TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• WRAL reported the news that award-winning chef Ashley Christensen will open her much-anticipated pizza restaurant, Poole’side Pies, today, Friday, September 13th at 5 p.m. It is the multiple James Beard Award-winning chef’s sixth establishment in downtown Raleigh. Christensen also owns Beasley’s Chicken and Honey, Fox Liquor Bar, Chuck’s and Death and Taxes. Poole’side sits next to her first restaurant, Poole’s Diner, on South McDowell Street. Poole’s turns 12 this year. Poole’side will start off by serving seven different Neapolitan-inspired pizzas. The pizzas are cooked in a Marra Forni Italian brick oven, which heats them up to a scorching 900 degrees. Pizza isn’t the only thing on the menu. Poole’side is also serving a pork meatball appetizer and four salads. Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• The folks over at Offline Raleigh and Offline Durham noted that four of Raleigh and Durham’s most beloved new openings have been named as the final nominees for Bon Appetit’s “Hot 10” Best New Restaurants of 2019. The Durham spots that got a nod are M Tempura and its expert take on this Japanese dish and the incredible hidden gem Sister Liu’s Kitchen for serving up what may be some of the best dumplings in America (and noodles, too!). In Raleigh, they’re honoring Heirloom Brewshop for their serene atmosphere and highlight of unique Taiwanese and Laotian dishes and Benchwarmers Bagels in Transfer Co. Food Hall for putting every other bagel sandwich to shame. Check them out to see why the made the list. Visit Heirloom here. Benchwarmers here. M Restaurants here. And Sister Liu’s Kitchen here.

• It was announced yesterday that Mura will close on September 22 giving you just over a week to get a reservation one more time at the North Hill’s staple that had a 15-year run. Mura is part of the Eschelon Experiences restaurant group that also includes Cameron Bar & Grill, Edwards Mill Bar & Grill and The Haymaker. Eschelon founder G Patel has not ruled out a future location or possible partnership opportunities to extend Mura’s lifespan. Visit Mura here.

• Drove down Western Blvd. yesterday and noticed the “sign guys” outside the new Biscuitville twirling signs that said “Grand Opening.” Located at 3928 Western Blvd., it occupies the building formerly occupied by Wicked Tacos. This is the third location in Raleigh. Visit them here.

• Every year on our visit to the NC State Fair the lovely and talented Lori Bowers-Lennard passes everything and heads directly to the mini-donuts. Well, her year-long wait is over as the folks over at Taste Carolina shared with me that the Raleigh Mini Donut Company has officially opened at the Morgan Street Food Hall. These folks take mini donuts to an entirely new level. Check them out on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• The folks over at True Flavors are not ‘resting on their laurels’ after opening their second location of True Flavors (original one on Hwy. 55 and the second in Lakewood). Reader Joe Keilholz happened to notice they have a third location called Debbie Lou’s Biscuit Sandwich Shop, opening soon. That, however, is the extent of what we were able to find out. No opening date. No location. Yet. Stay tuned and follow them here.

Closings

• As noted above, Mura in North Hills will be closing after a 15-year run on September 22.

• A follower on Twitter pointed out that The Lost Cajun location in Wakefield Commons at 10901 Forest Pines Drive in Raleigh has closed. You can still visit them at 7901 Falls of Neuse Road.

Food Trucks 

• WRAL reminded us that Raleigh’s All-Dessert Food Rodeo is happening this Sunday, September 15th from 1-5pm at downtown Raleigh’s City Market. 20+ Dessert Vendors with something for everyone including pets will be there to satisfy your craving for something sweet. See a complete list of attending trucks, menu items and all the details here.

• The Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays are held the third Thursday of the month through October at Knightdale Station Park for lunch AND dinner. Get all the details, truck schedule and more here.

• The last 2019 Durham Food Truck Rodeo is November 3! Get all the details here. And the remaining two dates for the 2019 edition of the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo are: Sunday Oct 6th – 12-6pm; and the make-up date on November 10th. All are held along Fayetteville Street. Get all the details here.

