4 - The Morrisville and Preston Progress, Wednesday, February 26,1996
Prestonwood eateries offer menu mix, famiiy atmosphere
By Ron Page
Planning to eat out or maybe or-
der take-out tonight? If you live in
the Preston area, you’ve got a lot of
choices. It was planned that way.
Location and convenience played
a m^or role in designing fteston
Comers at High House Road and
Cary Parkway, according to Marvin
Waldo of Realty in Raleigh.
The man who compil^ the tenants
for the shopping center said he had
a laundry list of inquiries from
restaurants. "Our number one ob
jective was to find those tenants we
felt had the traits to make
it-multiple operations, family
dining, with good products and
fairly priced."
One and one-half miles west at
the Cornerstone Shopping Center
where High House meets Davis
Drive, the same was true. Overall,
15 places where food or drink can
be obtained have either opened or
are about to open in the Preston
area. In every instance, con
venience for the customer has been
a paramount consideration.
For instance:
There are more than 7,000 Pizza
Hut restaurants across the nation,
but none like the new one just
opened at Preston Comers.
"It’s a new concq)t for the com
pany," explains Don Hensley,
regional vice president for Pizza
Hut. "First off, we wanted a site at
one of the comers, but they had all
been sold. So we went with an in
line operation, which means we lo
cated our business within the shop
ping center itself in line with other
shops."
Hensley explains that for the first
time visitors will find a complete
Kzza Hut Restaurant with its own
kitchen and next to it a complete
Pizza Hut take-out store, also with
its own kitchen. The restaurant has
a full lunch menu and a lunch buf
fet, while the delivery store offers
pizza, breadsticks and hot wings.
"It’s the first time we’ve ever had
this type of operation," he said.
Pizza Hut opened a little more
than a month ago, and Hensley said
Preston was selected not only be
cause it’s a nice neighborhood, but
also because of Cary’s overall
growth, and the eventi^ develop
ment and completion of Cary Park
way. "The location obviously has a
lot to offer," he said. Hours are
Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m.
to miiiight, Friday and Saturday
11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 380-3005.
By far the largest restaurant in the
Preston area is Jasper’s on Cary
Parkway, where some 220 diners
can enjoy what Manager Kevin In
gram describes as signature Amer
ican food. The polished wood and
hanging lighting fixtures offer an
upscale but casual atmosphere,
with seating at both tables and
booths which line windowed walls.
Jasper’s opened 15 months ago,
and it has enjoyed constantly strong
business, offering a range of ap
petizers, salads, sandwiches and a
full range of entrees. A favorite is
Hawaiian ribeye, as well as a
homemade potato soup. Hours are
11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday
through Friday, and 11:30 a.m. to
11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Brunch is available Sunday fiom
10:30 a.m. 319-3400.
some 80 Mancino’s are now in op
eration. Rudd said what started as a
family business mushroomed when
investors were allowed to partici
pate.
So what’s in a grinder? It starts
with a homemade Italian roll, about
18 inches long. A generous portion
of meats (about a half-pound) arc
piled on the rod, topped with fresh
vegetables (peppers, onions, or
mushrooms) and a blend of live
different cheeses. The open-facixl
grinder is then baked with ilic
melted "bubbly" cheese on one side
and the meats and vegetables on ilie
other. Tomatoes and lettuce arc
then placed atop and the creation is
brought togethCT.
The Cornerstone store has about
21 employees, most of them stu
dents. Hours are Monday to Thurs
day 11 aan. to 9 p.m., Friday and
Saturday 11 ajn. to 10 p.m., and
Sunday noon to 7 p.m. 461-6775.
One of the busiest spots is Man
hattan Bagels at Preston Comers
where Scott and Janet Smith
opened their franchise in August
last year. The Smiths live in
Preston and so sure were they of
the location, they signed a lease for
the shopping center site from the
rental agency before they even got
the franchise.
"We’ve been in Preston since
1985 and knew how the area was
growing," said Mrs. Smith. "The
shopping center was filled with
tenants before construction even
started and we were the first store
to open.”
Eighteen varieties of bagels are
offered, as well as two cinnamon
specialties. The place seats 18 in
side and about 40 overall when the
outside umbrella tables can be
used. There’s a self-serve coffee
bar with free refills. Eighteen dif
ferent flavors are offered.
The ovens go on at 4 a.m. and the
doOTs open at 6 am., with peak
hours ft'om 7 to 9 a.m. and from 9
a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sun
days. Six full-time and eight part-
time employees are used. 319-
5225.
