TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Axios reported this week that The Optimist now has a second brick and mortar location. The Oakwood-born coffee shop took over Fiction Coffee’s space near Crabtree Valley Mall (4509 Creedmoor Road – near Perry’s Steak House). The Optimist opened its first location in May 2020 (1000 Brookside Drive) and has since opened a cart at PNC Arena and plans to open a third location in The Exchange, a mixed-use development coming to North Hills. Check them out on Instagram here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• WRAL shared the news this week that Heavenly Buffaloes is opening a location in Raleigh on Glenwood Avenue. They are going into the former Hungry Howie’s spot, across from Chick-fil-A and Chipotle (6701 Glenwood Avenue). They tout themselves as, “The Wing Joint You’ve Been Looking For!” They have two locations in Durham and one in Chapel Hill. Don’t have an exact date, just sometime in 2024. Get ready Raleigh! Follow along on Instagram here.

• Umbrella Dry Bar, a nonalcoholic cocktail bar that has been doing pop-ups around Raleigh for the past year, will open its first permanent space on New Year’s Eve. The bar will be taking over the former Garland spot on Martin Street in downtown Raleigh (14 W. Martin St.). Congrats to owner Meg Paradise! They will host a ticketed New Year’s Eve party for the bar’s opening and will open to the general public on January 5th. Pay them a visit here.

• RalToday shared that Piada Italian Street Food opened this week at the spot of the former Gusto Farm to Street at 3088 Wake Forest Road (just behind Trader Joe’s). This fast-casual eatery offers build-your-own salads, pastas, and Italian wraps called piadas with a variety of Italian-inspired fillings. This marks their second Triangle-area location with their first local location being in Park West in Morrisville. If you are not familiar with them, do so here.

• The Triangle Business Journal shared the news that Cary is getting a new watering hole this weekend. W.E.L.D. Wine & Beer, a bar and bottle shop, is opening this weekend at 2425 Kildaire Farm Road near Lochmere Golf Club. W.E.L.D. will offer 13 rotating beers on tap, a variety of wines served by the glass and bottles and cans available for take-home purchases. The shop will host its grand opening on Saturday, December 16th at 2 p.m. Congrats to owners Darin and Laura Bernaert (and children Waylon and Esme…with the initials of all four resulting in W.E.L.D.). Get to know them here.

• Up in Wake Forest, reader Merrick McKeig shared that it looks like a place called CHA House (tea and snacks) is going in Wheatfield where Chick’n Cone was originally slated to be. They have locations in Raleigh and Cary as well. Get familiar with them here.

• And down in Southwestern Wake County, reader Paul Fletcher shared that Jet’s Pizza is now open in in the former Little Caesars Pizza spot in the Stonebridge Village Shopping Center in Cary (3430 Ten Ten Road) and cranking out the Detroit goodness. Thanks Paul! Visit Jet’s here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• The News & Observer shared that today (Friday, December 15th; 6-9 p.m.) Durham will welcome its first Black-owned brewery, Proximity Brewing Company. The brewery specializes in IPAs and will celebrate its grand opening with live music, Utensilz Optional food truck, and more fun (491 S Driver St.). Check them out on Instagram here.

• Got word this week that this Sunday, December 17th is the grand opening of Lakewood Social which will be located in the former Honeysuckle at Lakewood spot (1920 Chapel Hill Road). It is being brought to us by Durham restaurateur Reed Frankel and his former crew at Old North Meats which was in the Durham Food Hall. They will be an indoor/outdoor communal restaurant focused on small bites, sandwiches, and shareables featuring draft beers, wines, and crafted cocktails. Best to keep up with them on Instagram.

• Sally Bond posted in the Pittsboro Eats! Facebook group that we are getting closer to the opening of JDub’s PoBoys which will operate out of The Plant at 193 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. Until they officially open, look for them to continue doing “pop-ups” around town as they finalize their menu. Keep up with their progress and pending announcement on Facebook here.

Closings

• 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

• Sera Cuni, owner of Cafe Root Cellar in Pittsboro and Root Cellar Cafe & Catering in Chapel Hill, will host her first Chef’s Table Event on Friday, December 29th, from 6 to 8 p.m, in honor of Cafe Root Cellar’s Fifth Anniversary. This special dinner will center on food, family and fun and will offer participants the chance to dine with Chef Sera, who will share her creative process for her revolving weekly menus and more. This special dinner will include plated and family-style dishes, including vegetarian options. Beer and wine will be sold separately. Tickets are $125 each and will go quickly. Reserve your seat here.

• Hard to believe, but tickets have already gone on sales for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll at Meadow Lane Farm, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region’s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• This holiday season, families all over our community will be sitting down for delicious meals with their loved ones, enjoying good company, good food, and a good time. But for some, these meals may not be a given. Many of our friends and neighbors are having to decide between stocking their refrigerator and pantry or paying their bills. You can help bring comfort, joy, and hope by making a generous gift now to provide more holiday meals this year. Until December 31, compassionate friends are matching all gifts to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina up to $378,500. Give $10 now and have double the impact, providing 100 meals.

