The folks behind Chapel Hill Restaurant Group who brought us Mez, Spanky's and 518 West, are at it again. They hope to open Page Road Grill before the end of 2012.

Greg Overbeck, co-owner and  marketing director, says Page Road Grill, which is the working but not-as-yet final name for the restaurant, will be an American gastropub serving sandwiches, salads, burgers, steaks, chops and seafood. There will be a focus on serving local beers, including those from Top of the Hill and Carolina Brewery.

Overbeck says the new restaurant will be at 5416 Page Road, near their Mexican restaurant, Mez. (Go HERE to see architectural drawings of the project.) The 8,000-square foot space will have 160 seats and an outdoor patio. He describes the design as "steampunk," which is so intriguing to me that I may go just to see that.

The restaurant will be a LEED-certified green building. Overbeck says they are exploring such environmentally-friendly measures as having beehives or a worm farm.

Cantina South, a modern Mexican restaurant, will hopefully open by the end of June in the space formerly occupied by Bogart's in Raleigh's Glenwood South area.

Kevin Summers, a former co-founder of Rocky Top Hospitality and restaurant consultant, explained that he had been looking for the right restaurant ownership opportunity. When he heard that Rocky Top Hospitality owner Dean Ogan was giving up his lease at the 510 Glenwood Ave space that Bogart's occupied, Summers thought he had a good concept and had found his opportunity to return to being a restaurant owner. 

Cantina South will serve modern Mexican cuisine with entrees between $13 and $20, specialty margaritas and more than 50 tequilas. It will be a high-energy fun restaurant offering late-night music with a focus on country and rock music.

The chef is David Peraza, who was a consultant chef for the opening of Mez in Durham and Jibarra when it moved to downtown Raleigh. The menu features freshly-made guacamole prepared tableside, a selection of ceviches and most intriguing to me, duck confit in flautas and carnitas.

Summers' business partners include Bill Holt, who the Melting Pot restaurant in Raleigh, and Dave Medvetz, president of Blue Sky Services, a real estate and contracting firm in Raleigh.

Summers said Cantina South should open by the end of June but could get pushed until early July.

Six Triangle restaurants are finalists in this year's Best Dish in North Carolina contest, sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

In the casual dining category, those include Mez in Durham, Market in Raleigh and Tribeca Tavern in Raleigh. In the fine dining category, those include Il Palio at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, McCormicks & Schmicks in Raleigh and Zely & Ritz in Raleigh.

The contest is designed to encourage restaurant owners and chefs to use N.C. foods. Judges will visit the finalists over the summer and taste the dishes. The top three winners in each category and in each region will be announced in November.

Congrats to all our finalists.

The complete list of finalists is below:

Eastern Piedmont/Coastal

Casual Dining

• Mez Contemporary Mexican Restaurant, Durham
• Circa 81, Morehead City
• Market, Raleigh
• Tribeca Tavern, Raleigh
• Kornerstone Bistro, Wilmington
• Yancey House Restaurant, Yanceyville

Fine Dining

• Il Palio at The Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill
• 1895 Grille, Pinehurst
• Elliott's on Linden, Pinehurst
• McCormicks & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant, Raleigh
• Zely and Ritz, Raleigh
• Marc's on Market, Wilmington
• Deluxe, Wilmington
• Circa 1922, Wilmington

Western Piedmont/Mountain region

Casual Dining

• Off the Square, Albemarle
• Bistro 42, Asheboro
• Café Azalea, Asheville
• Kitchen Roselli, East Bend

Fine Dining

• Crippen's Country Inn and Restaurant, Blowing Rock
• Table at Crestwood, Boone
• The Gallery Restaurant at the Ballantyne Resort, Charlotte
• Mimosa Grill, Charlotte
• Savannah Red, Charlotte
• Zebra Restaurant, Charlotte
• Knife & Fork, Spruce Pine
• Simplicity at the Mast Farm Inn, Valle Crucis

Williams-Sonoma store at Southpoint mall just sent out a list of their upcoming cooking classes.

Several in May look really interesting if you haven't had a chance to see these local chefs in action: Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery, Chris Stinnet of Pop's Restaurant and Rue Cler; and Jeff Robinson of Mez.

Here is the schedule:

• May 4, Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery of Cary, fresh pizza dough, $65
• May 11, Chris Stinnet of Pop's Restaurant and Rue Cler, both in Durham, pizza and foccacia $35
• May 25, Jeff Robinson of Mez, $35, a contemporary Mexican food. 

Each class runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. To reserve your spot, call 484-1706.