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When Arlene Hill was a youngster, money was tight and a Saturday night wasn't spent at the mall or a movie theater. Instead, she'd find herself in her aunt's kitchen snapping green beans, cleaning collard greens and cutting potatoes.

"This was our version of girl's night out," Hill says.

This experience in Southern-style comfort food are the foundation for Hill's new restaurant, Sweet Pea's Home Cooking (106 N. Westgate Drive, Greensboro; 292-5879), located behind Styles by Design and Asahi Restaurant off West Market Street.

Arlene Hill owns Sweet Pea's with her husband Arthur. The restaurant offers a $4.99 lunch special from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday that includes a choice of meat and two vegetables.

Dinner specials range from meatloaf ($5.99) on Tuesday to Fish and Shrimp ($8.99) on Friday and include a choice of vegetables such as black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes (a secret recipe), macaroni and cheese and potato salad.

Sandwiches and hamburgers a selection of salads are also available.

Breakfast is served 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and includes a selection of omelettes, breakfast biscuits, and combination pancake and breakfast plates, including a $1.99 senior and children's plate that includes an egg, bacon or sausage, grits and toast or biscuit.

There's also a children's and senior's menu that offers chicken nuggets, hamburgers and hot dogs. And here's something you don't see often on a menu, Sweet Pea's offers free refills of grape or cherry KoolAid.

Sweet Pea's will deliver and offers a catering menu. Hill says she hopes to offer a dinner-to-go service soon.

Sweet Pea's is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Asian Specialties, Buffet

The basil growing in five-gallon buckets behind One Wok and Grill (707 Guilford College Road, Greensboro; 315-5166) is a good indication that owner Tai Wah Young takes his Asian cuisine seriously.

Young offers a menu that includes Chinese specialties such as Pepper Steak ($8.25), Sesame Chicken ($8.45) and spicy Hunan-style chicken or beef ($8.25) or shrimp or scallops ($9.25).

Other specialties includes tastes of Southeast Asia such as Wok Glazed Ginger chicken or Beef ($8.95) or Shrimp or Scallops ($9.95) and spicy Thai Curry Chicken ($9) or Shrimp ($10), Basil Chicken ($8.95) or Shrimp ($9.95) and Mango Chicken or Shrimp ($8.95/$9.95).

Noodle options include Lo Mein, Singapore Rice, Japanese Udon and Pad Thai. Fried Rice and soup, including Miso, hail from all around Asian provinces as well.

A lunch buffet ($4.99 eat in or $2.99 per pound to go) is offered daily from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Other lunch specials and combinations are also offered in the $4.95 to $7.25 price range. Delivery is available and meals-to-go are also offered to groups up to 100. Call ahead.

One Wok hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily.

Ice Cream Benefits Kids

Dairy Queen and DQ Grill and Chill will donate proceeds from the sale of every Blizzard sold on Aug. 9 to the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals.

To find a participating location, visit http://www.miracle treatday.com.

Sunday Socials

The Press (301 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Greensboro; 333-3190) is now offering Social Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. which includes food and summery drink specials such as Mimosas and Plum Wine Spritzers.

Have restaurant news for Short Orders? Contact Carl Wilson at 373-7145 or cwilson@news-record.com.