TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• My friends over at 321 Coffee at the State Farmers’ Market have reopened into their expanded/bigger space and have added new seating. And don’t forget the amazing baristas! Get by for their grand re-opening this weekend – the hours are: Friday: 10-2pm, Saturday: 9-3pm and Sunday: 9:30-3pm. For those not familiar, 321 Coffee is a nonprofit coffee shop operated by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and operates at the NC State Farmers Market. Here’s the link to their Facebook re-opening event page.

Wake County Restaurant News

• The folks at Raleigh Convergence shared the news that Driftwood Cantina, the new concept from the Driftwood Kitchen + Bar folks, opens today (Friday) in North Raleigh’s Lafayette Village. The Southern food restaurant is reimagined with a coastal Mexican feel and menu that includes ceviche, a Veracruz-style fish, street corn (esquites), eight types of taco fillings and queso fundido. Check out the new concept here.

• All three Triangle locations of PDQ – Falls of Neuse in Raleigh, 15-501 in Durham, and just off US 1 in Wake Forest – will re-open on Sunday July 12th with a drive-thru dinner from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. They will donate a meal for every meal purchased to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and customers will have the option to round up their checks to further support the Food Bank. Get by this Sunday, welcome them back, and support the Food Bank! Visit PDQ here.

• The folks over at RalToday shared the news that a new Dunkin’ (I guest it is more than just donuts now) opened this week in North Raleigh at 1500 Dunn Road. Visit Dunkin’ here.

• Got word from Neal DePersia that Aye! Toro, which has a location in Sanford, will be opening a location in Holly Springs at 303 Matthews Drive. No word on an open date, other than summer 2020. Get familiar with them here.

• Neal DePersia also shared the news that Bigfoot Taphouse, a family-owned and operated pour your own taphouse and restaurant (mainly gourmet hot dogs), has opened in Raleigh at 222 Glenwood Ave. Suite 109. Check them out here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Jennifer Noble Kelly shared the news that Durham Distillery, maker of the award-winning Conniption Gin, is opening an on-site cocktail bar called Corpse Reviver. It will be located at 715 Washington Street. While an exact date has not been shared just yet, the site indicates Summer 2020. While we eagerly await, get to know them here.

• Bites of Bull City shared the news that the Vietnamese restaurant called Secrets Pho and Noodle Bar, which has had a sign up visible on the exterior for several months, will swing open their doors this Saturday, July 11th at 11am. They are open daily from 11 am – 9pm. Visit them here.

• Da Kine’s Kava is now open! The menu includes cocktails made from kava and other herbal alternatives, coffee, kombucha, and teas.⁠ Kava is a drink made from the roots of a tropical shrub, and when consumed it can naturally help to relieve stress and anxiety. They are located at 1114-B W. Chapel Hill Street and open 12 -8 pm Tuesday-Sunday. Order your drinks in person or online. Check them out.

• Got word this week that Bull City Solera and Taproom has made the decision that with the inability to seat a full dining room at this time, they are going to open for to-go orders only. In addition, they will feature their Bull City Burritos menu at the taproom until they can phase in their full menu of Mexican pizzas, Italian tacos, and solera beer. Yep, it’s disappointing to all of us, but we have to ensure our survival and people’s jobs. Until they can seat a full dining room, the math didn’t make sense. They are still shooting for a mid-July opening. It is being brought to us by the people behind Bull City Burger and Brewery and Pompieri Pizza in Durham. Stay tuned for an exact open date. Visit them here. Visit Bull City Burrito here.

• Also in Durham, noticed on a recent outing that there is a placed called El Jefecito “opening soon” in the former Libby’s Too spot at 4910 Hillsborough Road. No word on an open date. The sign indicates there is a food truck and that they do catering and special events. you can get to know them by visiting their food truck website here.

• Over in Carrboro, Heather Krobatsch Kumnick shared with the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Group that there’s a brand new place called Paco’s Tacos that recently opened and operating out of Mel’s in Carrboro. It is run by the Silva sisters and everything is made from scratch. You can see their menu here.