Events

• You need to plan on eating out as much as you can in September. Why? Simply because every child in school deserves to have a nutritious meal, and that is the goal of an initiative by the NC Partnership for Child Nutrition. The Support School Meals campaign will officially run September 1 – 30, enabling every child and teacher to choose to eat lunch and breakfast at school. More than 50 Wake County restaurants are participating in the Support School Meals campaign by offering a $5 donation opportunity throughout the month of September, with 100% of the proceeds raised going to support this goal. See a complete list of restaurants and all the details here.

• The 13th Annual Hot Sauce Festival in Oxford is THIS Saturday, September 14th. There will be all kinds of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and other random types of sauce vendors as well as a hot pepper eating contest! There’s also craft brewers and local wineries selling their products, live music, and about 12-15000 of your closest friends! Get all the details here.

• Hops for Hope is one of Children’s Flight of Hope’s annual fundraisers, allowing it to fly even more children to medical treatment. For the 5^th anniversary, the event is an epic tasting event and beer competition taking place Sept. 14 from 2 to 6 p.m. at North Hills Midtown Park. Teams and breweries will showcase 26 brand new brews, and music, food trucks, a vendor village and an exciting flyover by The Bandit Flight Team will all be onsite. Tickets are just $30 and are available for purchase online now here.

• September 14th is the Second Annual City of Oaks Pirate Fest from 10 am to 6 pm at Dix Park. In addition to a wealth of knowledge on pirates and lots of pirate fun and entertainment, there will be food trucks…pirates work up quite an appetite, right? Expected there are: Kono USA; Chirba Chirba Dumplings; Chick-N-Que; Jay’s Italian Ice; Not Just Icing; Oak City Fish and Chips; Tacos Las Gringas; Bruster’s Ice Cream; and Ty’s All Natural. Get all the details here.

• Also this Saturday, September 14th is the East Meets West Festival in Morrisville from 11am to 4pm at Park West Village Village Market Place. The event is a day of food, culture, and music from around the world enjoying small plates from local restaurants, performances by cultural groups from around the community and family friendly activities including face painting, a bounce house, step dance lessons, and more. Festival admission is free, and food and beverages are available for purchase. All the details are here.

• The third annual Savor the Triangle Food Festival produced by Mix 101.5 will again be held at the Kerr Scott building at the NC State Fairgrounds this year on Wednesday, September 18th from 6-9 p.m. Savor the Triangle Food Festival is a culinary event with the opportunity to sample many of the Triangle’s most delicious foods and drinks all in one place. Get all the details and early bird discounted tickets here.

• It was recently announced that one of Chatham County’s largest food festivals, the 12th Annual Pittsboro Pepperfest, is returning to main street in downtown Pittsboro. The date for this year’s event is Sunday, September 22 from 3 – 6 p.m. So go ahead and mark your calendar to spend your afternoon in historic, downtown Pittsboro. Get all the details here.

• The 2019 NCRLA Chef Showdown final event is coming to Durham on Monday, September 30! The culinary participants, all based in North Carolina, advanced after cooking up the highest-rated dishes across five statewide preliminary rounds and partaking in regional rounds in Raleigh and Charlotte. Chefs and pastry chefs will prepare savory and sweet portion-sized dishes for attendees, while a team of mixologist and distillery pairs whip up can’t-miss cocktails for guests to sip on. At the end of the night, the top titles of Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year and Mixologist & Distillery of the Year will be announced. Tickets are now on sale for the event on Monday, Sept. 30 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Angus Barn’s Bay 7 in Durham.

