TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  Alright Ursula Littlejohn, here is the spot for our next lunch! WRAL shared the great news that Dame’s Chicken and Waffles will be opening a third Triangle-area location. Located on the ground floor of Liberty Warehouse Apartments at 530 Foster Street, this one is not too far from their original Durham location on Main Street. They also have a location in Cary as well as in Greensboro.  If you haven’t already done so, get familiar with Dame’s here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Got word from JMR Kitchens Restaurant Group owners Justin and Ryan Riek that their Medlin Drive location of Taste has changed to Tuesday through Sunday dinner service until January 27th – at which time that location will close. That’s the bad news. The great news is they have opened another Taste location (Five Points) at 1912 Bernard St in the Highpark Shopping Center off Whitaker Mill. In addition to dinner service (same menu as Medlin location) seven days a week, they also run coffee/brunch service from 7a to 1p Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday Brunch from 10a to 2p. Check out all their restaurants here.

• Coleen Speaks, who recently launched the event venue Whitaker & Atlantic, has opened a cocktail bar and café called Hummingbird in the adjacent space. Located at Dock 1053, at the corner of Whitaker Mill and Atlantic Ave., it is open Monday through Saturday from 8am until midnight. Check it out here.

• The on-again, off-again story of Boylan Bridge Brewpub continues with WRAL reporting that is has closed again, but just temporarily. The restaurant reopened in May after being closed for more than a year after a wall collapsed. A drop-off in business, attributed to street closures due to the construction of the multi-use development The Dillon, led to the most recent closure. Look for it to reopen early next year. Read the full article here.

• The ITB Insider reported that permits have been issued for Kaiju Bowl & Bao, the latest offering from Ken Yowell who also owns the Oak City Meatball Shop and Calavera Empanadas and Tequila. The new restaurant, located at 170 East Davie Street in the former home of Dickey’s BBQ, will offer a kind of “Asian chicken wing.” Keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here.

• Also in downtown Raleigh, it was announced this week that Barcelona Wine Bar, a wine and tapas restaurant inspired by the culture of Spain, will be opening at The Dillon in the Warehouse District at 223 W. South Street. They currently have locations throughout Connecticut and in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Nashville, Reston Virginia and Washington DC. The Dillon location will be their first restaurant in the Raleigh market. Get familiar with them here.

• In North Raleigh, reader Rebecca Calhoun notified us that the Nothing Bundt Cakes location at Falls Village (6643 Falls of Neuse Rd.) opened yesterday, and they have opening events schedule for today (December 1) and tomorrow. Check out their website for all the details.

• Also in Falls Village, the ITB Insider reported that a wine and craft beer shop with a taproom called Falls Village Wine & Beer opened its doors for the first time last week. So now bundt cakes and beer. What else could North Raleigh possibly need? Not much on their website yet, but get the latest on their Facebook page here.

• Just a little bit further north in LaFayette Village, owner Michael Bongiorno informed us that Zanyu Asian Noodles is now open with a limited pre-opening menu and they are adding dishes by the day! Check out their Facebook page to get all the details.

• Reader Hugh Autry notified us that La Roca Mexican Grill has opened in Raleigh at the Garner Station shopping center at 1431 Garner Station Blvd. Check them out on Facebook here.

• Over in Cary, Autry also noticed that there is a Buffalo Brothers moving into the former Outback location at Saltbox Village on Kildaire Farm Road. Buffalo Brothers already has locations in Raleigh, Garner and Wake Forest. No word yet on a timeline. Check them out here.

• Sassool continues their explosive growth announcing that their Cary location has added a new grocery and retail section. The addition opened November 27 in the space formerly occupied by Neighborhood Bottle Shop in the Shoppes of Kildaire at 1347 Kildaire Farm Road. Check out Sassool here.

• Also in Cary, congratulations to Cary-based ice cream shop, Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream as their French Vanilla ice cream won second place at the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA) conference this November, a coveted prize among national ice cream shop owners. Check them out here.

• And we were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Wake Forest’s Bill Joyner, who owned and operated Shorty’s Hot Dogs with his son Chris. Bill Joyner’s grandfather and Uncle “Shorty” opened the restaurant in 1916. We lost a truly great man. Rest in Peace. Shorty’s.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Chapel Hillians rejoice! You no longer have to drive to Durham for your holiday stollen! This week the much-anticipated location of Guglhupf opened in Eastgate Crossing. Guglhupf Bake Shop is just a few doors down from Trader Joe’s. Check them out here.

