TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Looking for a new coffee hang-out in Clayton? Well, Triangle Business Journal reported this week that a concept called Ziggi’s will open this Friday (today) at 1299 Mechanical Drive. Their offerings will include a variety of coffee drinks, such as lattes, and breakfast foods including breakfast burritos according to TBJ. And it doesn’t look like this will be the only Triangle-area location, with the owners hinting that Wendell is possibly in their future. Get familiar with them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Wake Forest seems to be the hot corner of the Triangle this week. Driving down Main Street (right around the 2000 block where the Wendy’s is), I noticed signage for a new Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken. Apparently this is new construction in a brand new building. No word on an open date. This follows the news last week of the location opening soon on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street. But also look for new locations in Durham (Miami Blvd.), Mebane and Holly Springs in the coming months. Visit Alpaca here.

• Also up in Wake Forest, Jay North shared the news on the Wake Forest Real Community Information page that the Triangle’s newest location of Taza Grill Restaurant is coming to the former Poke Bowl spot at 1898 S. Franklin Street across from the Sheetz gas station and between The Butcher’s Market and Fortnight Brewing Company. Look for them to open soon after the new year. This will be their third location. Visit them here.

• OK, I apologize for the vagueness of this post, and promise to do a better job next week. There is new life in the former Leli’s Italian Eatery, Market And Bakery spot at 3325 Rogers Road, Suite 109 in Wake Forest. As I drove by this week (in a hurry, but not speeding!), I noticed a new banner hanging up. I will have more details next week. #dobettersean

• Out in Wendell, Triangle Business Journal shared that Wendell Falls has announced that two new restaurants, Chipotle and City Barbecue, will join the lineup in Treelight Square. Notably, the Chipotle will feature a drive-thru (for picking up online orders). According to TBJ, look for both restaurants to open sometime next summer. Visit Chipotle here and City Barbecue here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Travelers using Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) in 2024 should plan on arriving 3 hours early. Not because of any TSA requirements, but simply to enjoy a good meal and a drink or two. Triangle Business Journal summarized the new concepts, although still technically in the design phase, looking to open in 2024. They include: Adios! By Oscar Diaz; Bobby’s Burgers; Bond Brothers Kitchen & Bar; Bongiorno & Son Italian Specialties; Conniption Gin Cocktails & Cuisine; Dunkin’; Guy’s Pizza Joint; and Raleigh Beer Garden. Coming in the spring are: Black & White Coffee Roasters, Carolina Craft and Crawford’s Genuine. Keep up with all the additions on their site here.

Closings

• WCHL / Chapelboro was the first to report that Franklin Street’s Basecamp has decided to close. That is the bad news. The good news is you can still enjoy a very similar menu/cuisine at their sister restaurant, Momos Master, just around the corner on Columbia Street. Visit them here.

• Reader Chris Creighton shared that the Pizza Hut on Main Street in Holly springs has closed its doors. No word yet on what might move into that space.

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

• This is a fun way to ring in the new year! The 321 Coffee downtown locations in Raleigh and Durham will host a noon-time New Year’s Eve Party. The events will feature a build your own delicious hot chocolate from their decadent bar of toppings enjoyed in a 321 Coffee mug that you get to take home. In addition to the hot chocolate bar, they’ll have cookies, coloring pages, 2024 headbands, and plenty of festive family fun as they all countdown to the New Year. The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. and concludes at noon. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased through their website here.

• They are doing it again. Our friends over at Cape Fear Seafood Company (with 3 locations here in the Triangle) are bringing back their wildly successful wine pairing events. The first time they did this, all three locations sold out, and I’m already hearing that the Wake Forest location is sold out for the next one. So, it will take place on Tuesday, January 9th at each of the Triangle locations (Wake Forest (sold out), Raleigh’s Village District, and North Raleigh). This French Culinary Voyage will feature seafood and wine delights for $65 per person (+ tax and tip). They limit it to just 24 people per location, so call today to reserve your spot. Visit their site here for phone numbers of each location.