FOR THE HEARTY APETITE-Mancino’s is famous for its
grinders, 18-inch long sandwiches filled with generous portions of
meat topped with cheese and fresh vegetables. Restaurant owner
Terry Rudd, at left, and son, Brian, manager, show off one of their
creations.
sistant Manager Charles Rinaldi
said the store is basically designed
as McDonald’s look of the future.
"The big, flashy look is replaced at
this location by a more streamlined,
very bright and cheerful ap
pearance," he said. Since opening,
a major part of the business has
been from the area’s labor force,
landscapers and contractors, but
Rinaldi said the population increase
in Preston is showing change. "We
e}q)ect the majority of future busi
ness to tend towards families," he
said. "The kids love what we call
our ‘H^py Meal’ which includes a
toy to each of them." Hours are
Monday through Saturday 6 a.m. to
11 pjn., and Sunday 7 a.m. to 11
p.m. 481-1500.
The pioneer dining spot of both
areas is McDonald’s Restaurant
and Drive-in at Preston Comers.
The store became the area’s first
eating establishment when it
opened two and a half years ago.
Kevin Armwood is manager. As-
Authentic Mexican food is of-
toed at El Dorado which opened
last November at Preston Comers.
Cozy with wood paneling and
boodi seats, the place is owned by
the Isabel Ayala family which also
has other sites in Raleigh, Fuquay-
Varina, Garner and Durham.
Ayala’s son, Isoprodro, says the
family is from Mexico but lived in
California before moving to
Raleigh and opening a restaurant in
Mrs. Gray’s Gourmet Foods at
Cornerstone Shopping Center is a
family-owned coffee house with
some 60 varieties of both regular
and decaf coffee. Coffee beans are
also for sale. Owned by Deanna
and Kevin Helmer (Gray is Mrs.
Helmet’s maiden name), who came
from California and now live in
Preston, the store features a variety
of baked goods. They also sell col
lectible items such as teapots and
mugs.
Mrs. Gray’s opened Jan 6. Classi
cal stereo plays in the background.
Board games are available and
there is seating for about 30 per
sons.
"When we came here we found
breakfast items difficult to find,"
says Mrs. Helmer, "so we offer a
variety from cinnamon rolls to
muffins and coffee cakes, berry
crumbeakes, and a flourless crumb
cake." Hours 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
462-3340.
We Serve:
• Breakfast • Dinner
• Sand-wiches • Platters
• Desserts
Call In Your Orders for Speedy Pickup at
Our Convenient Drive Up Window
Ask About Catering
Open M-F Chapel Hill Rd. (Hwy. 54)
6 am-3 pm 380-9039
^Join Us For Our
OilANlI
Opening!
Saturday & Sunday
The aroma of fresh, homemade
dough baking greets visitors at
Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders in the
Cornerstone Shopping Center.
Owner Terry Rudd and his son,
Brian, who is manager, opened this
stylish shop December 15, and
Rudd says business has been great.
"We pride ourselves in making
fresh dough every day," says Rudd,
who adds the concept of a pizza
and grinder store that actually
makes its dough frexn scratch was
started in the midwest in the late
1930s by .Samuel Mancino Sr. and
March 2nd & 3rd
Feeder and Seed Sale
*3.** OFF any 40 lb. bag ot seed
*2.®“ OFF any 20 ib. bag of seed
10% OFF any feeder
Meet the Raptors
We will have a Step Eagle in the
store all weekend and a Red-Tall
Hawk on Saturday from 2-4 p.m.
Specie! Events
Bird Walk Saturday, 8 a.m.
Free Refreshments • Prize Drawings.
A special visit from Big Bird on
Sunday 1 -5 p.m. with balloons &
posters for the kids,
Wild Bird Center
The uHimate bird feedinf) specialty shop^'^
ABC Center • Preston Corners
the Stonybrook Shopping Center.
Popular menu items mclude Polio
Loco, spicy chicken breasts, fajitas,
tapatias, with either beef or chick
en, and combination dinners such
as an enchilada, bunito, and chili.
Hours are Monday through Friday
11 ajn. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch,
Monday through Thursday 5 to 10
p.m. for dinner, and Friday 5 to 11
p.m. for dinner. Saturday noon to
10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 9 p.m.
461-4900.
Modernized decor is evident at
the new Subway at Cornerstone.
Owned by Dr. Robert Meckes of
Apex, the store’s walls feature a
cityscape scene and the usually yel
low d^r color of other Subway
operations is replaced by green.