• The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering will host the 8th annual Porkapalooza Festival at its Chapel Hill restaurant on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 6:30 p.m. The eagerly anticipated porktastic farm dinner will offer eight small plate courses, featuring locally raised pork from Burnette Ranch in Pittsboro and handcrafted beers from Fuquay-Varina’s Mason Jar Lager Co. This is the 8th anniversary of what has become one of the signature food events in North Carolina. Tickets for Porkapalooza include all food and drink and are $69. Get tickets and all the details here.

• St. Ann Church in Clayton will host their 11th International Food Festival on October 5th from 11-6 p.m. featuring foods from 20 countries prepared by parishioners. The family friendly event also includes live international entertainment on stage, children’s games and a silent auction. Admission and parking are free. Get all the details here.

• Also on October 5th, Big Boss Brewing Company will host the 9th Annual Casktoberfest, a mashup of old world beer cultures where European style festival traditions collide and the brewery is transformed into a traditional beer hall while serving a variety of specialty cask ale. This is a pay as you go event, no advance purchase or ticket is required. Taproom opens at 3pm,  “Beer Hall” opens at 5pm. Big Boss is located at 1249 Wicker Drive in Raleigh. Get all the details here.

• On October 6, TROSA will hold their 5th Annual Foodie Fundraiser for TROSA co-presented by Sysco Raleigh. This fun, family-friendly event will feature music, games, crafts with The Scrap Exchange, and an amazing sampling of food from some of the Triangle’s best chefs and restaurants. The current list includes: Foster’s Market, Guglhupf, J. Betski’s, Linda J’s Cupcakes, Local 22, Mateo, Parizade, Rise, Rue Cler, Sage & Swift Gourmet Catering, Saltbox Seafood Joint, Scratch, Talullas, and Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe and more. Tickets are limited and on sale now for $30/Adult; $10/Children ages 5-12. Children 4 and under free. Get tickets and event info here.

• This is it. Your last chance. I’ve been touting this amazing event that Colleen Minton dreamed up 10 years ago and now we are at the 10th and FINAL Terra Vita Food & Drink Festival in Chapel Hill October 16-19, 2019. Yep, you read that right. This is the grand finale. There will be no more. And heed my last (and final) warning – tickets will not last. If you’ve never been – GO! If you’ve been, don’t miss the last one. If you don’t know, it is a multi-day celebration that brings together top chefs, food artisans, sommeliers, baristas, brewers, educators, distillers, cookbook authors and industry luminaries from across the Southeast to celebrate culinary excellence and sustainability in food and drink. Get tickets and details here on all the events that week.

• On Sunday, November 3rd, more than 30 of the Triangle’s finest restaurants will be paired with world-class wines at the third annual Sip + Savor – A Wine, Food and Music Experience.  Sip + Savor will showcase 30+ culinary all-stars, sommeliers, on-stage experience with live music, VIP lounge, and more. Get all the details and tickets here.

• The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will hold their Brewer’s Ball on November 8, 2019 from 6:30-10pm at The Rickhouse in Durham. The Ball  is an evening celebrating the Triangle’s “finest” young professionals and features food, beer, live music, live and silent auctions, and a chance to mingle, all while being a part of a great cause: helping move us closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis.  This one-of-a-kind beer tasting event has grown each year with the 2018 event hosting over a dozen different vendors including local craft breweries, and food from several Triangle area restaurants. The event will be capped at 300 people and tickets have sold out every year! Get tickets and details here.

Food Bank Corner

• This year for Hunger Action Month in September, we’re asking everyone we know to #ShareYourWhy – what makes fighting hunger so important to them as an individual or a company. That can be on social media, one one of our special #ShareYourWhy banners at our six branches, or even in conversation with a friend or family member. With our collective voices, we can make sure that the issue of hunger, and the solutions we can all help build, are lifted up. Everyone has a role to play in ending hunger. Hunger Action Month is your opportunity to join a movement that has a real and lasting impact on our effort to feed more North Carolinians than ever before. Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, making a donation, having a short conversation with friends, or volunteering, you can find the way that’s right for you to make a difference during Hunger Action Month. Together, we can solve hunger. Find out more here.

