TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• It all started on Mangum Street in Durham in 2012. A small little joint. Then a second location. First location closed due to development. And now, named Best Chef: Southeast in the 2022 James Beard Awards. A huge congratulations to Ricky Moore and his Saltbox Seafood Joint for the much deserved accolade. Could not have happened to a nicer, more deserving person in the industry. And the food…if you haven’t had it, you are missing out. Problem now is beating the crowds that will be there. Trust me, it is worth it. Check out Saltbox here. Congrats also to  Cheetie Kumar of Garland and Shannon Healy of Alley Twenty Six for being finalists!

Wake County Restaurant News

• Altered State Brewing at 8471 Garvey Drive in Raleigh just opened their doors last weekend. Stop by and check out their continuously rotating selection of hazy IPAs, heavily fruited sours and decadent stouts. Might be best to follow along on Facebook here.

• Cary will get a new Dunkin’s store at 920 High House Road with their opening on Wednesday, June 22. The “new” Dunkin’ features the brand’s next generation design, with a modern atmosphere and innovative technologies.  They will open at 5 a.m., awarding the first 50 guests in line with “Free Coffee for a Year” and will celebrate at 7:30 a.m. with a ribbon cutting with local dignitaries, the franchisee and crew, and guests. Visit them here.

• NC Triangle Dining shared that Honeysuckle Gelato has opened in Cary’s Fenton development. They have a couple of locations in Georgia and a location in Charlotte. This is their first location in the Triangle. Get to know them here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Glenn Gillen notified us that he saw signage at the former B. Good spot in downtown Durham (corner of Main and Corcoran streets) for La Mala, Mexican Inspired Cocktails. Their instagram page notes they will feature handcrafted margaritas, botanas, tequilla bar and mezcal. They come to us from the folks behind Raleigh’s La Santa Modern Mexican Food on Glenwood Avenue. Follow their progress and open date on Instagram here. Visit La Santa here.

• Also in Durham, the folks over at Bites of Bull City pointed out that the Triangle Coffee House, with a location on Ninth Street, will open their second location at University Hill (3109 Shannon Road) this Saturday, June 18th. The festivities run all day from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Get details on their Instagram here.

• Got word from my Twitter buddy Burgeoning Baker that Thai55 is moving to a new location just around the corner on Highway 54. No word yet on the timeline of the move, nor if there will be a name change with the move (Thai54 maybe?). Stay tuned. Keep up with them here.

• And down in Pittsboro, Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies group founder Carrie Brogren shared the news that The Chocolate Cellar Deux is now open at 119 Hillsborough Street next door to the book store. Follow them on Facebook here.

Closings / Cancellations

• Noticed on a recent visit to Morrisville that the Flying Mayan has permanently closed.

• We also got word this week that Jetplane Coffee in downtown Durham also closed.

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 remaining Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: September 4 and 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 Sunday, June 19th is Father’s Day and every dad would be happy attending the Father’s Day Bourbon and Bacon Pairing at Clouds Brewing (905 W Main St., Durham). Beginning at 2 p.m., they are teaming up with Four Roses Distillery and the $35 tickets include a hand-selected flight of bourbon and bacon snack pairings as well as a presentation on the history of bourbon and Four Roses alongside tasting notes for each selection. Get tickets and all the details here.

• Beginning next Monday, June 20th, and every Monday after, Crave Hot Dogs and Barbecue on Oberlin Road in Raleigh will host karaoke nights from 6-10 p.m. with DJ Josh Sobel. Visit them here.

• The 18 Restaurant Group (think Cantina 18 in Raleigh and Harvest 18 in Durham) is back with their popular Brewery Dinners! They will be featuring a four-course menu at Cantina 18 on Wednesday, June 22 and Harvest 18 on Thursday, June 23, along with pairings provided by Fullsteam Brewery. Both events begin at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $60 per guest (before tax and gratuity). Contact each restaurant for tickets. Visit Cantina here and Harvest here.

