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The first thing you notice when entering Print Works Bistro (702 Green Valley Road, Greensboro; 379-0699; http://www.printworksbistro.com) is the natural light.

Lots of it streams through 52 floor-to-ceiling windows on threes sides of the restaurant that, in good weather, can be opened to bring the outdoors in.

"We knew we wanted the restaurant to be about the gardens and nature," says executive chef and operating partner Bart Ortiz. "So we asked ourselves, 'How do we make this happen?'"

The result is simplicity.

This particular wing of the new Proximity Hotel is devoted entirely to the dining room, with few frills, so that diners can enjoy the view of the hotel's courtyard and a natural setting of a stream bordered by a sloping meadow and trees. The only view of the kitchen, at the rear of the wing, is through an opaque glass wall that glows orange from heat lamps as the silhouettes of the wait staff move to and fro.

It was this same simplicity that Ortiz and hotel owner Dennis Quaintence strove for when developing the menu.

"We asked ourselves, 'What would we like this restaurant to be? What would fill a need in this marketplace?'" says Ortiz.

Dennis Quaintence enlisted the help of longtime acquaintance and restaurant consultant Mark Furstenberg of Washington, D.C., whom Ortiz had worked with on some Lucky 32 projects.

Furstenberg, Quaintence and Ortiz began developing an approachable menu.

One of the first things they asked themselves was what restaurants they enjoy in other cities. They decided that a bistro concept was the way to go, but, as Ortiz puts it, "a bistro in the broader sense of the word."

So Ortiz and Furstenberg boarded a plane for France and spent some time experiencing the French culture and searching for some of the best examples of bistro fare from around the country. What they found was that many of the dishes that impressed them were very elemental in their simplicity and were often served at small, family-owned eateries.

Armed with a list of common French bistro dishes, they developed a menu that includes traditional items like Mussels served in wine with fresh herbs ($19); Blette ($16), a vegetable casserole; Duck Confit ($19); Salad Frisee ($8) and even Onion Soup ($5).

"Our idea is to honor these classic dishes by keeping them, for the most part, traditional," says Ortiz.

And as with other Quaintence restaurants (Lucky 32 and Green Valley Grill), Print Works Bistro uses local ingredients when possible.

"We're excited about finding the best ingredients, such as trout from the North Carolina mountains, grapes from local farms and local vegetables," says Ortiz who works closely with Eastern Carolina Organics, a company that brings ingredients from North Carolina farms to the restaurant kitchen in short order.

Ortiz even developed a fresh sausage of white wine and herbs de province with Giacomo Santomauro, of Giacomo's Italian Market, for the Charcuterie Plate of meats ($12).

Print Works offers daily items that include Duck a l'Orange ($21) on Tuesday, Bouillabaisse ($24) on Thursday, and a special evening of Cote de Boeuf for Two ($58) on Saturday.

The menu will change seasonally and a bar menu of smaller portions will eventually be added.

Weather permitting, streamside dining and an outdoor lounge, complete with comfortable sofas, are available.

Print Works Bistro will eventually open for lunch, but for now dinner is served 5 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar remains open until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and until midnight on Sunday.

Bakery Celebrates Anniversary

Simple Kneads Bakery (223 S. Elm St., Suite B) is celebrating its sixth anniversary with an open house from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday.

The bakery, tucked away in a quaint alley near Elm and Washington streets in Greensboro, will offer samples of holiday breads and other goodies along with live jazz and bluegrass by the Alley Rabbits.

For information, call 370-4446.

Sip Soup To Feed Hungry

Drop in for a meal of soup and bread and donate for a worthy cause during Feast of Caring, a fundraiser for Greensboro Urban Ministry 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at First Baptist Church, 1000 W. Friendly Ave. in Greensboro.

The annual event kicks off Greensboro Urban Ministry's operating fund campaign and features a variety of soups served along with a helping of live music.

For a $20 minimum donation, you can choose a pottery bowl handcrafted by a local potter. More than 30 potteries in Guilford and Rockingham counties will be represented.

For more information on the event and to get pledge and gift cards, call 271-5959, Ext. 302, or visit online at www. greensborourbanministry.org.

Bakery Opens Outpost

Great Harvest Bread Co. (2715-A Grandview Ave., Greensboro; 855-3853) is expanding in a most creative way.

The bakery plans to operate a retail outlet from a concessions trailer at the Quick Stop Shell Station at 4432 U.S. 220 North in Summerfield.

"We considered expanding and this is a way to test the waters without committing to a location that wouldn't be suitable," says owner Dan Farley. "It's a huge expense with a low margin in the baking business to put your business somewhere."

Farley found what he was looking for in a concession trailer formerly owned by Ralph's Seafood.

With a colorful revamping of the trailer's exterior, Great Harvest is ready to sell bread, scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls and other sweets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Just look for the Burma Shave-style signs along U.S. 220 in Summerfield.

Scoop Shop Changes Hands

Allyson Little has taken over ownership of Scoops Ice Cream (5605-A W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro; 299-8744) in Quaker Village Shopping Center.

The mother of three had been looking for a venture that could involve her 18-year-old son, Jared, once he graduated high school. Jared suffers from multiple sclerosis and has slight autism.

"It's good for him to work like this," Little says. "It's good timing to help him get going."

Another son, 16-year-old Tyler, also helps out in the shop after school.

Little says she'll still be serving the same Nathan's Famous Dogs, but with a few more condiments on the cart. Veggie dogs are also available.

She now offers Taraccino Coffee ($1.50) and will be serving it with a scoop of ice cream for $2.50. She'll also offer seasonal flavored ice cream, such as apple pie. Be sure to ask about daily specials. Discounts will be given to high school and college students and staff with ID.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday.

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