• Two Duke faculty are conducting a survey on how COVID-19 has impacted Durham restaurants, especially the effect on revenue and keeping staff employed. The finding will be shared with Durham’s mayor, Durham County commissioners and local philanthropic foundations. They hope that business owners and managers will be able to leverage this information when making requests for better support. The survey is anonymous, takes just 10 minutes, and results will only appear in aggregate. For more information and to take the survey visit here.

Closings / Cancellations

• WRAL reported that after less than a year in business, High Horse has closed its doors in downtown Raleigh. “Top Chef” alum Katsuji Tanabe, who moved to Raleigh to open the restaurant in City Market in November, confirmed that his investor decided not to move forward with plans to reopen. He also did not rule out opening another restaurant in Raleigh post-Covid.

• National Restaurant Properties’ Michael DePersia confirmed that Burger IM at 11480 Capital Blvd. in Wake Forest has closed.

• WRAL reported that two popular North Carolina craft beer festivals will not be happening this year. Brewgaloo, which was scheduled to happen in August, has been scheduled for April 23-24, 2021. There will be a drive-thru event on Aug. 15 – details to follow soon.

• And Beericana, which is held annually at Sugg Farm in Holly Springs in October has been canceled.

Food Trucks 

• Here are a  couple of sites to find and stalk your favorite food trucks here and here.

Events

• Wanted to take a moment to share two sites that help to find Black-owned restaurants. The first is EatOkra that was founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Anthony and Janique Edwards in an effort to preserve Black spaces. Check them out here. And secondly, got word this week that Kyle Umemba has created Five Fifths, a list of black-owned restaurants and online businesses as well as a curation of black business news and interviews with black entrepreneurs. Check out the restaurant listing here.

• Taste Carolina is offering boxes of favorite restaurant dishes, treats, and artisan goods from local providers. Boxes, which include reusable cooler bags, are available in Raleigh, Durham, and Wilmington, with additional cities coming soon. Weekend boxes are available for pickup or delivery, with bulk orders throughout the week. Advance purchase is required at the company’s new ecommerce website.

• Raleigh’s Angus Barn will hold their annual Seafood Celebration Dinner in the Angus Barn Wine Cellar on Saturday, July 18th with a menu inspired by seafood from the North Carolina coast. The social begins at 6 pm, followed by the dinner at 7 pm. The cost is $130 per person plus tax (inclusive of wine pairings and gratuity) and there is limited seating availability. To purchase tickets call Nicole at 919-987-1270 or Tiffany at 919-987-1260.

• The 5th Annual Raleigh International Food Festival has decided to move their event to Saturday, August 8th from noon until 10 p.m. in the 100-200 block of Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. While there you will be able to try authentic international food, desserts as well as  imported beer and wine! There will also be lots of music and entertainment at this child and pet friendly event. Admission is free and parking on the street is as well. Obviously, keep up with their Facebook event page for any announcements and/or rescheduling. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here.

• The Fest in the West is back for its fifth year on Saturday, November 7 from 11 am- 5 pm at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. The event features food & beer, music, arts & crafts, a KidZone, contests and a petting zoo. A great way to spend time with 7,000 of your closest friends. Admission is free! Get all the details here.

• Thanks to Triangle On The Cheap, here are some updates on event cancellations and rescheduling: PeakFest in Apex was rescheduled to September 19; Meet in the Street Festival in Wake Forest was rescheduled to September 5; Artsplosure in downtown Raleigh was rescheduled to October 10 and 11; and the Pimento Cheese Festival in Cary has been canceled.