• Vidrio restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh will host a family-style Ukrainian Dinner on June 23rd from 6:30-9 p.m. to benefit World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people displaced by the Russian war in Ukraine. One hundred percent of the dinner’s proceeds will be donated. After watching the news coverage of the ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine, Vidrio’s executive chef Saif Rahman was moved to turn one of the restaurant’s monthly Taste of the Mediterranean dinners into an event to support the Ukrainian people. Get all the details and reserve your spot here.

• The Crushable Craft Beverage Festival returns to the Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP on Saturday, July 16th from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. The event highlights 13 different craft beverage makers featuring hard cider, hard seltzer, sour beers and live music – all hosted in the outdoor beer garden at the Glass Jug’s RTP location on Hwy 55 in Durham. 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.

• 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!

• Like beer? Excellent. Visit Raleigh has established a Raleigh Beer Trail that gives you a passport to get stamped at the 30+ breweries in the Raleigh area, from Wake Forest to Raleigh to Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. Once you’ve filled up your passport with stamps, you send it in to receive prizes. Nothing like being rewarded for drinking! But as always, please drink responsibly. Get the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• With your support over the last year, the Food Bank distributed food to approximately 200,000 youth facing hunger in the 34 counties we serve. Unfortunately, we continue to see a devastating impact from COVID-19 for young people, who are left vulnerable to family and school changes. No child should have to worry when he or she will eat again, and no parent should have to skip a meal, so they can put food on the table for their children. Through agency distributions, targeted nutrition programs, education, and public policy work, the Food Bank is reaching young people with healthy and fun food options. Learn more here. #NoOneGoesHungry

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Brookside Bodega will celebrate their grand opening in Raleigh today (June 10) from 4 – 9 p.m. with carnival games, live music and food on its outdoor patio. They are located at 1000 Brookside Drive in the former Falafel & Co. space. The restaurant’s menu is loosely inspired by New York bodegas, or small owner-operated convenience stores, and features dishes like the New York chopped cheese sandwich, spicy Nashville chicken sandwich and Birria taco plate and guacamole. There are plenty of vegetarian options, including Buffalo cauliflower, the Portobello club, a grilled Pimento cheese sandwich and more. And true to the bodega form, they are stocked with all the essential items you need for your home – everything from a great wine selection and beer, to dairy, eggs and toilet paper. Congrats to owners Lee and Michelle Robinson, Jacob Paramo and Darrell Brown. Get to know them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• In Cary’s Fenton development, the Indigo Road Hospitality Group announced this week that they have hired Oscar Gnapi as executive chef of their new Italian concept, Colletta, which will open later this summer (July 15th is the target date). Colletta will be the third Indigo Road restaurant to open in the Triangle area, joining O-Ku and Oak Steakhouse, which are located in downtown Raleigh, and opened in 2018 and 2019. Congrats to Steve Palmer and his continued success. Start getting familiar with Colletta here.

• The former Sub Conscious spot on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street is getting a new tenant next month after the Italian Kitchen was unsuccessful after one year in business. The Triangle Business Journal is reporting that Bussin Pizza is taking over the 1,400-square-foot space at 3209 Hillsborough Street where customers can expect New York-style pizza by the slice during the day with a focus on specialty pizzas and pasta dishes in the evening. Owner Saul Castillo has experience with two other pizza places in Raleigh – Brookside Pizza and Supremo’s Pizza. Keep up with opening announcements on their Facebook page here.

• The East Cafe at the North Carolina Museum of Art has redesigned their menu and offerings, which you can check out here. Also, due to renovations at the museum, SIP Coffee Bar and Cafe will be closed June 1 through October 8, but most of their offerings will be available at the East Cafe during that time. And if you are planning a picnic at the museum park, you can order picnic baskets ahead of time to be picked up on Saturday and Sunday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Order your picnic here.