• Antonio McBroom, who owns the Franklin Street location of Ben & Jerry’s, opened a location in November in the Streets at Southpoint mall according to The Daily Tar Heel. Check them out here.

• And Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street is getting (wait for it) another pizza place. Reader Delonda Alexander notified us that MidiCi, The Neopolitan Pizza Company, will move into the former Ackland Art Museum gift shop space below Top of the Hill at the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets. Check them out here.

Closings

• Got word from the folks over at Market Street Coffee that after over ten years of serving the Meadowmont community in Chapel Hill, they will be closing on December 15th. They still have locations on Elliot Road in Chapel Hill and in Carrboro. Get more information on those locations here.

Food Trucks

• RDUMFA is hosting their 3rd Annual Rudolph’s Holiday Rodeo at Knightdale Station Park on Sunday, December 3rd from noon to 4 pm. Eleven decorated trucks will be there donating proceeds to Meals on Wheels of Wake County. Meals on Wheels of Wake County will be there to share information about their programs (donate, sign up and/or volunteer). There will also be a 50/50 raffle. Get the details on this rodeo on their Facebook event page here. Thanks Art Sheppard!

• So, with the cold months upon us there simply aren’t many “official” food truck rodeos happening. So, you will have to act like a squirrel and really work to find your food trucks for the next several months. Here are a couple of online resources to help you do just that (please note, this is not an endorsement of any of these sites, just an effort to help my readers find their favorite trucks). Street Food Finder is one, check them out here. And another is aptly named Roaming Hunger and you can find them here.

Events

• The new WRAL.com Voters’ Choice Awards voting is under way now through December 17. The awards all you to vote for your favorite North Carolina people, places and businesses, from the mountains to the coast. Vote here. And while you are there, if you love my blog I would be greatly honored if you’d throw a vote my way for Best Blogger! 🙂

• The Raleigh Beer Garden will host an International Tasting Festival this Saturday, December 2 from 11:30 until 2:30. Your $35 ticket gives you access to over 220 national and international beers as well as a sampling mug. Get tickets and all the details here.

• The 3rd Annual Bull City Holiday Food & Wine Soirée will take place again this year at the Rickhouse in Durham on Sunday, December 10th from 1 to 5 pm.  It is a food and beverage-centric pop-up holiday market with over 25 local NC producers.  This year pick up your stocking stuffers, Secret Santa gifts and holiday treats all in one place while you support local businesses. Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• No child or family should go hungry during the holidays… and with your help, they won’t! That’s the power of your giving when you share a meal from your table to theirs. Help reach the goal of 2.5 million meals before December 31!
• A gift of $35 will feed a child for twoFOUR months
• A gift of $85 will provide groceries to an elderly couple for over twoFOUR months
• A gift of $120 will provide enough food to sustain a familyTWO FAMILIES through the winter months
• A gift of $210 will provide more than 1,0002,000 piping hot holiday meals to local families

  And your gift goes even further this winter. To help make sure our neighbors have enough to eat, friends of the Food Bank have generously agreed to match donations, up to $56,000, now through December 31st. Help ensure that no one goes hungry this holiday season…Share a meal today!

Raising a Ruckus

• Fellow restaurateurs, Ruckus Pizza has created a non-profit organization, Raising a Ruckus (RAR), which works with local guidance counselors to help identify families most in need in our Wake County School system. These are families that without someone stepping in to help, would not have what many of us know as “Christmas.” In the spirit of the season, we would like to reach out to our fellow restaurant owners and see if you would be open to partnering with us for collaboration on this annual project.

  Ruckus will take care of the organization of the project, including identifying the families needs, creating marketing materials, putting together all materials your restaurant would need and coordinating the pickup and delivery of the items to these families. What we are asking of you is to consider “adopting” one of these families with us and promoting the giving tree in your location and working to collect all items on the family’s wish list. More often than not, most items are basics like socks, pants, a jacket, a gift card for groceries, a new doll and other basic items.

