TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler. 

Featured Restaurant News

• Raleigh Magazine shared via Instagram that M Sushi Cary made its highly anticipated debut this week in Cary’s Fenton development (they opened this past Tuesday) with a week-long soft opening. They also noted that they are open for dinner only for a while, with plans to add lunch (reservation only – no walk-ins). M Sushi Cary is Michael Lee’s fifth restaurant, joining M Sushi Durham, M Kokko, M Tempura and M Pocha, all in Durham. Visit M Sushi Cary here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Also in the Fenton development, RalToday shared that CRÚ Food & Wine Bar opened last Thursday. The menu offers artisan cheese flights, shareable plates like wagyu meatballs, stone-fired pizza, and a large selection of wines. This is their first location inside North Carolina. Get familiar with them here.

• This will make everyone happy. Happy + Hale’s newest location in Six Forks Station (8711 Six Forks Road) opened yesterday. Now you have one more location to enjoy their bowls, salads, and smoothies. They are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. This marks their 5th Triangle-area location (three locations in Raleigh and two in Durham). Visit Happy + Hale here.

• This is exciting. After closing their doors in late August, Garland is reopening (sort of) for two days only to serve Hopscotch slushies. The acclaimed restaurant will open its takeout window today and tomorrow (September 9th and 10th). You can also head upstairs as they are also reopening Kings for some day parties with Hopscotch. Get all the details and the schedule for Kings here.

• Brookside Bodega, a bar, restaurant and shop located between Raleigh’s Oakwood and Mordecai neighborhoods, will offer Sunday brunch starting Sunday, September 18. Executive chef and co-owner Darrell Brown has created a brunch menu with modern spins on brunch classics as well as vegetarian and vegan-friendly entrees. Brunch also will include coffee roasted by the restaurant’s neighbor, The Optimist. Brunch service on Sundays will start at 10 a.m. Check them out here.

• Reader Birkir Gunnarsson shared with me the news that a concept called FF Chicken (flavored and flame grilled) is coming soon to Brier Creek Commons at 8531 Brier Creek Pkwy., Suite 109. Of particular note, they indicated on their website that their chicken is basted in your favorite peri peri flavors. The website says “opening soon” although no date has been provided as of yet. Check it out here.

• Yesterday saw the opening of Tom Meyer‘s newest concept – Cary’s own “weekday hideaway” of sorts called Prohibitive. It is housed in downtown Cary’s historic Matthews House (317 W. Chatham Street) and will be a place where you can gather with friends and family for an after work drink (beer, wine and classic cocktails) and delectable small plates. Open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Follow along on Facebook here.

• And this is a fun read. Multiple Triangle restaurants were featured in Eater Carolina’s Most Anticipated Restaurants list. The Triangle’s representation on the list included: Superica, Crawford Brothers Steakhouse and M Sushi in Cary; Rocks + Acid and NoDa Brewing in Chapel Hill; Ekhaya, Queen Burger, Emmy Squared and Seraphine in Durham; and JewFro, East End Bistrot, Leroy’s Tacos n Beers, Longleaf Swine, The Preserve and Village Tavern in Raleigh. Read the entire article here. Thanks to the folks over at RalToday for pointing this out!

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Over in Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Group founder Carrie Brogren shared the news that Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop received approval recently and will be opening on Franklin Street in the old Pepper’s/Waffle House location (127 E. Franklin Street). Boy do I miss Pepper’s… Visit Capriotti’s here.

• This is not officially a closing yet, but the date has been set for the last day of service at St. James Seafood in Durham, It is October 8th. There are still chances to get reservations. Visit them here.

Closing / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• The Brier Creek Food Truck Festival is back this Saturday, September 10th from 5 until 8 p.m. Treat yourself to some of the area’s most popular food trucks serving up their delights while listening to live music and joining in on all sorts of games and activities. Get all the detail here.

• The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 will be on Sunday, September 25th. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• The final Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo is Sunday, October 30. Mark your calendars. Get 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

• This Saturday, September 10th is the annual Hops for Hope at North Hills. The event allows you to sample over 30 beers curated specially for CFOH (Children’s Flight of Hope) by corporate teams and some of the Triangle’s best local breweries – all in support of their mission to give families hope through flight. In addition to 30 brews, they’ll have food trucks, live music, kids activities and more! All proceeds benefit Children’s Flight of Hope. Details here.

• Triangle VegFest will take place this Sunday, September 11th from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Durham’s Central Park. The event will feature a family fun zone, shopping, live music and lots of incredible vegan food, and more. Get all the details here.

• Ruckus and Bond Brothers Beer have teamed up for a series of Beer Dinners at three different Ruckus locations. The dinners will be September 14th at the Morrisville location; September 22nd at the Apex location; and the final one on September 27th at the Cary location. The dinners will feature four courses of flavor matched up with acclaimed Bond Brothers beers. Seating each night is at 6:30 with the first plates served at 7. Get tickets and all the details here.