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

Featured Restaurant News

• It only seems fitting that the Triangle receives a wonderful culinary gift this holiday season. And so it is. It was shared this week that we will see the re-opening of Nanas as it pays tribute to Nana’s, its beloved predecessor, while reimagining all of the details. Helmed by Chefs Matt Kelly and Nate Garyantes, they will swing open the doors next Tuesday, December 12th when you’ll once again be able to enjoy a seasonal menu that features an abundance of local ingredients; a bar program that is elevated yet familiar, with an emphasis on finely executed classics; a wine program offering upwards of 250+ labels of impeccably curated, farming-first wines; and finally, Nanas’ interior takes inspiration from vintage Ralph Lauren, as well as the serene North Carolina woods. Located at 2514 University Drive in Durham, visit them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Raleigh Magazine reported this week that Raleigh’s “doughnut guy” – aka Alejandro Contreras – will open a brick and mortar location of Tepuy Donuts in the spring in a small shopping center where Capital Boulevard and 440 meet. According to the magazine, the new spot will lean toward grab-and-go doughnuts and coffee, with some indoor seating and a spacious patio. And before you fret, his popular sourdough doughnuts will continue to be available at existing locations throughout the Triangle. Check them out here.

• Reader Felice Bogus shared with us that the owners of Capital Blvd. food truck Don Beto El Poblano have opened a brick and mortar, Beto El Poblano, at 13100 New Falls of Neuse Rd. Couldn’t find an online presence, but you can follow along on Facebook here.

• Triangle Business Journal shared the news that Raleigh’s location of Ruth’s Chris Steak House is set to reopen in February after being closed for two years. It will be on the ground floor of one of Kane Realty’s new buildings in the North Hills Main District. They closed in January 2022 due to the demolition of its previous space in North Hills. The new restaurant will have two outdoor patios, a main dining room, a bar and a waterfall feature. It will also have two private dining rooms – one for up to 100 guests and one for up to 50 guests. Visit Ruth’s Chris here.

• Also in Raleigh, Whitney Payne shared with us that Mission Valley’s Baja Burrito is under new ownership. Congratulations to Elizabeth Diaz as she takes the reigns of one of Raleigh’s most successful burrito shops that has been around since 1995. Stop by and say hello to Elizabeth! Visit them here.

• And up in North Raleigh, reader Burke Williams saw that signage went up this week in the North Ridge Shopping Center (corner of Falls of the Neuse Road and Spring Forest) for Buffalo Wild Wings. No word on a timeline. Visit them here.

• Saw on Axios this week that The Albatross, a new bar featuring golf simulators, cocktails, and gourmet hot dogs, will open this Friday (December 8th) in downtown Cary at 140 E. Chatham Street. The simulators at the “golf pub” will offer high-tech analytics and data to help golfers improve their game. Like John Daly, I’ve always thought my golf game just needed a couple more drinks and a hot dog! Start getting familiar with them here.

• Also in Cary, reader Brendan Bailey noticed signage in the former CoreLife Eatery spot in Crossroads (200 Crossroads Blvd Suite 100) for a concept called Brunches. Apparently they have three locations in Wilmington. No official confirmation nor a timeline, so we will ask Brendan to keep an eye on it for us. Visit them here.

• In Apex, owner James Park shared that he has opened his second diner, Peak City Diner, at 802 Perry Road in the old Hwy 55 location. Park also owns The Shiny Diner on Buck Jones Road in Raleigh. Get to know them here.

• Over in Wake Forest, Dominick Rodriguez shared on the TriangleFoodies page that Lazeez, an Indian restaurant, has opened in the old Asian Bistro location on S. Main Street. They also offer a Saturday and Sunday brunch! Get to know them here.

• Noticed on Facebook this week that Wake Forest’s Norse Brewing Company is opening a Norse Brewing Longhouse in Zebulon at 120 N Arendell – and apparently they are shooting to open before the end of the year. Look for them to serve up Norse beer, cider and seltzer, wine, full liquor bar with craft cocktails and Scandinavian-Southern style food. Best to keep up with their progress and announcements on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Down in Pittsboro some exciting news for wine lovers. Vino!! Wine Shop has reopened as they have been closed the last two months moving into their new space downstairs (89 Hillsboro St, Ste. A). They should be nearly 100% restocked at this point and the bar is open and now selling beer by the glass, too. It also means that Friday Wine Tastings are back as well as their Wine Dinners! Might be best to get all their news on their Facebook feed here.

• It’s official! East Durham’s first brewery is now open. Proximity is located at 491 S. Driver Street and features their brews paired up with some of your favorite food trucks! Visit them here.

Closings

• Reader Brendan Bailey shared the news that CoreLife Eatery that was in Cary’s Crossroads has closed.

• And RalToday reported this week that boba shop Cha House on Hillsborough Street has permanently closed. Cha House’s Cary location is still open.

• And adding to the bad news on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street, Herman Huang noticed that a “For Lease” sign is now hanging in the window in the Umami Asian Bistro spot.

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

• Tonight there is a Figulina: Pasta + Provisions Popup Dinner from 5-8 p.m. at The Raleigh Wine Shop at 317 S. Bloodworth St. in Raleigh. This is your chance to get a first taste of Figulina Pasta + Provisions, headed by former Poole’s Chef David Ellis, before opening in the former Humble Pie space. No reservation required. Get all the details here.

• Hard to believe, but tickets went on sale this week for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll at Meadow Lane Farm, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region’s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• This holiday season, families all over our community will be sitting down for delicious meals with their loved ones, enjoying good company, good food, and a good time. But for some, these meals may not be a given. Many of our friends and neighbors are having to decide between stocking their refrigerator and pantry or paying their bills. You can help bring comfort, joy, and hope by making a generous gift now to provide more holiday meals this year. Until December 31, compassionate friends are matching all gifts to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina up to $378,500. Give $10 now and have double the impact, providing 100 meals.