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For anyone familiar with Hugo's on Spring Garden Street in Greensboro, the restaurant might be all but unrecognizable now.

Owner Rocco Scarfone closed the longtime sports pub about a month ago and, after major renovations, opened Tequila Joe's (3011 Spring Garden St., Greensboro; 852-9421).

Walls have been lost or opened up and the bar and the adjacent festive patio can be seen from nearly all areas of the restaurant. Pastel-colored walls accentuated with playful, almost surrealistic designs, have lightened the ambiance.

"We want it to be a fun place," says general manager Trey May.

The "Californian-Mexican" menu created by May, a food-service veteran who worked at the former The Elms, reflects the festive atmosphere.

Pink is a common theme. It is the color in the numerous shooters made from an extensive list of infused tequilas (Pink, Pomegranate, Big Pink). And it's the blush of Pink Queso ($3.50 as an appetizer), a cheese dip made with a hint of spicy Chipotle peppers and served with signature items such as The Big Pink Taco ($7.95), a tortilla bowl filled with meat, beans and all sorts of vegetables. The queso is also served on the side of fajitas that include steak or grilled chicken ($10.50) and shrimp with Poblano peppers ($12.95).

Other signature items include Pinks Famous Chicken ($9.25), Chipotle Wings ($9.95) and the Tijuana Mixed Grill ($11.50) of Chorizo sausage, chicken and shrimp.

Enchiladas include Green Verde Chicken ($6.75) and Shrimp and Blue Crab ($8.50). Burritos include Carnitas Green ($7.95) with pork in a spicy green sauce and Joe's Rojo Steak and Potato Burrito with a Corona beer red chile sauce ($8.50).

Appetizers include Tequila Joe's Big O Nacho ($6.75), Drunken Shrimp ($5.95) with tequila, lime and garlic and the Tamale with Pink Queso ($3.75) served with pico de gallo and avocado.

"Most tamales are a lot of masa and a little meat. Ours is a little masa and a lot of meat," May says of the homemade steamed dumpling made from corn dough flavored with onions and peppers.

Your Guacamole ($5.75) is made tableside with fresh avocado and a choice of additional ingredients including cilantro and jalapenos.

Lunch specials include two tacos or enchiladas ($5.95) with rice and beans. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are dollar taco and cheap beer until midnight. And a late night menu of quesadillas, tacos and Chipotle Wings is served until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

With an adult entree purchase, receive a free children's meal that includes ice cream and beverage.

Tequila Joe's hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

No plans to reopen

On a related note, Rocco Scarfone says he has no plans to reopen Hugo's on Lawndale Avenue.

The old location in Lawndale North shopping center was razed when the retail center was demolished to make way for a new center anchored by The Fresh Market. Scarfone was given the option to relocate in the new retail center, owned by Koury Corp., but he ultimately decided not to reopen.

No MSG gyro

Zaytoon (301 N. Elm St., Greensboro; 373-0211) finally has a gyro on its menu.

Why hasn't this Mediterranean cafe offered a gyro after being open for two years? Because it has taken owner Masoud Awartani that long to find a reliable supplier of a quality gyro meat free of MSG.

Awartani is passionate about serving his traditional Middle Eastern entrees, sandwiches and wraps with local, organic ingredients free of MSG.

Awartani's search for a good gyro filling was sidelined with a serious illness last summer that left his wife, Annah, and employees minding the cafe and the Awartani's table at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. After months of recuperation, a thinner, but just as affable Awartani has returned to the kitchen turning out his popular hummus, baba ghanouj, stuffed red peppers and now a beef and lamb gyro ($5.49) topped with homemade cucumber sauce and local tomatoes.

Men cook for benefit

The Women's Resource Center once again presents Men Can Cook!

The seventh annual fund-raiser, featuring samples of signature dishes from dozens of community "chefs," will be held 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Special Events Center of the Greensboro Coliseum (1921 W. Lee St.).

The event includes a raffle and silent auction and the popular professional chef cook-off pitting three local chefs against one another.

Tickets are $40 for adults, $10 for ages 10 and younger. For more information and tickets, call the Women's Resource Center at 275-6090 or visit www.womenscentergso.org.

Shop serves flavored ice

When your coworkers are coming into the office sporting green (Lime) and blue (Hawaiian Blue) tongues, one has to wonder what's up.

The search led no further than Hawaiian Ice (224 Davie St.) in downtown Greensboro.

There, you'll likely find Grady Darnley manning the window and serving up large cups of shaved ice ($2.50 small, $3 large) topped with exotic flavors like the aforementioned Hawaiian Blue and Lime, Pina Colada, Banana and even Bubble Gum.

Darnley's mom, Katie Darnley, owns the shop. She also owns two downtown hotdog carts. Katie Darnley has been operating the carts for more than 15 years.

Hawaiian Ice also serves freshly squeezed lemonade, orangeade and limeade ($2 small, $4 large).

The shop is open noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Gazpacho offered

With summer's apex, you'll not likely find warm soup on the menu at Center City Cafe (114 N. Elm St., Greensboro). But they are offering gazpacho a couple of times a week.

There's as many recipes for this cold tomato-based soup of Spanish origin as their are cooks. And cook Robbie Smith's version offers lots of local ingredients, including zucchini. Call 274-TOGO (8646) to see if it is on the menu.

Summer menu offered

Lucky 32 (1421 Westover Terrace, Greensboro) is offering a Southern summer menu with the likes of Heirloom Tomatoes ($9) with sea salt and herb vinaigrette; Okra Popcorn ($7) with herb buttermilk dressing; pulled pork Voodoo Pig Bread ($9) with Voodoo Glaze; Campfire Carolina Rainbow Trout ($20) cooked on cast-iron; Carolina Caught Shrimp and Okra ($16) with creole sauce; Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales ($15); and Gloria Shelmerdine's Peach Custard Pie ($6), the winner of the restaurant's Who Doesn't Love Fruit Pies contest.

Visit www.lucky32.com for a complete menu. Call 370-0707 for reservations.

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