Manager Lee Anne Britt of
Wendell says the place has been
open about a month and has three
employees and seating for about
30. Hours are Monday through
Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday
and Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and
Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 462-0333.
Baskin & Robbins opened its
latest store at Preston Comers last
month, with a full line of ice cream
and cakes, and seating for about 25
persons. Manager is Robert Keat
ing of Cary. The place is open
Monday through Saturday 11 aan.
to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 10
p.m. 481-4447.
Jersey Mikes has been doing a
heavy business since opening at
Preston Comers last October. Man
ager is Stan Marin and the assistant
manager is Jeremy Glenn. The
restaurant has eight 4-seat tables,
and also enjoys a strong take-out
business for its 25 different types of
submarine sandwiches, both hot
and cold. Hours are Monday to
Wednesday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thurs
day and Friday 8 a.m. to 10 pun.,
Saturday 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and
Sunday 8 a.m. to 9 pjn. 461-0660.
China Gate, owned by Joanna
Alexy of Cary, has been open only
a few months at Preston Comers,
offering a full range of beef, fowl,
seafood, tofu and vegetarian
Chinese cuisine. Popular dishes
range from Mongolian beef, and
sweet and sour fish, to pineqjple
chicken, plum duck, to pillow tofu.
Hours are 11 ajn. to 2:30 p.m. for
lunch Sunday through Thursday
and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. for dinner, 11
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch Friday,
4 to 10 p.m. for dinner, and 4 to 10
p.m. for dinner Saturday. 319-1818.
Preston resident Mike Nichols
opened Jitters Espresso late last
year, and a steady clientele has de
veloped for take-out as wdl as in-
house service. Three basic
espresso-based drinks are offered at
this Preston Comers coffee house:
mocha, which has a shot of
espresso, a shot of steamed milk,
and chocolate syrup topped with
whipped cream; cappuccino, which
has one-third espresso, one-third
steamed milk aixi one-third fiothed
milk; and latte, which is basically
the same as caj^uccino but widi
more steamed milk and less frothed
milk.
The hours are Mtmday through
Thursday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday
and Saturday 7 a.m. to 11 pan. and
Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 462-3320.
The new Preston Business Center
on Cary Parkway includes Caribou
Coffee and Bruegger’s Bagel
Bakery. P^a John’s Pizza will be
opening at a later date. A sq)arate
article on the center is included in
this month’s Progress.
Michael S. Watson, D.D.S.
ANNOUNCES THE OPENING
OF HIS NEW OFFICE
FOR THE PRACTICE OF
Family Dentistry
1985 High House Road, Cary, NC
(Cornerstone Village Shopping Center
at corner of High House Road and Davis Drive)
Now accepting new patients
Evening and Weekend Appointments Available
462-0308
Emergency Care Available
Wake Emergency Physicians
PMOI
Conyenienl, Ilrgent Medical Care When You Need It Most
Hours of operation:
8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, no appointment necessary
Priority Care is equipped to treat:
lacerations, fractures, burns, minor injuries and illnesses
Priority Care also provides:
physical exams (work, school and camp), drug testing, and treatment
for workers’ compensation injuries
859-1136
200 ishtie Avenue I Suite lO I CaiT,NC275ll
PUBLIC HEARING
WAKE COUNTY 1996 ACTION PLAN
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT Wake County is in the process of prepar
ing its 1996 Action Plan which is a component of the 5-year Consolidated Plan required
to receive funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The 1996
Action Plan describes the activities to be carried out during Fiscal Year 1996. It is the
second part of a 5-year strategy to meet the County’s housing goals as identified in the
Consolidated Plan.
In order to prepare an effective plan, the County needs to involve the public, lb
achieve this, Wake County will hold the foUowing public hearing:
DATE AND TIME
Monday, March 4,1996
7:00pm
LOCATION
Luther Green Community Center
922 North Church Street
Morrisville, NC
The purpose of the public hearing is to receive ora! or written comments on housing
needs, community environment and economic opportunities throughout Wake County, par
ticularly for persons with low- and moderate-incomes. Wake County’s Action Plan includes
the towns of Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdaie, Morrisville,
Rolesvilie, Wake Forest, Wendell, Zebulon and the unincorporated areas of the County.
For more information, please contact Annemarie Maiorano in die Wake County
Human Services Department at (919) 856-5268. Speech or hearing impaired persons may
contact 1-800-735-2962 (TT) or 1-800-735-8262 (voice).