TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Eater Carolinas shared the news that Raleigh is going big time. Eric Rivera, one of Seattle’s most unusual chefs, is bringing two concepts to Raleigh, housed in the same building. Sapo will be a private dining room with elaborate tasting menus. The seven to 10 course experience will be available only through purchasing a ticket ahead of time. The other concept, Coqui, will be modeled after an Izakaya (a Japanese-stye bar with small dishes and drinks) but with a Puerto Rican flair. The dining room will be filled with loud music and the food will feature “exploding flavors.” Rivera’s restaurant called Addo, earned him the title of Seattle’s 2018 Chef of the Year from food magazine Eater. Rivera will “introduce” his style at private dinners in Raleigh March 1 – April 30, 2023. Look for both concepts to open in 2023, with a location to be named soon. Follow along on Instagram.

Wake County Restaurant News

• RalToday shared the news that the folks behind Pelagic Beer & Wine (in the North Person Street business district) opened Riparian Beer + Wine this week at 1408 South Saunders Street (near Slice Pie Company and Earp’s Seafood). The larger space features open air seating as well as a tasting bar. Follow along for details and hours on their Instagram page here.

• On one of my recent visits to Raleigh’s Costco, I noticed that Raleigh newest Chick-fil-A opened yesterday right on Six Forks behind Applebee’s and First Watch. Perhaps due to space limitation, perhaps taking a page out of what was learned during the pandemic, this location is drive-thru only. Congrats to owner/operator Jade Costen. Visit this location here.

• Over in Apex, Mike DePersia of DePersia & Associates, shared that Mezcalito Grill & Tequila Bar will be moving into the spot formerly occupied by Big Mike’s BBQ. No word on an open date. They also have locations in Clayton and Durham here in the Triangle. Get familiar with them here.

• David McCreary shared with us that a new location of Crumbl Cookies opens TODAY (Friday, Nov. 18), at 145 Grand Hill Place in Holly Springs Towne Center (near Target next to Oragetheory Fitness). Visit them here.

• And the home (some say the birthplace) of the original Buffalo wings straight out of Buffalo, New York is coming to Raleigh sometime next year. Local media shared the news that Anchor Bar announced six new franchise locations, including Raleigh, to open in 2023. A location hasn’t been identified yet, but negotiations are underway. Start getting familiar with Anchor here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Nick Singh and Buddy Maynard, are excited to announce the creation of The Waiting Room, a crafted cocktail and small plates concept slated to open this December. The Waiting Room is an inclusive space inspired by Singh and Maynard’s deep understanding and love for community. This relaxing space will be a great place to unwind or visit while waiting for a table at an incredible local restaurant. It is located in downtown Durham’s American Tobacco Campus at 300 Blackwell Street. Keep up with them on Instagram here.

• On a recent drive threw Durham, noticed a sign near Brightleaf Square that a new coffee concept called New World Cafe is now open at at 701 W Main Street, corner of Duke and Main streets. They also have a location in Raleigh in the Pleasant Valley area. Get to know them here.

• Triangle Business Journal shared this week that DSSOLVR, a brewery based in Asheville, is bringing its funky brews and bizarre aesthetic to the retail portion of a new apartment complex in Durham. The tasting room will cover 2,500 square feet on the ground floor of the Atlas Durham apartment building, at West Corporation Street and Rigsbee Avenue by the Durham Food Hall. Get familiar with them here.

• Tonya Council will open Tonya’s Cookies & Gifts TODAY, Friday, November 18 in the Streets of Southpoint mall in Durham. She is offering a variety of gourmet gifts and seasonal baskets, as well as a selection of fresh cookies, baked on premises. Council is one of the South’s beloved bakers, and her famous Pecan Crisp cookies were named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things last holiday season. Take a peek here.
  

Closing / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• 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 eighth-annual WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards presented by M&F Bank is here! Vote for your favorite from the top five finalists in each category. You can vote now through November 20. Winners will be announced in January 2023 at an event in downtown Raleigh. Vote here.

