Featured Restaurant News
- The News & Observer’s Drew Jackson reported this week that Seaboard Station is losing another great restaurant. After a 15 year run, J. Betski’s will close in about two weeks. That’s the bad news. The good news is the owners are opening a new restaurant nearby. Stay tuned for that announcement soon. Book your last meal at this location soon. Details on their website here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Up in North Raleigh, EatRaleigh shared the news via Twitter that there is a new restaurant coming to Triangle Town Center called Lechon which touts itself as a Latin BBQ joint and bar. Not much else to report at this point. You can keep up with their progress on their Instagram page here.
- A little further north in Wake Forest, reader Todd Dawson shared that there is a sign up at the Heritage Shops in Wake Forest (2815 Rogers Road) for a new Crumbl Cookies location between Starbucks and Mod Pizza. No details yet. This will mark the 4th location in the Triangle, with the most recent opening in Raleigh’s Brier Creek. Get familiar with Crumbl here.
- In Cary, friend Andrea Weigl shared the news that the restaurant inside the boutique hotel The Mayton has undergone renovations and a rebrand and is now Peck & Plume (previously known as The Verandah). P&P is a polished yet casual restaurant offering a menu of modern American classics and is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. The restaurant team includes chef Steve Zanini and general manager Whitney Gilliom. Check it out here.
- Staying in Cary, saw on several social media posts that Flip Side Donuts (a donut and coffee shop offering the classics as well as creative, vegan, and gluten-friendly donuts) is opening in one week on August 21 in the former Happycakes Cupcakery spot at 9958 Chapel Hill Road in Cary (think Guasaca). Keep up with any announcements between now and then on their Instagram page here.
- Also in Cary, Raleigh Convergence shared the news that Fenton, the much-anticipated development in east Cary, introduced Sports & Social as their newest named tenant when they open in the spring of 2022. The sports bar will feature a gaming parlor and lounge with games from skeeball to a golf simulator. To get an idea of what is to come, check out their location in Atlanta here.
- My number one source for restaurant news in eastern Wake County, David McCreary, shared the news that Bellini Fine Italian Cuisine announced on its Facebook page this week that it plans to relocate this fall from its current location in MacGregor Village in Cary to a new location at 7256 GB Alford Highway in the Shoppes at Holly Springs this fall. Bellini will take over the space formerly occupied by the now-shuttered Los Pos Mexican restaurant. Keep up with the transition on their Facebook page here.
- And a huge congratulations to Saif Rahman, executive chef of Vidrio in Raleigh’s Glenwood South (part of the LM Restaurant Group) as he earned the title of North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s 2021 Chef of the Year. He earned this prestigious award after competing in a series of preliminary and regional cooking competitions over the past few months. Visit Vidrio here.
- Looking for all the outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Some fun stuff happening with The Root Cellar, with locations in Chapel Hill and Pittsboro. First up, chef Sera Cuni will return to the Food Network for a ‘redemption’ episode of Guy’s Grocery Games on Wednesday, Aug 18. They are hosting a viewing party at The Lumina Theater in Chapel Hill with all proceeds from the event being donated to CORA, the Chatham County food pantry. And in other news, the Chapel Hill location of The Root Cellar is on track to reopen for indoor dining on Monday, August 16th! Check out The Root Cellar here.
- And speaking of The Lumina Theater, Kevin Callaghan chef/owner of ACME restaurant in downtown Carrboro, shared via his social media channels (along with Chapel Hill Magazine) this week that they will be opening a bar and restaurant inside The Lumina Theater in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village. No word yet on a name nor opening date. Stay tuned. In the meantime, visit ACME here.
- And in Durham, RalToday shared the news that a frozen daiquiri lounge, The Slush, is coming to the downtown area at 321 W. Main St. The new spot is hosting a grand opening on Sat., Aug. 14, featuring the brightly colored drinks and a food truck. Visit them on Facebook here.
- And here are a couple of wonderful resources for those looking to dine in downtown Durham or downtown Chapel Hill – Downtown Durham Inc. has an up-to-date listing of the status of each restaurant in downtown Durham. Check out the list here. And the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership has put together a similar list for Chapel Hill here.
Closings / Cancellations
- Got word from reader Samantha Leach that the Raleigh location of Brew to Brew (Towne North shopping center) closed in June. However, they still have a location in Clayton here. Leach noted that there is a sign for a vegan cafe coming soon in that spot. Stay tuned.
Food Trucks
- The Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo will make its return on Sunday, September 5th (Labor Day weekend) from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Find out which trucks will be there and all the details here.
- Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.
Events
- Downtown Durham Inc. announced that The Streetery will return this Saturday, August 14 at Five Points with added outdoor seating and buskers. Join them from 12 – 9 p.m. to shop, carry out, dine in or dine out. The Streetery happens on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Get all the details here.
- RalToday shared that Raleigh’s International Food Festival is returning to City Plaza on Sat., August 28 from 12 noon -10 p.m. The festival features a variety of international food, beer and wine, as well as international performers. Admission is free. Get all the details here.
- The 45th Annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival will be held on August 28 and 29 at Cary’s Town Hall campus on Academy Street. The two-day arts festival will feature over 350 artists, live music, children’s activities and a variety of food and drink vendors. Get all the details here.
- You might want to go ahead and plan on spending your Labor Day weekend in Pinehurst for the inaugural Pinehurst Barbecue Festival – a three-day event, staged in and around the historic Village of Pinehurst from September 3-5, 2021. The event will offer a unique culinary sampling experience of various barbecue meats and traditional sides. Choose to experience the entire three-day festival, or attend just one signature event. A multi-ticket VIP package, as well as individual tickets for each event are available. The pitmaster lineup includes: Ed Mitchell, The Preserve (Raleigh); Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue (Knightdale); Adam Hughes, Old Colony Smokehouse (Edenton); Joe Lumbrazo, Backyard Bistro (Raleigh); and Ashley Sheppard, Pik N Pig (Carthage). Get tickets, schedule and all the details here.
- Get ready for the seventh-annual WRAL.com Voters’ Choice Awards! Each year, your nominations and votes help WRAL recognize local favorites. Mark your calendars because the nomination period will begin September 13! Get all the details here.
- The 8th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K is happening this year on Saturday, September 18th and registration is now open. You can register to run/walk, volunteer, donate or sponsor as they look to top last year’s effort to raise money towards finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Three years ago, Jeanne, the co-owner of Sola Coffee, was diagnosed with ALS. Get all the details on their website here.
- Our friends over at RalToday pointed out a few events you might want to go ahead and get on your calendar. So exciting to think of some of our favorite events actually happening in 2021! First up, Raleigh Veg Fest 2021 originally scheduled for April 4 has moved to October 31 in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square. Details here. And Brewgaloo is now scheduled for September 17 & 18 in downtown Raleigh. Details here.
Food Bank Corner
- Their summer match may be over, but the Food Bank’s Kids Summer Meals Program will continue to serve free nutritious meals through August 20 – filling the summer meal gap that occurs when kids & teens miss out on reliable school meals. While school is out, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina knows families struggle to keep food on the table. Budgets for so many families are already stretched thin from the pandemic, with job losses and hours being cut. The Food Bank is providing free grab-and-go meals for children at approximately 40 meal sites across our service area. Learn more about the Grab & Go Kids Summer Meals here.