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

Featured Restaurant News

• David Sadeghi is creating his own little food and entertainment space in Northern Chatham County at the entrance to Briar Chapel. The news came with the announcement that he has acquired the space formerly occupied by Sadie’s Southern directly across the patio from his Town Hall Burger and Beer. Look for him to open O’Ya Cantina this December allowing guests to enjoy Latin flavors with attention to vegan and vegetarian options. Think street tacos, but a step up. You’ll be able to choose your “wrap” (flour or corn tortilla, lettuce wrap or tamale), your protein and a number of the area’s freshest (and often organic) toppings. Burrito bowls will also be featured as well as a number of dinner entrees in the evening. So look forward to many nights enjoying entertainment on the patio between the two establishments – your toughest decisions will be between tacos or burgers…beer or tequila! Sounds dreamy! Keep up with Town Hall Burger and Beer here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Good news and bad news coming out of downtown Raleigh this week. Rudy Theale made the difficult decision to close the downtown Raleigh location of La Stella. That is the bad news for downtown diners. The good news is that Theale’s dream of La Stella being a true neighborhood Italian eatery continues with his location on Kildaire Farm Road in Cary and with the announcement that he will open a second “neighborhood” La Stella before year’s end in the North Raleigh/Wakefield area. The wood-fired oven pizzas will continue to be the centerpiece of the La Stellas, but their menu expansion to include pasta skillet options is getting rave reviews. And he won’t stop there, Theale has plans for several more Triangle area neighborhoods. Thanks to the folks over at Taste Carolina for the heads up on this. Keep up with LaStella here.

• Also in Raleigh, both the folks at ITB Insider and EatRaleigh reported that Lousy Hunters Vegan Doughnuts opened August 31 in Oakwood. The shop, which specializes in “fried vegan yeast doughnuts,” has been selling its wares at pop-up events and through other retailers. The location in Oakwood is meant to serve both as a storefront and a production space which will allow them to continue selling doughnuts wholesale. Keep up with them on Instagram here.

• Blogger EatRaleigh also shared the news via Twitter that a bubble tea shop called Moge Tee is “coming soon” to the former Smashed Waffles space on Hillsborough Street. Moge Tee has over 300 outlets worldwide and counting. Get to know them here.

• We told you a few weeks back about the new cafe at the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh. But the Triangle Business Journal shed a little more light on the details. Sweet Tea & Cornbread Grill and Eatery will be operated by Tonya Council, a granddaughter of the late culinary icon Mildred Council — a.k.a. Mama Dip, founder of Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill. Council plans on staying true to many of her grandmother’s style of cuisine such as barbecue, chicken salad, fried green tomatoes and, of course, cornbread and sweet tea. The restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check them out here.

• Thanks to a heads up from Dana McCall, we now know that Uncle Julio’s has opened over at Crabtree Valley Mall. They also have a location in Durham’s Streets at Southpoint. Get to know them here.

• Reader Steve Howell shared with us that Seagate Seafood and Sushi has opened at 4420 Capital Boulevard in Raleigh. Get to know them here.

• Friend Hugh Autry shared that he saw a sign for  La Grassa Pastificio in the window of the former LaShish restaurant at 908 NE Maynard Road in Cary. Founder and chef Robert Reynaud’s neighborhood restaurant will feature hand-crafted Italian cuisine including a variety of antipasti, pasta, poultry, game, meats, and all kinds of seafood from inspired Italian kitchens all over Italy. No word yet on an open date. Get familiar with them here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Triangle Explorer shared some exciting coffee news this week – North Carolina-based 4th Dimension Coffee, from the team behind Cocoa Cinnamon, officially changed its coffee-roasting company name and branding to Little Waves Coffee Roasters on Sept. 4th. In addition, the roastery will be featured at La Marzocco Café in Seattle as the roaster-in-residence later this month (from September 17th through October 21st). Little Waves will be one of just 18 selected roasters from seven countries, chosen among hundreds of applicants to be featured in the cafe. Follow their success here.