  With several of us working together, we can partner to help provide for those most in need in our area and allow our customers to get involved in the giving process. This is a brief summary of the program, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on how to get involved or if you have more questions. We hope you will consider a partnership together during the time of year that can often be one of the most difficult for those in need. For more information contact: [email protected]

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•   After operating for nearly 70 years in Raleigh, the legendary Finch’s Restaurant is now open in Durham at 3211 Chapel Hill Road in the former Family Garden plant store and greenhouse. In addition to their breakfast offerings, they offer dinner and outdoor seating. A huge loss for Raleigh; an amazing gain for Durham; and a lot of smiling faces for all of those in the Triangle that have missed Finch’s since they closed. Not much has changed on their Facebook page.

Wake County Restaurant News

• A couple of updates over at Crabtree Valley Mall thanks to Michael DePersia of National Restaurant Properties. Crabtree Beer Garden (former Tomato Pie across from Panera Bread) closed and will hopefully be opening soon as the Crabtree Ale House with an operator out of Fayetteville. Stay tuned.

• Also, DePersia also informed us that the Red Monkey Tavern (formerly owned by the same group as Crabtree Beer Garden) was sold to new owners from Lincoln Brewery and Tropical Picken Chicken. There are no plans to change anything, aside from the addition of beers from Lincoln Brewery. The restaurant never closed throughout the sale and they are looking forward to the busy holiday season. Check them out here.

• In North Raleigh, the folks over at the ITB Insider reported that Raleigh’s only source of fresh-baked English muffins, Michael’s English Muffins, will soon have a permanent spot to call home in a space at the Towne Square shopping center (corner of Capital Blvd. and Spring Forest Rd.). The English muffins are currently sold at a number of farmers markets and other retail locations around the area, but now the small cafe allows customers to either purchase the muffins in bulk or enjoy them on site with a variety of spreads. Congrats to owner Michael Annabelle Comisar. They hope to open by the end of the year. Get familiar with them here.

• Also in Raleigh, Rocky Top Catering has announced that its premier event venue located at 1705 East Millbrook Street in Raleigh has been rebranded from 1705 Prime to 1705 East. The new name reflects the expanded scope of events the facility is able to host, from celebrations and special events to business meetings and corporate functions. Check it out here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Conveniently located on Hwy. 86 between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, reader Sara Weiss notified us that New Hope Market is now open. Located just north of Allen & Sons they are open for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. The restaurant/market features a grill menu, locally roasted coffee (Carrboro Coffee Roasters), a market for everything from pantry staples to craft beer and local meat. Really looks like a cool spot. Check them out on Facebook here.

• Also in Chapel Hill, the folks over at Taste Carolina informed me that Wilmington’s Tama Tea has opened at 105 East Franklin Street (most recently Sweet Frog Yogurt) serving up tea, coffee, smoothies and toast. And it doesn’t look like they are stopping there. A recent blog post suggested they are now looking to open a location in Raleigh. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check them out there.

• In Chapel Hill’s University Place (I still call it University Mall), Southern Season’s restaurant, Weathervane, has revamped their menu and added back breakfast service. Thanks to Richard Brewer for the update. Check out Weathervane here.

• Over in Durham, the INDY reported this week that the owners of Durham’s Old Havana Sandwich Shop will open a new restaurant, COPA, at 107 West Main Street (once occupied by Revolution restaurant) in mid-February. This new venture, however, means that Old Havana will close at least two weeks before COPA opens. Keep up with Old Havana here.

• Also in Durham, Bites of Bull City founder Amber Watson informed me this week that Melina’s Fresh Pasta, located at 2717 Chapel Hill Road in Durham, will hold its grand opening Saturday, December 2 and will features new Grand Opening pasta varieties that will be announced closer to the date. During the event, there will be pasta samples, cooking and pasta making demos, and tours of the facility as the pasta machines are running. Check out details on the grand opening on their Facebook event page here.

• Last week WRAL reported Northgate Mall’s Earth To Us, a 100% vegan farm to table restaurant, had closed after operating for less than a month. We learned this week that Green Paradise, a 100% vegan/vegetarian hand-crafted comfort food restaurant, has opened in that spot. It is owned by Esther Betty Ortiz and replaces her Lucky Chicken establishment.

• Also at Northgate Mall, Salcedo’s Pizza has opened in their food court and features Italian fare including pizza pies, pizza by the slice, salads, pastas, stromboli, calzones, and paninis. Check them out here.

