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As a kid, one of the duties for Horst Biallas was to move the freshly cooked donuts around in his father's bakery in Molln, a small German town not far from Hamburg.

"Sometimes, one or two would disappear," Biallas says, laughing.

Chalk it up to quality control.

Biallas is a baker at Simple Kneads (227-B S. Elm St., Greensboro; 370-4446), a popular artisan bakery tucked away in an alley near Washington Street in downtown Greensboro.

Biallas and Jill Parkin were recently hired by owner Bill Snider to expand the bakery's offerings to include about 20 European-style pastries.

Before becoming a baker, Biallas was in management for his uncle's shoe company. But he returned to his father's bakery for an apprenticeship before coming to the United States.

He has spent the past 20 years living in the Winston-Salem area and working for various corporate and homegrown bakeries including Panera, Bagel Station and most recently Ollies, where he met fellow baker Jill Parkin.

Parkin, a Lexington native who is a voracious cookbook reader, enrolled in the GTCC culinary program for something different to do.

Both are a coup for Simple Kneads, as they bring with them the experience of making European-style goodies such as apricot or apple streusels ($2.50 each), crocodile tiles ($2.50), raspberry and raison rugalachs ($1.50), and frangipane tarts ($4) topped with fresh fruit that rival anything you'd see on the cover of Martha Stewart Living.

"Lots of our customers have European backgrounds," Snider says.

"This is one of the things they miss."

One of Parkin's specialties is European-style cakes such as Black Forest, Napoleon and Queen of Sheba.

"I could stay here baking all day long," Parkin says wistfully.

Simple Kneads continues to offer about a dozen artisan breads, muffins, cinnamon rolls and cupcakes in addition to coffee, espresso drinks and hot tea.

Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

August menu offered

August is waning, but local produce is abundant. There's still time to take advantage of Table 16's (600 S. Elm St., Greensboro) August menu offering items such as Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna ($29) with black figs and grape tomatoes, Veal Flank Steak and Butter Beans ($25) with chorizo pommes anna, North Carolina Wahoo ($26) with caramel okra, and Roasted Georgia Quail and Fuji Apples ($24).

The coastal catch is coming in and the lunch menu includes additional seafood dishes such as Cornmeal Oysters and Andouille ($12) on watercress, Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare and Spicy Pork Sausage ($10) and Mahi Mahi and Creamed Butter Beans ($12). There's also Honey Grilled Turkey Breast and Butter Beans ($9), Cornmeal Fried Catfish and Habanero Tarter Sauce ($12) and an Angus Beef Andouille Sausage Burger ($9.50) on the sandwich menu.

Feeling indecisive? Ask chef Graham Heaton to whip up something special.

And don't skip dessert with the likes of Mango Allspice Beignets ($8), Apricot and White Chocolate Bread Pudding ($9) and Santa Rosa Plum Frangipane Tart ($9) on the menu.

Call 279-8525 for reservations.

New dinner menu

On the north side of downtown, Table 16's sister restaurant, The Undercurrent (327 Battleground Ave., Greensboro) has posted a new dinner menu that includes Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb with Gorgonzola Gnocchi ($35), Anis Dusted Black Grouper with Goat Cheese Tomato Torte ($28), Grilled Ashley Farms Chicken Breast with Porcini Bread Pudding ($18) and Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Proscuitto ($26).

Appetizers include Lobster Sweet Corn Chowder ($9), Summer Melon and Proscuitto ($8.50), Fried Okra with Grilled Tomato Gazpacho ($9) and Duck and Peach Pate ($10.50).

Call 370-1266 for reservations.

Wine deal and tapas

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Rioja! A Wine Bar (1603 Battleground Ave., Greensboro; 412-0011) is offering all wines that cost $7 or less for $4 a glass.

Enjoy a glass with some new sandwiches and tapas recently added to the menu.

Get gourmet-to-go

Spring Garden Bakery and Coffee House (1932 Spring Garden St., Greensboro; 272-8199) is now offering gourmet pizzas and quiches to go.

Homemade dough pizzas ($8 each or two for $12) include Portobello Mushroom, Five Cheese, Spinach Broccoli and Veggie.

Personal five-inch quiches ($2.99 each or two for $5) made with a vegetarian crust comes as Spinach and Mushroom, Three Cheese and Tomato and Southwestern.

New look, new items

Things look a little different at Ly's Restaurant (4715-A High Point Road, Greensboro; 294-6667).

The Vietnamese restaurant has a face-lift that includes fresh paint, ceiling fans and a lunch counter.

With the upgrade come some new $7.50 specials that include a Wonton with Egg and Barbecue Pork, Grilled Beef with Rice, Grilled Chicken with Vermicelli, Ginger Chicken with Rice and Shrimp Curry Vermicelli.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Additional patio space

Lindley Park Filling Station (2201 Walker Ave., Greensboro; 274-2144; www.lindleyfillingstation.com) has opened additional patio space. The upper and lower patios now seat about 50.

The lower patio offers the ambience of an herb garden and the fun of the yard games such as Cornhole, bean bag toss and Ladder Golf.

Live music is scheduled on weekends.

Some sandwiches, including a pastrami and Black and Bleu burger, have also been added.

Lindley Park Filling Station now offers boxed lunches, platters and catering.

Event raises funds

The Guilford County Hotel/Motel Association presented a check for $17,809.64 to the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. The money was raised from the annual fundraiser, Taste, held earlier this summer.

The Natural Science Center is just one of many organizations to have benefited in the 11 years this event has been held.

Contact Carl Wilson at 373-7145 or carl.wilson@news-record.com