David Needham must have been paying attention in history class at Cary High School when the subject was local history. When Needham opened his first restaurant last month, he remembered the lesson well enough to name it after Bradford's Ordinary, the 1750 settlement that was the precursor to the modern day Town of Cary.
From the looks of the menu at 1750 Ordinary (6490 Tryon Road; 851-5300; www.1750ordinary.com), it appears that Needham is well-versed in the current tastes of his home town, too. The offering is as diverse as the town's population, with a focus on seafood prepared just about every way you can imagine it: fried, grilled, seared, blackened, baked, broiled or on sandwiches ranging from shrimp burger to fried grouper Reuben. Landlubber options include chicken-fried chicken breast, BBQ spice-rubbed pork chop and a handful of steaks. The appetizer offering is similarly eclectic and includes Buffalo shrimp, Chesapeake Bay crab cakes, fish taco and fried green tomatoes.
Needham has given the former Mythos Bistro space a casual contemporary look with spare furnishings and just a hint of family-friendly pub. Prices are suitably family-friendly, too, with most entrees under $20 and small portions of the fried seafood platters all going for less than $10. The bar offering includes eight draft beers and a modest selection of wines by the glass and house specialty cocktails. 1750 Ordinary is open for lunch and dinner daily.
In Apex, Mambo Italiano (770 W. Williams St.; 362-9900) is the latest in a seemingly never-ending stream of transplants from New York opening Italian restaurants in the Triangle. But unlike most of the others, as owner Ron Mancuso is quick to point out, "We're not a pizzeria. We're an Italian restaurant like you'd find in Little Italy."
For the uninitiated, that translates into red-checked tablecloths and food served family-style, in portions big enough for two or more to share. "Some people are shocked at first when they see rigatoni Bolognese for $17," Mancuso says. But he explains that the price is for a family-style portion and includes salad and house-baked bread. Half portions are also available -- a boon for single diners, as well as for those who'd like to sample a variety of dishes. There's quite a variety to choose from, too, including most of the usual chicken, veal, seafood and pasta suspects. Pizza, too, if you insist.
Mancuso proudly notes that virtually everything is made in-house from recipes handed down through generations of his own family or that of his wife, Bella Carmella. That includes everything from the red sauce to Carmella's tiramisu. "We feed you like family," Mancuso says, and that includes the glasses of slightly sweet "homemade-style" house wine that are charmingly served with a slice of peach in the red, apple in the white. Mambo serves dinner nightly. Hours will soon expand to include lunch service.
