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If low country and Caribbean with a touch of Asia is your thing, then The Black Pearl Oyster Bar and Grille (3706 High Point Road, Greensboro; 855-0063) just might be the place to be.

The new restaurant is at Boulevard Way and High Point Road near Holden Road. But you'd never recognize the venue that's been home to Mamma Maria Italian Pasta & Grille. Owner Alex Kazakos has, with the help of a D.C. artist, given the restaurant a unique nautical makeover.

You won't find plastic marine life caught in swagged netting here. The interior is simple, dark and rustic with teak and other natural woods beneath a ceiling designed to call to mind a ship's hold. Metal sculpture of schools of swimming fish and a mural of a faded nautical compass are the only accents beyond the candlelit booths and tables. A large aquarium highlights the spacious bar.

Kazakos, who studied at Johnson & Wales University and has worked for Charleston restaurants Peninsula Grill and Charleston Grill, says the menu is his "dream menu."

"I want to give something different," he says. "I want you to come in and feel like you're somewhere else on vacation."

The menu certainly reflects this as it sets sail from the Carolinas through the straits of Florida to the Louisiana Delta. There's low country grits and pastas that include Shrimp and Grits ($12.50) with Andouille Sausage, Fried Oysters and Grits ($14.95), Lobster Mac and Cheese ($14.75) and Scallop New Orleans ($14.75) flambé with Barcardi.

In addition to raw or steamed oysters, there's Oysters Rockefeller ($8.95) topped with creamed spinach and bacon, Oysters Bangkok ($8.50) with a roasted red pepper curry sauce and flash-fried Buffalo Oysters ($9.50).

Fresh Market Seafood -- Norwegian Salmon ($14.95), Long Fin Tilapia ($12.95), Catfish Filet ($12.95) and Jumbo Shrimp ($13.95) are among the selections -- is served with a choice of regional house sauces that include Asian Ginger, Creole Cajun Cream, Lemon Butter and Coconut Mango Relish.

"The fish comes in daily and is filleted in house," Kazakos says. "Our dressings are made from scratch. Our desserts are made from scratch."

Some global features include Pineapple Hoisin Pork Chops ($14.50); Kentucky Derby Chicken ($12.95) with a cherry cola barbecue sauce; Fried Carolina Flounder ($16.95); and Walnut Crusted Salmon ($15.95) with caramel sauce and balsamic reduction.

Desserts include Sweet Potato Crème Brulee ($5.50) Key Lime Pie ($5.95) and Kormo ($5.75), homemade vanilla cookies soaked in milk and Cognac and Greek Island frosting.

The Black Pearl offers an extensive martini and tropical drink list, including mojitos. A spacious patio, complete with a fountain and gas log fireplace, offer a romantic dining option.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Popular restaurant closes

Laddie & Duke's at 3928 Battleground Ave. in Greensboro has closed.

A source with the restaurant's owner, Streets and Avenues Restaurant Corp., confirmed the closing. No other details are available.

Taqueria has breakfast

Now you can have your eggs and nopales (prickly-pear cactus pads) for breakfast seven days a week at La Vaca Ramona Super Taqueria (4516 W. Market St., Greensboro; 855-1747).

Owner Martin Ruiz has always envisioned a taqueria, a simple Mexican restaurant and taco stand, adjacent to his Latin grocery and meat market. He tried a Mexican restaurant across the street for a few months, but the size of the space and cafeteria-style service just didn't fit his vision. So he closed the restaurant and focused on his original idea of a small family-friendly taqueria.

The space is simple with rustic wooden tables, created by a carpenter friend, to give hungry immigrants a sense of the humble outdoor taquerias of their Mexican homeland.

Breakfast is served starting at 9 a.m. daily and offers scrambled egg platters with beans, tortillas and a choice of combinations that include onions, cactus, mushrooms, peppers, Chorizo sausage, bacon, ham, cheese and red pasilla chile sauce. Platters are $4.99 Monday through Friday and $5.99 Saturday and Sunday. Hotcakes ($3.99) are also available.

A lunch special ($4.99) of stew and choice of two sides is served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Traditional street food items include an assortment of tacos ($5.49 for four); sopes ($3.99 for two), a thick tortilla topped with a choice of meat; huaraches ($3.99 each), a large, fried tortilla topped with beans, meat and al sorts of veggies; gorditas ($2.99 each), a thick tortilla stuffed with beans, meat and other items; and many other items.

Alambres ($7.49), similar to fajitas according to taqueria manager Julio de la Rosa, include a choice of meat and are served with melted Oaxaca cheese and flour tortillas. Some South American specialties are available, including filled pastries called pupusas ($1.49-$1.59), fried pork skins served with condiments called chicharrons ($2.99), and fried tilapia ($8.99) served with guacamole and beans.

Weekends are special at La Vaca Ramona. On Saturday and Sunday, you'll find the popular beef tripe stew menudo ($4.99 small, $9.89 large); pozole ($4.99, $9.89), another traditional soup of garbanzo beans and pork; beef tamales ($5.99); ceviche tostados ($2.50), fish marinated in lemon juice over a fried tortilla; steamed beef ($5.99) or lamb ($8.99); and Caldo de Mariscos ($9.99), a soup of calamari, octopus, shrimp, fish, crab and oysters.

A wide selection of freshly squeezed juices, from the sweet (papaya, banana and strawberry) to the savory (beet, carrot and lemon), sodas and fruit milk shakes are available. Grab a cup of hot coffee or atole, a traditional corn meal beverage, to go with a dessert of fried plantains ($1.25) or fried pastry fingers known as churros ($1.25).

La Vaca Ramona is open 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Parking is limited and Ruiz asks that patrons not park in the adjacent lot reserved for patrons of Advanced Integrated Medicine.

School supply drive held

If you stop by Natty Greene's Pub and Brewing Co. (345 S. Elm St., Greensboro; 274-1373) Thursday for a sandwich and cold one, bring along some school supplies to donate to the Guilford County School System's Teacher Supply Warehouse.

The supply drive, sponsored by the 1808 Foundation, will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. For a list of needed items, visit www.gcsnc.com/teacher_warehouse/index.html.

Annual Hospice benefit

Sample delicious local flavors from dozens of restaurants, caterers and beverage vendors and help a good cause. The 20th annual Hospice Taste of the Town will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Showplace, 211 E. Commerce Ave. in High Point.

The event includes live music and a silent auction.

Admission is $5, and food tickets are $1 each. For information, visit www.hospicetaste.com or call 889-8446

Bakery adds dinner

Grateful Bread Baking Co. (1506 N. Main St.; 884-4424) in downtown High Point has been serving coffee, bread and other baked goodies for breakfast and lunch for years. Now they're trying dinner.

The Thursday Night Dinner is served 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and offers a choice of two to three meat or fish entrees, choice of 10 to 12 vegetables and two to three desserts. Cost is $16.99 for an entree, two veggies, dessert and drink. Or go a la carte at around $8.50 for an entree and $3 per side.

The dinners, which have included live music, are proving wildly successful. Perhaps they'll add additional nights!

New Orleans-style breakfast offerings

Get a taste of a New Orleans morning right here in the Piedmont.

Potato Workz (3750-A Battleground Ave., Greensboro; 617-5358; www.cafepotatoworkz.com) at Battleground and Cotswold Terrace, is now offering some breakfast items that include Cafe Du Monde beignets ($3 for four); waffles ($2.75) and veggie, ham and shrimp omelettes ($5.90-$6.25). Be sure and grab a cup of another New Orleans tradition, chicory ground Community Coffee.

Have restaurant news or tips, contact Carl Wilson at 373-7145 or carl.wilson@news-record.com