• 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

• Their is a new neighborhood bar in town that you need to check out this holiday season. Gussie’s is now open at 927 W Morgan Street, formerly occupied by Soul Taco, and before that, Remedy Diner and P.G. Werth’s. This is the first venture from North South Hospitality which is owned by Katie O’Kane and Vance Daniels. O’Kane, a Sommelier, brings extensive experience from New York, Boston and Los Angeles to the venture. While Daniels, a Raleigh native, has spent the last 16 years in Los Angeles in a variety of notable bars and upscale restaurants. Offering great food and great beverages, this is the kind of place that invites you to hang-out, enjoy and connect with old and new friends. Visit them on Instagram here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Scott Crawford of Crawford Hospitality (think Jolie, Crawford & Son and Crawford Cookshop) announced this week that he will open a fourth concept in 2024. Sous Terre – French for “underground” – will open in the current Atlantic Lounge basement location at 620 North Person Street in downtown Raleigh below Crawford’s beloved French bistro, Jolie. Crawford Hospitality will take over the lease beginning Monday, January 1^st. Sous Terre will open after a redesign with elevated, classic craft cocktails designed by Crawford Hospitality’s beverage director, Jordan Joseph. Best to follow along on Instagram here.

• A couple of side notes related to the Sous Terre announcement. 2024 will be a big year for Scott Crawford and Crawford Hospitality as they will also have Brodeto opening in early 2024, Crawford’s Genuine opening in RDU Airport in the Spring, and Crawford Brother’s Steakhouse opening later in 2024. Again, best to keep up on Instagram here.

• And it was noted in the presser about Sous Terre, that Atlantic Lounge owner Jason Howard will now shift his focus to expanding his Lil Hombre smoked taco joint on Main Street in Clayton to locations in Raleigh and Wake Forest. No word yet on the timeline nor locations. Stay tuned! Follow along on Instagram here.

• We got an update on the opening of the Buffalo Wild Wings Go in the North Ridge Shopping Center (corner of Falls of the Neuse Road and Spring Forest). Their planned opening is now scheduled for Thursday, December 28th. The GO location is the chain’s first in the state of North Carolina which features their new takeout and delivery-focused model designed to offer their award-winning chicken wings and 26 signature sauces and seasoning options, plus a few other favorites. The first 50 people in line on opening day will receive a booklet redeemable for free wings for a year. Visit them here.

• You’ve seen their purple trucks rolling around the Triangle. There are 5 Buoy Bowls‘ trucks currently, bringing açaí bowls to you. Well, our friends at RALtoday shared the news that they are planting some roots as well that will give them a permanent spot at Morgan Street Food Hall in early 2024. They will occupy one of the outside containers, which will also allow them to expand their offerings. Follow along here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• And then there were two. We learned this week that People’s Coffee has opened their second location, this one in Mosaic Chatham Park in Pittsboro (60 Mosaic Blvd., Suite 100, Pittsboro). It features the same great coffee from Black and White Roasters, in addition to their signature breakfast and lunch menus. Congrats to David Sadeghi and his team! Check them out here.

• Triangle Business Journal shared the news this week that Atomic Clock Brewing Company is opening in Durham in early 2024. Started by brother-sister duo, Brian and Colleen Quinn, the brewery will open with two Durham locations. A taproom and full-service kitchen will operate out of a historic building at 501 Washington Street in the warehouse district. Brewing will take place at 606 United Drive on a 20-barrel brewhouse. The announcement was featured in Brewbound here, which focuses on beer industry news.

Closings

• And then there were none. Reader Chuck Till shared that the Boston Market at 9500 Strickland Road in north Raleigh (near Six Forks) closed in November. That was the last location in our area, and apparently North Carolina according to Till.

• And Chris Creighton shared that the Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q on 401 in Garner closed their doors as of Thursday, Dec 14th.

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.
  

• This is a fun way to ring in the new year! The 321 Coffee downtown locations in Raleigh and Durham will host a noon-time New Year’s Eve Party. The events will feature a build your own delicious hot chocolate from their decadent bar of toppings enjoyed in a 321 Coffee mug that you get to take home. In addition to the hot chocolate bar, they’ll have cookies, coloring pages, 2024 headbands, and plenty of festive family fun as they all countdown to the New Year. The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. and concludes at noon. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased through their website here.

• They are doing it again. Our friends over at Cape Fear Seafood Company (with 3 locations here in the Triangle) are bringing back their wildly successful wine pairing events. The first time they did this, all three locations sold out, and I’m already hearing that the Wake Forest location is sold out for the next one. So, it will take place on Tuesday, January 9th at each of the Triangle locations (Wake Forest (sold out), Raleigh’s Village District, and North Raleigh). This French Culinary Voyage will feature seafood and wine delights for $65 per person (+ tax and tip). They limit it to just 24 people per location, so call today to reserve your spot. Visit their site here for phone numbers of each location.

• 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.