The Dish - New Wilmington restaurants serve Nuevo Latino, Thai, Irish pub fare

Sometimes, Wilmington seems like one giant kitchen whose swinging doors never stop moving. In and out come constant servers of the city's varied cuisine.

“If one (restaurant) closes, three open,” former Nagila owner Shai Shalit observed, marveling over the quick turnover of his own 3314 Wrightsville Ave. Moroccan place.

Shalit, in February, abandoned Nagila after the recession and road work near Nagila's parking lot trimmed customers. As soon as Shalit left, chef Danny Keegan arrived.

San Juan Café

Keegan replaced Nagila with the Spanish colonial look of San Juan Café, a Nuevo Latino shop emphasizing Keegan's native Puerto Rico.

Queso fresco and goat cheese fill cornmeal-crusted chiles rellenos over black bean sauce. Duck confit, caramelized onions and cashews stuff arepas.

Salt cod fritters named bacalaitos and arroz con pollo (chicken and rice with stewed red beans on the side) are among classic dishes.

A Johnson and Wales graduate of the school's late Charleston, S.C., campus, Keegan visited his brother in Wilmington and in 2006 decided to stay.

He logged time in Key West and various local kitchens including NOFO, Brasserie du Soleil, Boca Bay and most recently Osteria Cicchetti.

Meantime, Shalit is catering for small groups while seeking a smaller restaurant option, maybe downtown.

Big Thai opens in Landfall Center

Last Friday, a much-anticipated second Big Thai debuted at Landfall Center's previous 17th Street Deli (Military Cutoff and Eastwood roads).

Expect the same lunch and dinner menus as at the popular Big Thai downtown (1001 North 4th St.) but in a smaller setting, although the new digs seat 40 people, said Sara Treerat, who owns Big Thai with her husband, chef “Big” Choti.

The pair had been partners in downtown's acclaimed Rim Wang, which closed in 2008.

The Harp pub opens on South Third at Greenfield

Even near south downtown's blighted Nesbitt Courts housing project, one restaurateur is stepping up. The neighborhood's long-abandoned Chick-n-Fish (1423 S. Third St., at Greenfield Street) has become The Harp, a pub from owner and Irishman Val Cleary.

Cleary operates Harp Builders in Wilmington, but for eight years he ran a pub in Ireland.

White tablecloths, dark wood and stained-glass Celtic knots mark the cozy dining room. The menu reflects Cleary's heritage (homemade brown bread, shepherd's pie, beef braised in Guinness). There's house-cured gravlax, too.

The kitchen uses local foods. This year, Cleary plans to launch a nearby farm to supply the restaurant.

Flat Eddie's

LM Restaurants didn't miss a beat in its transition from Eddie Romanelli's to Flat Eddie's (5400 Oleander Drive). A new sign went up Feb. 12 following renovations and menu changes.

The space is urban-chic, suiting fresh cocktails (mango martini, Jose Cuervo Gold and Smirnoff Orange Vodka margarita). Flat Eddie's boasts “signature” flatbreads sporting smoked chicken, grilled shrimp, pork barbecue or other toppings.

Sandwiches, burgers and mostly American entrees round out the list (Philly cheesesteak wrap; rosemary-rubbed, brown sugar-glazed salmon; chicken teriyaki stir-fry).

Eddie Romanelli's in Leland remains.

Have a hot food tip for Liz? E-mail her at liz.biro@starnewsonline.com.