Food Bank Corner

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina saw their April distribution record blown out of the water by their distribution in May! For the second straight month the Food Bank distributed a record-breaking amount of food to the community: May distributed 9.14 million pounds of food compared shattering April’s record breaking 7.9 million pounds (typical month is about 7 million pounds). While they wish the need were not so high in the community, they are grateful to have the support and resources to rise to the occasion and help as many families as possible. Make a donation today here. #noonegoeshungry

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Now more than ever, everyone could use a glass (or bottle or two) of wine. WRAL shared the news that more than 20 Triangle restaurants were named among the world’s best for wine according to Wine Spectator. The Player’s Retreat, Oakwood Pizza Box and Second Empire are among the publication’s 2020 Restaurant Award winners. The Angus Barn received the highest honor as a Grand Award Winner for its selection of wine. Azitra in Brier Creek, Barcelona Wine Bar in downtown Raleigh, The Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro and Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary received the Best of Award of Excellence. Award of Excellence winners included 42nd Street Oyster Bar, Bella Monica, Bin 54, Elaine’s on Franklin, Elements, Fairview Dining Room, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Mandolin, Nazara Indian Bistro, Oakwood Pizza Box, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen, Rue Cler, Ruth’s Chris Steak House (Raleigh, Cary and Durham), Parizade, Seasons 52, Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern, Stoney River Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, The Player’s Retreat and Vidrio.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Lots of restaurants reopening as they have implemented safety procedures and adjusted their spaces (both inside and out) to accommodate safe dining environments, but some of the biggies this week include: With a new expanded patio, courtesy of the City of Raleigh, Irregardless Cafe has reopened with a new summer menu. Here is a pretty comprehensive list of openings in Raleigh thanks to Visit Raleigh!

• The folks over at Raleigh Convergence tipped us off to the fact that Blend Raleigh (smoothie and energy bar) is now open on Hillsborough Street where Liquid State used to be (1908 Hillsborough St). Their sister location is Nourish Raleigh at 1829 Capital Blvd. Get familiar with them both here.

• Got word from Neal DePersia at National Restaurant Properties this week that the Market Grill at the Raleigh Farmers Market has been completely remodeled and is ready for a new owner operator. Find out more about this rare opportunity here.

• And we can’t close without a HUGE Happy Birthday/Anniversary to Raleigh’s iconic Angus Barn! Sixty years ago this past Sunday, Thad Eure, Jr and Charles Winston bought 50 acres of pastureland on Highway 70, halfway between Raleigh and Durham. 21,000 nights and 14,000,000 guests later “Big Red” is still famous as a “Beef Eaters Haven.” Visit the Angus Barn here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Lots of restaurants reopening as they have implemented safety procedures and adjusted their spaces (both inside and out) to accommodate safe dining environments, but some of the biggies this week include: Chapel Hill’s Bin 54 opens July 6th; the Kanki’s Durham/Chapel Hill location’s dining room has reopened for dinner! That means you can now enjoy all three Kanki Restaurant locations. Deli Edison, the neighborhood eatery and gourmet food shop in north Chapel Hill, is now open for take-out and online ordering. If you’re looking for a pretty comprehensive list of what is open in Orange County, Chapelboro has you covered here. And Visit Durham has you covered in Durham here.

• Got word this week that Bull City Solera and Taproom is slated to open mid-July in the former Chick-fil-A building behind Target and Sam’s Club at 4120 University Drive. They will serve up craft beer, barrel aged beer solera, Mexican pizza, Italian tacos, wine and spirits. It is being brought to us by the people behind Bull City Burger and Brewery and Pompieri Pizza in Durham. Stay tuned for an exact open date. Visit them here.

• Also in Durham at the Renaissance Center across from Streets at Southpoint and just a few doors down from Los Tres Mexican Restaurant (think Moe’s, McAllister’s and Ted’s Montana Grill) there is a sign up for a new Potbelly Sandwich Shop opening “soon-ish.” We will keep an eye on it. If you are not familiar with Potbelly in Durham, get to know them here.

• Over in Carrboro, just a heads up that Oakleaf is “going on vacation” from July 5th to August 5th. They are using that time to develop a new catering arm, Hard Shell Events, specializing in outdoor functions like crab feasts and oyster roasts as well as custom in home events. Get by this weekend, or see everyone at Oakleaf on August 5th! Check out Oakleaf here.

