in business downtown.

Latin flavors rising in Carolina Beach

Twisted Lime, a Latin American-themed eatery in Carolina Beach with an early December opening, is the brainchild of Vinny Doria and Kori Carter, owners of Carolina Beach’s 15-month-old Uncle Vinny’s pizzeria and Italian restaurant.

Empanadas, sizzling fajita skillets, lobster tacos, conch fritters, guacamole made to-order tableside, 50 different tequilas and plenty of slushy, frozen drinks fill the menu-in-progress at the spot, 1006 S. Lake Park Blvd.

Kayak dining adventure kicks-off culinary tourism

The hot trend known as culinary tourism hits Cape Fear waterways Dec. 1 when the new company North Carolina Eco Odysseys stages a kayak trip including a craft beer and chicken wings pairing.

Deena Craig, a Wilmington physician assistant thinking ahead to her post-retirement career, conceptualized North Carolina Eco Odysseys. Craig is an avid traveler, restaurant lover and founder of Wilmington Dining Adventurists, a Meetup group focused on food and dining experiences in and outside the Cape Fear region.

Her love of food and travel sparked Craig’s business plan: a firm that arranges culinary-centric excursions. The company maps out experiences that tap into dining and travel events other area businesses offer, whether it be a chef’s table, wine dinner, cooking class or something else.

Craig’s business partner is Michael Bevacqua, a former professional cook and wine shop owner and now a wine bar tender at downtown Wilmington’s The Fortunate Glass. Craig and Bevacqua are also working on a progressive downtown dinner for December, an oyster roast for January and a luau later in 2013. 

Los Primos opens with menu of home cooking 

Los Primos, 3530 Carolina Beach Road, has opened, and its owners promise that diners will find authentic Mexican food there.

From-scratch refried beans, tortillas made fresh on the premises daily and housemade sopas topped with steak, beans and cheese are among menu features.

Wilmington entrepreneur Brian Edwards’ landscaping, delivery and concrete businesses introduced him to his crews’ favorite home-cooking recipes from central Mexico’s Puebla region. With those in mind, he and business partner Augusto Valera opened Los Primos.

Pizzeria, gelato shops close

In mid-October, north Wilmington’s Nino’s Pizza & Pasta closed. The pizzeria was inside the Promenade at North Market shopping center on Market Street near the College Road overpass.

Nino’s Pizza at 2535 Castle Hayne Road remains open and is not affiliated with the shuttered store.

Nino’s Pizza & Pasta husband and wife owners Chris and Joanne Diamond opened the Market Street spot in the spring. “After nine months, I just had to stop the bleeding,” Chris Diamond said.

In Leland’s Waterford Center, Café Sebastiano gelato shop, 2029 Olde Regent Way, Suite 14, also has ceased operations. Manager Marco Meier blamed slow business for the closure.