Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1480176
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 UCW 15 Best of Fayetteville Best Restaurant Overall/Best Italian/ Best Waitstaff Luigi's Italian Chophouse & Bar 528 N. McPherson Church Road 910-864-1810 or www.luigisnc.com After serving as a cook in World War II, Peter Parrous settled down in Fayetteville. He traded in his boots for kitchen utensils and opened his own restaurant, featuring his mother's spaghetti recipe. For more than half a century, the restaurant has thrived and now under the leadership of the Parrous, Kotsopoulos, Higgins and Ernst families, it has continued to be one of the favorite locations for homemade Italian food — still made from the same recipe. Over the years, the restaurant added steaks, chops and fish. Luigi's has an eclectic wine list with more than 1,500 different wines. The well-appointed decor is perfect for a special night with your sweetheart or to celebrate with a group of friends. During the pandemic, Luigi's staff evolved to accommodate online ordering and reservations, as well as putting together a program for to-go orders and deliveries. Best New Restaurant Chicken Salad Chick 2811 Raeford Road 910-714-4786 or www.chickensaladchick.com If you have driven down Raeford Road near Tallywood recently then you've likely noticed a new face among all the fast food restaurants — Chicken Salad Chick which opened just this year. According to its three owners, this restaurant's number one priority is cus- tomer service. The restaurant has an array of, you guessed it, chicken salads as well as the picnic staples, pasta and egg salad. And the thing customers rave about, there's always a delicious iced cookie included. Chicken Salad Chick is open Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays. Best Local Caterer Two Brothers/The Vine 806 Katie Street 910-321-8491 or www.twobrotherscateringnc.com/ Family-owned and operated, Two Brothers Catering has been delivering phenom- enal food and friendly service to Cumberland County for the last 21 years. The highly sought-after and well- regarded catering company is synony- mous with quality. Two Brothers offers its clients high-caliber professionalism and the customer ser- vice each wedding, military function, and other special events deserve. Each dish is prepared with care as if ready to serve to their own families. Brad and Kelley McLawhorn, the two brothers for which the company is named, cater everything from country breakfasts to hand-cut prime rib—they can do it all. Though it's easy to get lost in the glitz and glamour of event plan- ning, the McLawhorns understand that the small touches go the furthest. They guarantee their customers that a business owner will be on-site for their event to ensure all runs smoothly. Known for their attention to detail, Two Brothers Catering prides itself on dotting every I and crossing every T. In addition to their extensive menu, Brad and Kelley own The Vine, a 4,500-square-foot event space in Fayetteville. When using Two Brothers Catering, customers can be sure they're in good hands and can expect com- prehensive assistance before, during and after their event. Best Waitstaff/Service MaryBill's Cafe 801 Elm Street 910-221-1170 or www.marybillscafe.com Nestled in the Eutaw North Shopping Center, MaryBill's Cafe serves up good food and friendly ser- vice with a smile. Open since 2007, the restaurant has been a mainstay for customers and their families for the last 15 years. After pressure from the pandemic threatened to shut MaryBill's down for good, Maria Le Blanc, a waitress at the restaurant for a decade, stepped in to ensure its survival. Le Blanc purchased MaryBill's. The Cafe offers a unique menu, daily lunch specials, and an ever-changing dessert offering. Traditional omelets and pancakes blend with fun menu items such as "The Thing" (a secret only your server knows) to create a small-town dining experience lost among bigger chains. New customers and regulars should feel at home amongst the green- checked tablecloths and blue vinyl booths where families have dined for years. Pictures of patrons over the years tell the story of a restaurant that loves what it serves and whom it serves. The staff at MaryBill's works as a team to accommodate all of its customers. They genuinely love each other and what they do so much that it spills over into the dining room. w i n e & d i n e