• Hang in there Fuqua-Varina. Chris Creighton shared the news that the Chick-fil-A in “the quay” is closed for renovations “to update the building to become more efficient.” They will remain closed until renovations are complete later this summer. Follow their progress on Facebook here. The good news is the Chick-fil-A location at Waverly Place just re-opened yesterday. Check them out here.

• And up in Wake Forest, reader Mike Burger shared a slew of good news. Here’s a quick summary of the happenings: Cravin’ Confections Dessert Bar is open at 3612 Rogers Branch Road; Poki Bowl is open at 1898-110 South Franklin Street; and Paco’s Pizza is open at 3325 Rogers Road (this is the third iteration of a pizza shop at this location…hopefully, the third time is the charm!). Thanks Mike!

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Michael DePersia of DePersia & Associates shared with me that Parks Food Street at 3219 Old Chapel Hill Road in Durham was sold to Succotash Food Truck who plan to remodel and open a brick and mortar location in a few months. Follow their progress on their site here. Parks indicated on their website that they plan to re-open in Raleigh. Stay tuned.

Closings / Cancellations

• None to report! Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks 

• The first Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 is THIS Sunday, June 12! 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. The final one of the year will be on Sept 25th. Details here.

• And if you can’t make it over to Raleigh, the town of Hillsborough is having their Hillsborough Food Truck Rodeo this Sunday as well from 3 – 8 p.m. at 144 E. Margaret Lane. Pick from 15-plus food trucks during this new event in downtown Hillsborough. Options include anything from Smokiin Mac to pupusas from Mesas El Savador. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here. Thanks to Chapel Hill Magazine for alerting us to this.

• The remaining Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: September 4 and 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

• WRAL shared that the annual Pimento Cheese Festival returns to downtown Cary this Saturday, June 11th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food trucks will line Academy Street to serve their regular menus, along with new dishes featuring a southern delicacy: pimento cheese! Enjoy live music at the Downtown Park, grab a drink from local breweries, and taste some of the best pimento cheese samples from local restaurants. You can even test your skills in the pimento cheese sculpting contest. Get all the details here.

• This is the final weekend of the annual Triangle Restaurant Week summer edition – it concludes this Sunday, June 12. Through Sunday, participating restaurants within Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham and surrounding areas will offer a special 2 or 3-course prix fixe menu ($20, $25, $30, $40, $50) each day they are open. Visit their website for a list of participating restaurants and their offerings.

• The NC Hops Fest is this weekend (June 11-12) at the NC State Fairgrounds. Attendees will be able to sample from a selection of 100+ NC craft beers, ciders, and seltzers while enjoying live music, local makers, and food trucks. Get all the event details here.

• Vidrio restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh will host a family-style Ukrainian Dinner on June 23rd from 6:30-9 p.m. to benefit World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people displaced by the Russian war in Ukraine. One hundred percent of the dinner’s proceeds will be donated. After watching the news coverage of the ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine, Vidrio’s executive chef Saif Rahman was moved to turn one of the restaurant’s monthly Taste of the Mediterranean dinners into an event to support the Ukrainian people. Get all the details and reserve your spot 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.

• 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!

• Like beer? Excellent. Visit Raleigh has established a Raleigh Beer Trail that gives you a passport to get stamped at the 30+ breweries in the Raleigh area, from Wake Forest to Raleigh to Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. Once you’ve filled up your passport with stamps, you send it in to receive prizes. Nothing like being rewarded for drinking! But as always, please drink responsibly. Get the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• With your support over the last year, the Food Bank distributed food to approximately 200,000 youth facing hunger in the 34 counties we serve. Unfortunately, we continue to see a devastating impact from COVID-19 for young people, who are left vulnerable to family and school changes. No child should have to worry when he or she will eat again, and no parent should have to skip a meal, so they can put food on the table for their children. Through agency distributions, targeted nutrition programs, education, and public policy work, the Food Bank is reaching young people with healthy and fun food options. Learn more here. #NoOneGoesHungry