Friday Fun Food Facts – July 13, 2018

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

  • The highly anticipated Morgan Street Food Hall will open in Raleigh’s Warehouse District on July 23 – that is just one week from this coming Monday. So far, nineteen unique and diverse establishments are gearing up for the opening (more to follow) in this very cool downtown space that is very large, warm and inviting. Get a list of the restaurants and all the details here.

Wake County Restaurant News

  • I attended a media preview event at Morgan Street Food Hall (ya’ll gonna love it!), and learned from a Facebook live post on WTVD’s site that Oak City Fish & Chips (which has a spot at the Food Hall) will open a second brick and mortar location 30 days after this opening in southeast Raleigh off Rock Quarry Road at 2822 New Birch Drive in Farmington Square. The guys behind Oak City (originally from Raleigh) also have three food trucks serving the Triangle. Learn all about them here.
  • Over in Seaboard Station, John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, posted on Instagram that a spot called Papa Shogun, an Italian and Japanese establishment, is coming to the former Kimbap spot. I can’t decide if that is an interesting combination or something perfect for those that just can’t decide. Stay tuned and we will update as we learn more.
  • Just outside of downtown on Western Blvd., the ITB Insider noted this week that in the former Gourmet Factory spot at 3933 Western Blvd., a permit was issued for Sultan Kebab. We couldn’t find a local Internet presence for them, so we will have to keep an eye on it.
  • The ITB Insider also reported this week that Rockin’ Rolls Sushi, Durham’s popular Japanese restaurant, will soon open a brand-new Raleigh location at Harvest Plaza on Strickland Road. An opening date has not yet been announced. This will be their second location. Get familiar with them here.
  • Over in Cary, learned from Michael DePersia at National Restaurant Properties that the Brixx in Cary at the corner of High House and Davis (Bradford Center) has been purchased by a retired New Jersey firefighter who just moved here, Tim Morley. Some minor upgrades are planned, but for the most part plan on continuing the business as is. Check them out here.
  • Also in Cary, learned this week that Anna Ko will open Terra Bonum Salad Cafe next Monday, July 16 in the spot formerly occupied by Giardino Gourmet Salads on Harrison Avenue in the Bass Pro Shop shopping center. Look for them to offer up fresh salads, wraps and grain bowls. Robbie Casey (from Giardino) will continue their catering efforts. Get to know them on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

  •  Learned from Melissa Shahady that Hutchins Garage has opened in the Central Park District at 402 W. Geer Street in Durham. Looks like pizza and beer top the list of great options there as well as a very cool atmosphere. Check them out on Facebook here.
  • Also in Durham, saw a Grand Opening sign for Los Cabos Bar & Grill Mexican Restaurant at 4020 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. in the spot that was most recently the Saucy Crab. Looks like they have a lot of yummy seafood options! Check them out here.
  • Over in Chapel Hill, the Lennard family dined at Monterrey Mexican restaurant earlier this week just prior to their move over to Ram’s Plaza this past Tuesday. They have successfully transitioned into the former Bailey’s spot. The former spot on Elliott Road will become a new concept (same owners), but work on that hasn’t begun yet. Check out Monterrey’s new location here.
  • Also in Chapel Hill, the newest pizza joint on Franklin Street will open this weekend. MidiCi will begin offering its Neapolitan pizzas, pasta, gelato and other culinary delights with a Buy-One-Pizza-Get-One-Free promotion July 14 and 15, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. it is located at 100 E. Franklin Street at the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets. Check them out here.
  • And speaking of Franklin Street saw on the local Facebook page for B.Good that they are looking at an early August (possibly August 2) opening date for their newest location at Carolina Square (near the new Target). B. Good has two locations in Raleigh (downtown and North Hills), and one in Morrisville. Get familiar with them here.
  • And a quick shout out to Al Bowers and his team over at Al’s Burger Shack for finishing #1 on TripAdvisor’s list of top burgers in the entire United States. The original location of Al’s Burger Shack is on W. Franklin Street. He recently opened a second location in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village and has plans to open a slight variation on this when he opens Al’s Pub Shack in Chatham county soon. Get familiar with Al’s here.

Closings

  •  Michael DePersia of National Restaurant Properties notified us that Smoothie King on Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street has closed.
  • Also on Franklin Street, the Triangle Business Journal reported that Toppers Pizza is set to close at the beginning of August. Toppers still has two franchise locations in north Raleigh, off Creedmoor Road and Ronald Drive.
  • Over in downtown Durham, The Cupcake Bar announced on their Facebook page that after 10 years, they will be serving their last cupcakes on August 4th.
  • Down in Fuquay-Varina, David McCreary reported that Rock Harbor Grill at 132 S  Fuquay Avenue has closed its doors for good.

Food Trucks

  • The dates have been set for the Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo and Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos. Check out Durham here and Raleigh here.
  • Two great sites to keep up with your favorite food trucks. Street Food Finder is one – find it here. And another, aptly named, is Roaming Hungerfind it here.

