One Tree Hill’s New Hangout

Few restaurateurs get the luxury of having a second location within walking distance of their first shop, but downtown’s Dixie Grill is so popular that owner Brian Mayberry added a similar diner concept right around the corner.

Mayberry’s new shop Owen, located in the former Front Street Diner, was hot even before it opened Aug. 7. One Tree Hill producers weeks ago decided to use it as a hangout on the show, sort of like The Peach Pit on the old Beverly Hills 90210.

Owen (at 118 Front St.) closes during One Tree Hill filming, but the rest of the time it serves as a contrast to Dixie Grill, focusing not on breakfast and lunch as Dixie does but on old-fashioned Southern dinnertime favorites.

“Here, I’m set up for exactly what I wanted to do,” Mayberry says, explaining that he had planned for Dixie Grill to host a larger dinner crowd “but breakfast and lunch took off.” A typical Dixie Sunday morning sees 350 people in six hours, Mayberry says.

Owen, named for his 8-year-old son, features comfort food with “just a little flair,” Mayberry says. Look for Cajun-spiced turkey meatloaf and buttermilk-battered fried chicken featuring a boneless breast and skewered boneless thigh. While breakfast is not the main event, morning meals include freshly fried doughnuts and a dry-cereal bar. Beer and wine are available, and Mayberry is considering adding liquor.

Mayberry nixed the bright red and blue color scheme for cool celadon that covers the classic chrome bar stools at a counter overlooking the open kitchen. Walls and Formica booths match the hue.

“I’ve just always loved that space; it’s such a classic looking place,” says Mayberry, a Detroit native who earned his chops cooking for various respected Motor City restaurants, notably the well-known Rattlesnake Club, owned by James Beard Award-winning chef Jimmy Schmidt.

When his son came along, Mayberry moved to Wilmington for a toned-down urban atmosphere in which to raise a family. He’s owned Dixie Grill for 7 1/2 years, but he’s not done tinkering with his first shop, which underwent a small refurbishment in 2007. Mayberry plans a dining room upstairs. For now, Dixie Grill (116 Market St.) continues its emphasis on breakfast, lunch and the late-night crowd, and Mayberry keeps cooking and scouting new restaurant opportunities.

“I want to be in the kitchen,” he says. “It’s fun for me.”

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