• In Chapel Hill, this past Saturday Brandwein’s Bagels operated a pop-up at Midway Community Kitchen at 505 W. Rosemary Street. They featured all kinds of bagel favorites as well as the classic bagel and cream cheese – all made w/ fresh, local Lindley Mills Flour! It also featured Gray Squirrel Coffee. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, they are doing it again this Saturday, September 7th beginning at 8 a.m. and will go until 12 noon. Get all the details here.

Closings

• Leslie and Brendan Cox shared the news this week that they have sold (and now closed) Sadie’s Southern (see news above) in North Chatham. The move allows them more time with their family and to focus on their amazing restaurant, Oakleaf, in Carrboro.

• Rudy Theale made the difficult decision this week to close the downtown Raleigh location of La Stella. But see the entry above about his expansion plans across the Triangle.

• Over in Durham, got word that the Ruby Tuesday at Northgate Mall closed.

Food Trucks 

•  The Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays are held the third Thursday of the month through October at Knightdale Station Park for lunch AND dinner. Get all the details, truck schedule and more here.

• The remaining 2019 Durham Food Truck Rodeo is November 3! Get all the details here.

• And the remaining two dates for the 2019 edition of the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo are: Sunday Oct 6th – 12-6pm; and the make-up date on November 10th. All are held along Fayetteville Street. Get all the details here.

Events

• You need to plan on eating out as much as you can in September. Why? Simply because every child in school deserves to have a nutritious meal, and that is the goal of an initiative by the NC Partnership for Child Nutrition. The Support School Meals campaign will officially run September 1 – 30, enabling every child and teacher to choose to eat lunch and breakfast at school. More than 50 Wake County restaurants are participating in the Support School Meals campaign by offering a $5 donation opportunity throughout the month of September, with 100% of the proceeds raised going to support this goal. See a complete list of restaurants and all the details here.

• Beginning today (September 6th) through Sunday (September 8th) is the 38th Annual Raleigh Greek Festival at the Jim Graham Building at the NC State Fairgrounds. Enjoy delicious handmade, authentic Greek cuisine and be dazzled by Greek music and traditional folk dances. It is a good time, with great food and what looks like absolutely perfect weather! Thanks to Dana McCall for the heads up. Get hours, ticket prices and all the details here.

• Mandolin Restaurant will host their next Mandolin Wine Mixer on Saturday, September 7 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 2519 Fairview Rd. in Raleigh. There you will be able to taste over 60 fine wines, savor a variety of hors d’oeuvres, support the through raffled wine and gift certificates and purchase select wines at exclusive discounts. Tickets are $25. Get tickets and all the details here. 

• The 13th Annual Hot Sauce Festival in Oxford is on Saturday, September 14th this year. There will be all kinds of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and other random types of sauce vendors as well as a hot pepper eating contest! There’s also craft brewers and local wineries selling their products, live music, and about 12-15000 of your closest friends! Get all the details here.

• Hops for Hope is one of Children’s Flight of Hope’s annual fundraisers, allowing it to fly even more children to medical treatment. For the 5^th anniversary, the event is an epic tasting event and beer competition taking place Sept. 14 from 2 to 6 p.m. at North Hills Midtown Park. Teams and breweries will showcase 26 brand new brews, and music, food trucks, a vendor village and an exciting flyover by The Bandit Flight Team will all be onsite. Tickets are just $30 and are available for purchase online now here.

• Also on September 14th will be the Second Annual City of Oaks Pirate Fest from 10 am to 6 pm at Dix Park. In addition to a wealth of knowledge on pirates and lots of pirate fun and entertainment, there will be food trucks…pirates work up quite an appetite, right? Expected there are: Kono USA; Chirba Chirba Dumplings; Chick-N-Que; Jay’s Italian Ice; Not Just Icing; Oak City Fish and Chips; Tacos Las Gringas; Bruster’s Ice Cream; and Ty’s All Natural. Get all the details here.