Events

  • Duke Homestead celebrates North Carolina’s food history and culture this Saturday, July 14 at “Pork, Pickles and Peanuts: Tastes of North Carolina.” This free, fun family event focuses on everything that makes the state taste great with the highly competitive and extremely tasty annual Barbecue Cook-Off and Pie Competition from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get all the details here.
  • The Rickhouse will host Durham’s 4th Annual PickleFest on Sunday, July 15th – a pickle-packed tasting event and market place! The event will showcase North Carolina made products from pickle vendors near and far including locally crafted kombucha and kimchi! Triangle area restaurants sample their unique pickle dishes as well as pickle flavored beers and a Bloody Mary bar to quench your thirst and pucker your lips! VIP tickets are $20 and include a gift and early bird entry from noon – 1pm, plus Home Pickler’s Contest Tasting and (1) free drink ticket. General Admission tickets are $10 and include either Session 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. or Session 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Kids under 10 years old are free. Get tickets and all the details here.
  •  The NCRLA Chef Showdown is an annual statewide culinary competition sponsored by the NC Department of Ag. that will result in a final competition on Monday, Aug 27 in Charlotte. The final event is in conjunction with the first night of the industry’s Restaurant & Hotel Expo. Get all the information you need here.
  • The 2nd annual Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market Brewfest is happening on Saturday, August 25, with a 12 pack of local brewers and fermenters bringing product to sample and sell. Look for: Botanist & Barrel, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Bull City Ciderworks, Dingo Dog Brewing, Fullsteam Brewery, Haw River Farmhouse Ales, Mystery Brewing, Oak & Dagger Public House, Raleigh Brewing, Starpoint Brewing, 3rd Degree Brewhouse, and Vecino Brewing. The address is 201 S. Estes Drive Chapel Hill. (University Place next to Silverspot) and hours are regular market hours, 8am-12. Get details here.

Food Bank Corner

  • As a part of the Stop Summer Hunger initiative, generous friends of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will match every gift – dollar for dollar. Please help them reach their matching goal of $135,000. For every $20 you give, the Food Bank can provide 200 meals! Make your donation here!

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Friday Fun Food Facts – June 29, 2018

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

  •  It was announced this week that Scott Crawford will open Jolie, a French bistro adjacent to his Crawford & Son restaurant on Person Street in downtown Raleigh. It is named for and inspired by his daughter, and comes not long after an inspirational family trip to France. Also of note, John May (think Chef and the Farmer, The Boot and most recently Piedmont in Durham) will serve as the general manager. Look for them to open this fall. In the meantime, keep up with them on Twitter here.

Wake County Restaurant News

  • The newest location of Happy + Hale opened this week in the Park Central building in North Hills serving up salads, juices and smoothies. The new location will offer a larger indoor seating area, outdoor patio seating, and brunch on the weekends. They’ve also partnered with Counter Culture Coffee and Brewery Bhavana to offer coffee and beer. Congrats to Tyler Helikson and Matt Whitley on their continued success. Check them out here.
  • Over in Cary, David McCreary pointed out that MOD Pizza, a fast-casual joint, is now open at 316 Colonades Way in Cary’s Waverly Place shopping center. This is their third Triangle location with a fourth (also in Cary) on the way. Check them out here.
  • Also in Cary, reader Wesley Mays noted that the newest location of Clean Eatz, both a cafe/restaurant and a business that offers pre-prepared meals and meal plans, is coming to Stone Creek Village in the former Five Guys space (corner of High House and Davis). They already have a location in Raleigh. Get familiar with Clean Eatz here.
  • Down in Garner, friend Lori Lair share a link to the town of Garner that a Steak ‘n Shake is on the way to fill the closed Grill 57 spot on Highway 401 across from Big Lots. No word yet on a timeline. Visit them here.
  • And got word from Christine Johnson that all three Wake County locations of Planet Smoothie have changed ownership. The new owner is Jamal Young who purchased the Planet Smoothies in Cary (Stone Creek), Mission Valley, and Sutton Square (Falls of Neuse Rd.) a few months ago and has been working to renovate and update all the stores. Congrats to Jamal! Check them out here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