• This year’s Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let’s work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, on August 30, 2019. On April 12th of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Race goers will gather on September 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

• Also on September 17th, kick off autumn with a free Oktoberfest Celebration at Gizmo Brew Works from 12-10 p.m. where you will enjoy live music, food, and craft beer out of a commemorative half-liter boot glass ($20; first pour is free). Get all the details here.

• The 15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, September 18th at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1st, when prices increase Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event.

• Also on September 18th in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

• On Friday, September 23rd (6:30 – 9:30 p.m.) the Museum of Life and Science in Durham is begins a series of curated culinary experiences featuring extraordinary food focused on sustainable hyper local plant-based cuisine in some of the Museum’s most unique settings, served with a side of science. Dine & Discover will allow you to enjoy a multi-course themed meal with one complimentary adult beverage (a cash bar will be available for additional purchases) while supporting the Museum of Life and Science’s mission. Tickets are $125. Get tickets and all the details here.

• On Sunday, September 25th, The Beagle, a cocktail bar in downtown Pittsboro (53 Hillsboro Street), will hold an End of the Summer Luau that will combine food, cocktails, and live music with a fundraiser for The Boys & Girls Club of Pittsboro. The band El Mirage will provide surf rock and The Beagle will provide a tropical pig roast with island fare, craft beer, tiki cocktails and desserts. Tickets will include the meal, dessert and two drinks. Get tickets and all the details here.

• After a two year hiatus, the 30th annual A Tasteful Affair, the tasting event of the season and fundraising event for the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, returns. This year’s event will feature samples from some of the area’s very best from the food and beverage industry, exciting silent auction, incredible live entertainment, and more! The event will take place at at The Carolina Club from 5:30-8 pm on Sunday, October 23. Pro tip: Use code: SOCIAL for a discount on your tickets! Get all the details here.

• The Bull City will be celebrating Oktoberfest in Durham Central Park on Friday, October 28 this year, thanks to The Glass Jug Beer Lab. The event is scheduled for 4 until 10 p.m. and includes a live interactive performance by The Little German Band & Dancers, as well as a “kids zone” hosted by Bull City Inflatables. And, of course, there will be beer. The Glass Jug will be serving several German-style lagers both from their taproom and from a rolling mobile beer trailer inside the park. Food will be available from several food trucks on site as well as in the Durham Food Hall. Get all the details here on their Facebook event page.

Food Bank Corner

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will hold their first ever Volunteer Festival September 24th from 10am-2pm at the Raleigh branch location. This festival is free entry, open to the public and come and go as you please. If you are one of the first 120 people to make a $10 donation to the Food Bank, you will receive a FREE beer from Mordecai Beverage Company. They will have an inflatable slide and obstacle course for ALL ages, a balloon twister and face painter will be on site and a variety of food trucks on site for your convenience including a nonprofit the Food Bank often teams up with, Inter Faith Food Shuttle Food Truck! For all you potato sorting lovers, they will have their signature potato sorting outside to meet your volunteering needs! Bring your family, friends and your neighbors to the Food Bank for their day of fun on September 24th 10am-2pm!! Get all the details here.

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler. 

Featured Restaurant News

• Ok. Someone has been reading my diary again. Glenn Gillen brought it to my attention thanks to a feature he saw in Eaters Carolina that any day now, Durham will be home to an all-day cafe and beer bar – coffee in the morning and beer in the afternoon. The Daily Beer Bar will bring life back to the spot once occupied by Talk of the Town at 108 East Main Street. The concept is the dream of beer writer and bartender John Paradiso and his wife Rosa. As noted in Eaters, it will function as a coffee shop in the morning with hot and cold drinks served by Yonder Coffee in Raleigh and pastries from local bakeries. At lunchtime, things will switch to more of a deli vibe with “a simple sandwich and salad menu.” And the day will close out with an array of beer and wine. Read the feature in Eater here and visit them on Instagram for progress and announcements here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Cary’s Fenton development will see their first restaurant open today for dinner – Colletta. Chef Oscar Gnapi’s seasonal menu will feature house-made focaccia and pasta, antipastis, made-to-order wood-fired pizzas, and piatti. The chef curated dinner and dessert menus, pair with the well balanced wine and beverage program. The restaurant will feature 60 indoor dining seats, 60 seats outdoors on the semi-covered patio, and a 12-seat bar. Get to know them here.

• And this is fun, and great for a mid-week break. Tom Meyer is bringing a new concept to Cary in the form of a “weekday hideaway” of sorts. Prohibitive, housed in downtown Cary’s historic Matthews House (317 W. Chatham Street), will be a place where you can gather with friends and family for an after work drink (beer, wine and classic cocktails) and delectable small plates. They are opening next Thursday, September 8th. Follow along on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Chapelboro reported this week that the franchise location of Cook Out is aiming to open their doors at at 450 South Elliott Road on Friday, September 9th. They are located along 15-501 in the former Burger King location, across from Breadmen’s, Red Lotus and Alpaca Peruvian Chicken. This will be the 123rd locaiton of Cook Out, the first in Chapel Hill. Visit them here.