• The third annual Savor the Triangle Food Festival produced by Mix 101.5 will again be held at the Kerr Scott building at the NC State Fairgrounds this year on Wednesday, September 18th from 6-9 p.m. Savor the Triangle Food Festival is a culinary event with the opportunity to sample many of the Triangle’s most delicious foods and drinks all in one place. Get all the details and early bird discounted tickets here.

• It was recently announced that one of Chatham County’s largest food festivals, the 12th Annual Pittsboro Pepperfest, is returning to main street in downtown Pittsboro. The date for this year’s event is Sunday, September 22 from 3 – 6 p.m. So go ahead and mark your calendar to spend your afternoon in historic, downtown Pittsboro. Get all the details here.

• The 2019 NCRLA Chef Showdown final event is coming to Durham on Monday, September 30! The culinary participants, all based in North Carolina, advanced after cooking up the highest-rated dishes across five statewide preliminary rounds and partaking in regional rounds in Raleigh and Charlotte. Chefs and pastry chefs will prepare savory and sweet portion-sized dishes for attendees, while a team of mixologist and distillery pairs whip up can’t-miss cocktails for guests to sip on. At the end of the night, the top titles of Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year and Mixologist & Distillery of the Year will be announced. Tickets are now on sale for the event on Monday, Sept. 30 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Angus Barn’s Bay 7 in Durham.

• The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering will host the 8th annual Porkapalooza Festival at its Chapel Hill restaurant on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 6:30 p.m. The eagerly anticipated porktastic farm dinner will offer eight small plate courses, featuring locally raised pork from Burnette Ranch in Pittsboro and handcrafted beers from Fuquay-Varina’s Mason Jar Lager Co. This is the 8th anniversary of what has become one of the signature food events in North Carolina. Tickets for Porkapalooza include all food and drink and are $69. Get tickets and all the details here.

• St. Ann Church in Clayton will host their 11th International Food Festival on October 5th from 11-6 p.m. featuring foods from 20 countries prepared by parishioners. The family friendly event also includes live international entertainment on stage, children’s games and a silent auction. Admission and parking are free. Get all the details here.

• This is it. Your last chance. I’ve been touting this amazing event that Colleen Minton dreamed up 10 years ago and now we are at the 10th and FINAL Terra Vita Food & Drink Festival in Chapel Hill October 16-19, 2019. Yep, you read that right. This is the grand finale. There will be no more. And heed my last (and final) warning – tickets will not last. If you’ve never been – GO! If you’ve been, don’t miss the last one. If you don’t know, it is a multi-day celebration that brings together top chefs, food artisans, sommeliers, baristas, brewers, educators, distillers, cookbook authors and industry luminaries from across the Southeast to celebrate culinary excellence and sustainability in food and drink. Get tickets and details here on all the events that week.

• On Sunday, November 3rd, more than 30 of the Triangle’s finest restaurants will be paired with world-class wines at the third annual Sip + Savor – A Wine, Food and Music Experience.  Sip + Savor will showcase 30+ culinary all-stars, sommeliers, on-stage experience with live music, VIP lounge, and more. Get all the details and tickets here.

Food Bank Corner

• Looking for a way your office can make a direct difference in people’s lives? But time is limited? We’ve got the perfect answer for you – coordinate an office-wide Virtual Food Drive! Forget the hassle of a trip to the grocery store for your next food drive… “Shop” with the Food Bank through our Virtual Food Drive and maximize your donation times ten! For every dollar donated, the Food Bank can provide $10.00 worth of food or five meals. Over half a million people in the 34 counties we serve struggle with food insecurity. You can make a difference in your community by hosting a Virtual Food Drive for your friends, family members or coworkers. It is simple! Get all the details here.