• Tonight (Nov. 18) Raleigh Wine Shop and Locals Seafood will hold a Fall Oyster Roast from 5-8 p.m. at Raleigh Wine Shop located at 317 S. Bloodworth Street in downtown Raleigh. They’ll be serving up oysters and delicious small seafood plates right from the kitchen, all paired with great wines so you can eat, sip and have dinner right there at the shop. If you can’t make it tonight, they’ll hold one more this year on December 9th. Get all the details here.

• Tickets are now on sale for Holiday Market at The Durham on Dec. 7, featuring 25 N.C. artisans and makers. A wide variety of gifts from succulents, jewelry, fashion, artisan foods, candles, dinnerware, books and more will be available for purchase from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Tickets for attendees cost $10 for either the 6-7:30 p.m. or 7:30-9 p.m. shopping event. The public will be able to shop for thoughtful gifts while enjoying sweet bites from the Durham’s pastry chef Kelsey LeGaux as well as eggnog and champagne, which will be served at the bar. Buy tickets here.

• And looking to do some good this holiday season? The Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Group on Facebook is holding a holiday charity partnership again with Chapel Hill Service League’s annual Christmas House event. They are looking to raise as much money as possible allowing them to buy/distribute grocery gift cards for local families in need. If you’d like to donate, please do so here.

• And looking to continue dining outside even as the temperatures start to drop? No problem. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has compiled a list of restaurants in downtown Raleigh keeping you warm all-year long! Check out that list here.

Food Bank Corner

• Looking for an easy way for you and/or your office to make a HUGE DIFFERENCE in people’s lives this Holiday season? Host a VIRTUAL Food Drive! Forget the hassle of a trip to the grocery store for your next food drive… create a food drive without the heavy lifting using our Virtual Food Drive, and maximize your donation times five! For every $1 donated, the Food Bank can provide FIVE meals! You can make a difference in your community by hosting a Virtual Food Drive for your friends, family members, or coworkers.  It is easy! Start here. #noonegoeshungry

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Great news for fans (there are a lot of you!) of J. Betski’s, formerly at Seaboard Station. They have relocated and opened serving up their casual East and Central European fare and fine beverages at Highpark Village in the Five Points neighborhood (1916 Bernard St, Raleigh), right next to Seaboard Wine and Taste. Reacquaint yourself with them here. Thanks to reader Betty Diegel for bringing this to our attention.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Raleigh Magazine shared the news that Jason Howard’s The Rainbow Luncheonette opened this past Tuesday at 911 N West St. The six-days-a-week breakfast, lunch and dinner counter will be dishing up elevated greasy spoon plates in what he dubs a really cool-looking, colorful (hence rainbow floor) Waffle House on steroids. Couple other noteworthy items: you’ll be able to get a mixed drink with your breakfast…and on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the diner will be open from 6 to 10pm with just one thing on the menu: a handcut New York 12-ounce strip steak. Howard also brought us The Cardinal and The Atlantic Lounge, among others. Check them out on Instagram here.

• And just over at Smoky Hollow on Peace Street, the Triangle Business Journal shared the news that J. Lights, a second location from local entrepreneur Jared Burton, opened this past weekend. J. Lights is the sister concept to J. Lights Market & Café in Durham’s Golden Belt Campus. The Smoky Hollow location will serve coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner and alcoholic drinks from its corner location. Their grand opening is today (Nov. 11). Visit them, and all the tenants (now and on the way), here.

• And after much anticipation, The BBQ Lab at North Hills officially opened this past Wednesday. Due to staffing shortages, the barbecue spot will be open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. until food runs out. And of note, burnt ends will be available Wednesdays and Fridays. Best to follow along on Facebook.

1. This brings up a lot of childhood memories. WRAL shared the news this week that the newly remodeled Chuck E. Cheese in Raleigh is holding a grand re-opening celebration this week. New features at 3501-131 Capitol Blvd. include more than 15 new games, an interactive dance floor, a large video wall and updated seating with charging stations. Check it out here.