• Chapelboro also provided an update for everyone keeping their eye on the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets in downtown Chapel Hill, specifically the next location of Raising Canes. For those hoping the chicken finger joint would be open in time for school, or at least football season, we learned that they won’t open until the spring of 2023. The good news, more so for the students, is that when they do open, they will be open from 9 a.m. until 3:30 a.m. Additionally, the $2 million renovations will add outdoor dining to the corner. Start getting yourself familiar with Raising Cane here.

• Got word this week that The Hill Nutrition, which had previously announced they would be closing August 31, is staying open under new management. They are located at 50221 Governors Dr. in Chapel Hill (Chatham County) where they continue to serve up smoothies, juices, healthy shakes and energizing teas. Best to follow on Facebook for more upcoming announcements.

• And speaking of Chatham County, they will soon be home to another watering hole. They announced this week that Thirsty Skull Brewing would be returning with a taproom and biergarden to 684 West Street in Pittsboro, right next to The Phoenix Bakery. No word yet on an open date. Look for announcements on their Facebook page here.

Closing / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 will be on Sunday, September 25th. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• The next Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo is this Sunday, September 4th. Following that, the final one of the year will be held on October 30. Mark your calendars. Get 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

• The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival is taking place this weekend September 2-4 in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina where they will celebrate “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina – from Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato. The three-day event features a variety of activities culminating with a impressive list of pitmasters showing off their talents on day three. Get tickets and all the details on their site here.

• The Bull City BBQ Bash will take place this Saturday, September 3rd from 12-5 p.m. bringing a high energy BBQ event to Durham to cap the summer holiday season. Attendees will interact with BBQ competitors, taste and vote on delicious food while supporting Helps Education Fund, enjoy live music, shop at a small business marketplace, enjoy local food and beverages and most of all – experience an amazing atmosphere! Get all the details on their website here.

• Ruckus and Bond Brothers Beer have teamed up for a series of Beer Dinners at three different Ruckus locations. The dinners will be September 14th at the Morrisville location; September 22nd at the Apex location; and the final one on September 27th at the Cary location. The dinners will feature four courses of flavor matched up with acclaimed Bond Brothers beers. Seating each night is at 6:30 with the first plates served at 7. Get tickets and all the details here.

• After a 2-year hiatus, Dinner in the Meadow will return as attendees will be gathering in the meadow again on Sunday, September 11th from 5:30-8:30 in the evening. The dinner sells out each year, so you are encouraged to get your tickets early. Get all the details here.

• This year’s Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let’s work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, on August 30, 2019. On April 12th of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Race goers will gather on September 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

• Also on September 17th, kick off autumn with a free Oktoberfest Celebration at Gizmo Brew Works from 12-10 p.m. where you will enjoy live music, food, and craft beer out of a commemorative half-liter boot glass ($20; first pour is free). Get all the details here.

• The 15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, September 18th at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1st, when prices increase Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event.

• Also on September 18th in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

• On Sunday, September 25th, The Beagle, a cocktail bar in downtown Pittsboro (53 Hillsboro Street), will hold an End of the Summer Luau that will combine food, cocktails, and live music with a fundraiser for The Boys & Girls Club of Pittsboro. The band El Mirage will provide surf rock and The Beagle will provide a tropical pig roast with island fare, craft beer, tiki cocktails and desserts. Tickets will include the meal, dessert and two drinks. Get tickets and all the details here.

• After a two year hiatus, the 30th annual A Tasteful Affair, the tasting event of the season and fundraising event for the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, returns. This year’s event will feature samples from some of the area’s very best from the food and beverage industry, exciting silent auction, incredible live entertainment, and more! The event will take place at at The Carolina Club from 5:30-8 pm on Sunday, October 23. Pro tip: Use code: SOCIAL for a discount on your tickets! Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will hold their first ever Volunteer Festival September 24th from 10am-2pm at the Raleigh branch location. This festival is free entry, open to the public and come and go as you please. If you are one of the first 120 people to make a $10 donation to the Food Bank, you will receive a FREE beer from Mordecai Beverage Company. They will have an inflatable slide and obstacle course for ALL ages, a balloon twister and face painter will be on site and a variety of food trucks on site for your convenience including a nonprofit the Food Bank often teams up with, Inter Faith Food Shuttle Food Truck! For all you potato sorting lovers, they will have their signature potato sorting outside to meet your volunteering needs! Bring your family, friends and your neighbors to the Food Bank for their day of fun on September 24th 10am-2pm!! Get all the details here.