  •  WRAL reported this week that Asheville’s Hi-Wire Brewing will open a new taproom in downtown Durham by the end of October. The taproom will be located at 800 Taylor Street at the Golden Belt campus. The location will have a large interior space, as well as an outdoor covered patio and beer garden. Dubbed the “Durham Fun Zone,” the space will be game and activity heavy, featuring full-sized shuffleboard courts, soccer pool tables, table tennis and more. Get familiar with them here.
  • Thanks to a tweet from John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, we learned that the folks over at Foster Street Coffee in the Liberty Warehouse Apartments will open this Monday, July 2nd. Get to know them here.
  • Durham saw the opening of another restaurant this week in a new Zimbabwean restaurant called Zweli’s Kitchen. It is located at 4600 Chapel Hill-Durham Blvd. Thanks to Amber Watson over at Bites of Bull City for the heads up on this. Check them out on Facebook here.
  • Also in Durham, our friends over at Bull Street Gourmet & Market announced that they have changed their name to Bull and Bean. But they wanted folks to know that ONLY their name is changing – they still have the same owners and the same delicious food. Congrats to Anne and Tom Niemann on the change. Check them out here,
  • Last week we told you about Teddy Diggs leaving Il Palio to open Coronato, his new Roman-style pizzeria concept slated to open in early 2019. We also told you he would host some pop-ups. Well, the first one is scheduled for Saturday, July 14 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Diggs will collaborate with Deric McGuffey, former pastry chef of Il Palio and current partner in Botanist and Barrel. It will be at Botanist and Barrel’s farm at 105 Persimmon Hill Lane in Cedar Grove. Expect innovative Roman pizzas along with blueberry tarts. Keep up with them and other pop-ups on Facebook here.
  • In Chapel Hill the lovely and talented Lori Bowers-Lennard gave us an update on the Quickly Boba Café coming to Meadowmont in the former Market Street Coffee location. They will serve hot and cold drinks made with premium quality flower and tea leaves as well as unique Asian street food. Quickly, is one of the largest tapioca milk tea franchises in the world, with over 2,000 locations in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. They are hiring, but no exact date on the opening. Stay tuned through their Facebook page.
  • Over in Hillsborough, this Sunday, July 1st the Wooden Nickel Public House will serve its last customer at this location which it has been at for the past 14 1/2 years – 105 North Churton Street. They will be moving just 4 doors down from their current location (113 N. Churton Street). They have been working on the new space for a while, so the transition should happen fairly quickly. Keep up with them on their Facebook page here.

Closings

  •  We learned from WRAL this week that sushi and modern Japanese restaurant Basan (part of the Eschelon Experiences restaurant group) will close its doors on June 30.
  • Got word that the O’Charley’s location in Raleigh’s Brier Creek has closed. They still have a location on Ashville Avenue in Cary.
  • Speaking of Cary, Yelp is reporting that the Smok’t BBQ & Tap in Cornerstone Village at the intersection of High House and Davis is closed. However, reader Cheyenne Jones says that a sign on the door says they are looking for a new location. However, it is closed for now. But stay tuned.
  • Also in Cary, reader Wesley Mays (and confirmed by Yelp) notified us that West Park Tavern has closed.

Food Trucks

  • Tom Meyer, the maestro behind Southern Harvest Catering Company, Sprout Café and Elements Coffee Bar (both at the Museum of Life and Science) and The Q Shack at North Hills, shared that his Southern Harvest Mobile Kitchen will “officially” join the local food truck scene this Sunday and will feature “Southern” favorites like a Tri Tip Sandwich and Sliced Applewood Smoked Pork loin as well as grilled watermelon salad on arugula, tater tots with red or green chimichurri and kohlrabi slaw – to name a few. Keep up with the latest here.
  • The dates have been set for the Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo and Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos. Check out Durham here and Raleigh here.
  • Two great sites to keep up with your favorite food trucks. Street Food Finder is one – find it here. And another, aptly named, is Roaming Hungerfind it here.

Events

  • A Taste of Chatham returns on June 30th from 10 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. where $50 will get you a guided tour and tastings at Starrlight Mead, Fair Game Beverage Co., Chatham Cider Works, and Carolina Brewery & Grill. Bus transportation is included, along with an appetizer buffet from Carolina Brewery, bottled water and a parting gift that includes a six-pack and a koozie. Details here.
  • The 2018 version of Chefs for Change, a fundraising dinner series that pairs the burgeoning Durham food scene with the needs of families experiencing homelessness, is well underway. The first two events (featuring Charlie Deal on March 12 and Scott Howell on May 14) sold out. And if last year is any indication, the next two dinners will sell out quickly. The July 9th event features Phoebe Lawless (The Lakewood and Scratch) and the September 10th event features Gocciolina’s Aaron Benjamin. Each night the chef will serve three or more courses at a ticketed dinner with the proceeds benefiting Families Moving Forward. The dinners are held at the Rickhouse and limited to 125 people. Get all the details and tickets here.
  • The Rickhouse will host Durham’s 4th Annual PickleFest on Sunday, July 15th – a pickle-packed tasting event and market place! The event will showcase North Carolina made products from pickle vendors near and far including locally crafted kombucha and kimchi! Triangle area restaurants sample their unique pickle dishes as well as pickle flavored beers and a Bloody Mary bar to quench your thirst and pucker your lips! VIP tickets are $20 and include a gift and early bird entry from noon – 1pm, plus Home Pickler’s Contest Tasting and (1) free drink ticket. General Admission tickets are $10 and include either Session 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. or Session 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Kids under 10 years old are free. Get tickets and all the details here.
  • And finally, listen up chefs! The NCRLA Chef Showdown is an annual statewide culinary competition sponsored by the NC Department of Ag. It’s a culinary competition open to chefs (savory and pastry) across the state. There are two regional semi-finalist rounds remaining (Hickory June 4 and Raleigh, June 25) that will result in a final competition on Monday, Aug 27 in Charlotte. The final event is in conjunction with the first night of the industry’s Restaurant & Hotel Expo. Get all the information you need here.

Food Bank Corner

  • As a part of the Stop Summer Hunger initiative, generous friends of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will match every gift – dollar for dollar. Please help them reach their matching goal of $135,000. For every $20 you give, the Food Bank can provide 200 meals! Make your donation here!

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