• And a couple of kudos to throw out. USA Today readers named Raleigh-based Funguys Brewing the Best New Brewery in the country. Breweries that opened within the past four years were eligible for nomination. Visit their Facebook page here. And kudos to Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ for winning the News & Observer’s Raleigh’s Best competition in the Barbecue category, as voted on by their readers. Stop by their Oberlin Road location to taste for yourself.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• A couple of weeks ago we shared that the Beer Study on Graham Street was moving into 504 West Franklin Street, the space that previously housed Mint Indian Cuisine. Chapelboro shared this week that with the move (working toward a December 10 open) they will also introduce a food menu, but not likely until February. And the space they are leaving? Chapelboro broke the news this week that Mike Benson, the owner of Franklin Motors Beer Garden and a local artist, will start a new project in the space once Beer Study is fully moved. It is going to be called Lapin Bleu and it’s going to be a bar and an [art] gallery. In the meantime, keep up with Franklin Motors here and Beer Study here.

• Got word this week that Tonya Council will open Tonya’s Cookies & Gifts next Friday, November 18 in the Streets of Southpoint mall in Durham. She will offer a variety of gourmet gifts and seasonal baskets, as well as a selection of fresh cookies, baked on premises. Council is one of the South’s beloved bakers, and her famous Pecan Crisp cookies were named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things last holiday season. Take a peek here.

• Saladelia Cafe & Catering is moving their flagship location at 4201 University Drive to 3604 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, near Sitar and the ABC store, right next to Konrad Automotive, less than a mile from their current spot. They will reopen on November 14th. Visit Saladelia here.

• And JB Duke Hotel, a AAA Four Diamond contemporary lodging destination located on the campus of Duke University, has officially reopened its Lobby Lounge located adjacent to the hotel’s lobby. Locals and travelers alike are invited to experience the lounge’s delicious menu offerings, upscale spirits and ideal atmosphere. Check it out here.

Closing / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• 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 eighth-annual WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards presented by M&F Bank is here! Vote for your favorite from the top five finalists in each category. You can vote now through November 20. Winners will be announced in January 2023 at an event in downtown Raleigh. Vote here.

• The BBQ Blues & Brews Festival, southwestern Wake county’s biggest beer and bbq music festival of the year is coming to Downtown Fuquay-Varina, THIS Saturday, November 12th from 12- 4pm at the old Stephens Hardware Building at 405 East Broad Street. Get all the details here.

• On November 17 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., 21c Durham and Counting House NC are proud to present a very special event benefiting No Kid Hungry and their mission of ending childhood hunger. Chef Jeff Seizer will be joined alongside some of Durham’s favorite chefs – Matt Kelly of Mateo and Mother & Sons, Jake Wood of Lawrence BBQ, and Chris Lopez of Fine Folk – as well as Ponysaurus, Fullsteam, Empire Distribution, Bordeaux Fine & Rare, and LouElla for a one-of-a-kind drinking and dining experience hosted upstairs in their contemporary art galleries. $85 includes passed bites and innovative small plates from each chef, specialty cocktails a silent auction (including cooking classes, chef dinners, hotel stays, and more!) and live music. Get tickets here.

• Tickets are now on sale for Holiday Market at The Durham on Dec. 7, featuring 25 N.C. artisans and makers. A wide variety of gifts from succulents, jewelry, fashion, artisan foods, candles, dinnerware, books and more will be available for purchase from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Tickets for attendees cost $10 for either the 6-7:30 p.m. or 7:30-9 p.m. shopping event. The public will be able to shop for thoughtful gifts while enjoying sweet bites from the Durham’s pastry chef Kelsey LeGaux as well as eggnog and champagne, which will be served at the bar. Buy tickets here.

• And looking to do some good this holiday season? The Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Group on Facebook is holding a holiday charity partnership again with Chapel Hill Service League’s annual Christmas House event. They are looking to raise as much money as possible allowing them to buy/distribute grocery gift cards for local families in need. If you’d like to donate, please do so here.

• And looking to continue dining outside even as the temperatures start to drop? No problem. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has compiled a list of restaurants in downtown Raleigh keeping you warm all-year long! Check out that list here.

Food Bank Corner

• Looking for an easy way for you and/or your office to make a HUGE DIFFERENCE in people’s lives this Holiday season? Host a VIRTUAL Food Drive! Forget the hassle of a trip to the grocery store for your next food drive… create a food drive without the heavy lifting using our Virtual Food Drive, and maximize your donation times five! For every $1 donated, the Food Bank can provide FIVE meals! You can make a difference in your community by hosting a Virtual Food Drive for your friends, family members, or coworkers.  It is easy! Start here. #noonegoeshungry