• Timing is everything in the restaurant business, and so it is with Pittsboro Roadhouse’s Greg Lewis. Just as things start to turn cold here in North Carolina, Greg landed a gig this week cooking in tents in Naples, Florida where he’s been tapped to be the executive chef at the LPGA CME Group Tour Championship at the Tiburón Golf Club, Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. Greg heads a team of chef’s from around the country. You are a smart man Greg, but we’ll see you back up here in the cold  in a few days! Check out Pittsboro Roadhouse here.

Closings

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• So, with the cold months upon us there simply aren’t many “official” food truck rodeos happening. So, you will have to act like a squirrel and really work to find your food trucks for the next several months. Here are a couple of online resources to help you do just that (please note, this is not an endorsement of any of these sites, just an effort to help my readers find their favorite trucks). Street Food Finder is one, check them out here. And another is aptly named Roaming Hunger and you can find them here.

Thanksgiving Made Easy

• It is turkey time! Donovan’s Dish is serving up chef prepared Thanksgiving meals to you and your family. Think fresh, made from scratch, locally-sourced and of course delicious; all without you having to spend hours in front of the stove. All this and they’ll deliver it right to your door! Order your Thanksgiving dinner and take the day off to enjoy friends and family. You’ll be THANKFUL you did! Get all the easy details here.

• If you don’t want to spend your Thanksgiving in the kitchen, we have some information you will be interested in. Raleigh’s Q Shack offers up everything from whole smoked turkeys, to sides, to the entire turkey-day meal! My family has been doing this for several years and it has been fantastic! Order online here.

Events

• The new WRAL.com Voters’ Choice Awards voting is under way now through December 17. The awards all you to vote for your favorite North Carolina people, places and businesses, from the mountains to the coast. Vote here. And while you are there, if you love my blog I would be greatly honored if you’d throw a vote my way for Best Blogger! 🙂

• Mattie Beason of Black Twig Cider House will host TxotxFest on November 18 from noon to 4 pm. TxotxFest returns for a second year, offering award-winning regional and national ciders with North Carolina cuisine, and features the txotx – a traditional Spanish cider barrel. Beason introduced TxotxFest in 2016 as the first event of its kind in the Southeast to celebrate cider, the fastest growing segment in the beverage industry. This year, Beason kicks off TxotxFest November 17th with a $50 five-course cider-paired dinner at Black Twig Cider House featuring Asheville’s chef Steven Goff of Brinehaus Meat & Provisions and ciders from Noble Cider, Urban Orchard, Appalachian Mountain, and James Creek. Get all the details here.  

Food Bank Corner

• No child or family should go hungry during the holidays… and with your help, they won’t! That’s the power of your giving when you share a meal from your table to theirs. Help reach the goal of 2.5 million meals before December 31!
• A gift of $35 will feed a child for twoFOUR months
• A gift of $85 will provide groceries to an elderly couple for over twoFOUR months
• A gift of $120 will provide enough food to sustain a familyTWO FAMILIES through the winter months
• A gift of $210 will provide more than 1,0002,000 piping hot holiday meals to local families

  And your gift goes even further this winter. To help make sure our neighbors have enough to eat, friends of the Food Bank have generously agreed to match donations, up to $56,000, now through December 31st. Help ensure that no one goes hungry this holiday season…Share a meal today!

Raising a Ruckus

• Fellow restaurateurs, Ruckus Pizza has created a non-profit organization, Raising a Ruckus (RAR), which works with local guidance counselors to help identify families most in need in our Wake County School system. These are families that without someone stepping in to help, would not have what many of us know as “Christmas.” In the spirit of the season, we would like to reach out to our fellow restaurant owners and see if you would be open to partnering with us for collaboration on this annual project.
  Ruckus will take care of the organization of the project, including identifying the families needs, creating marketing materials, putting together all materials your restaurant would need and coordinating the pickup and delivery of the items to these families. What we are asking of you is to consider “adopting” one of these families with us and promoting the giving tree in your location and working to collect all items on the family’s wish list. More often than not, most items are basics like socks, pants, a jacket, a gift card for groceries, a new doll and other basic items.
  With several of us working together, we can partner to help provide for those most in need in our area and allow our customers to get involved in the giving process. This is a brief summary of the program, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on how to get involved or if you have more questions. We hope you will consider a partnership together during the time of year that can often be one of the most difficult for those in need. For more information contact: [email protected]