• Two Duke faculty are conducting a survey on how COVID-19 has impacted Durham restaurants, especially the effect on revenue and keeping staff employed. The finding will be shared with Durham’s mayor, Durham County commissioners and local philanthropic foundations. They hope that business owners and managers will be able to leverage this information when making requests for better support. The survey is anonymous, takes just 10 minutes, and results will only appear in aggregate. For more information and to take the survey visit here.

Closings / Cancellations

• We had reported this a few months back, but Michael DePersia at National Restaurant Properties confirmed that Peppers Market in Morrisville is permanently closed.

• Over in Cary, Twitter buddy BurgeoningBaker shared the sad news that Urban Turban in Cary is closing. Today, July 3rd, will be their last day. They noted that they will still honor gift certificates and Diner Dinars at their sister store, Falafel 54. Visit Falafel 54 here.

• And in Chapel Hill, Carrie Brogren of Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies group shared that Soul Cocina is permanently closing their storefront in Blue Dogwood food hall. They will continue with online ordering and deliveries and the farmers’ market scene.

Food Trucks 

• Here are a  couple of sites to find and stalk your favorite food trucks here and here.

Events

• They are doing it again…thank goodness! WRAL shared the great news that you can get a taste of the North Carolina State Fair without leaving your car AGAIN this weekend. The North Carolina State Fair will be hosting Drive-Thru Fair Food Days Friday through Sunday (July 3-5). And word is, they’ve added TURKEY LEGS to the July 3-5 menu! They will run noon to 6 p.m. each day and sales will be cash only. Drivers should enter the fairgrounds parking area off of Trinity Road. Orders will be placed from your car and servers will come to you. People are asked to remain in their vehicles to maintain social distancing. Read more here and see the menu.

• The folks over at Oakleaf in Carrboro are hosting a “takeaway” Crab Cake Feast on the Fourth of July with pick-up Saturday between 12 and 5. Orders must be placed by Friday (July 3) at 5 p.m. The menu features: Jumbo Lump Crabcakes with Old Bay Remoulade; Sweet Corn and Heirloom Zucchini Salad with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette; Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary; Mascarpone Cheesecakes done up in Red, White and Blue. Cost is $90 and serves two people generously. Call if you would like to add a bottle of so,so,so cold Rose (French because, you know they helped out big time back in ‘76) $20 at (984)234-0054. Get all the details here.

• Thanks to the guys over at NC Food & Beverage Podcast for bringing attention to an app called EatOkra that helps you find Black-owned restaurants. It was founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Anthony and Janique Edwards in an effort to preserve Black spaces. Now, in light of recent events throughout the country, supporting Black-owned businesses is more important than ever. Download the app to discover Black-owned restaurants and eateries in your area to show your support! Check them out here.

• Raleigh’s Angus Barn will hold their annual Seafood Celebration Dinner in the Angus Barn Wine Cellar on Saturday, July 18th with a menu inspired by seafood from the North Carolina coast. The social begins at 6 pm, followed by the dinner at 7 pm. The cost is $130 per person plus tax (inclusive of wine pairings and gratuity) and there is limited seating availability. To purchase tickets call Nicole at 919-987-1270 or Tiffany at 919-987-1260.

• The 5th Annual Raleigh International Food Festival has decided to move their event to Saturday, August 8th from noon until 10 p.m. in the 100-200 block of Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. While there you will be able to try authentic international food, desserts as well as  imported beer and wine! There will also be lots of music and entertainment at this child and pet friendly event. Admission is free and parking on the street is as well. Obviously, keep up with their Facebook event page for any announcements and/or rescheduling. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here.

• Brewgaloo has been rescheduled for August 14 and 15, 2020. It is a 2 day festival featuring over 110 craft breweries from around NC and partnering with local food trucks, local vendors, and local bands to bring you North Carolina’s largest craft beer festival! The fun begins Friday night with a sampler event from 6-10pm featuring limited releases, barrel aged, and sour beers. Saturday’s street festival spans the length of Fayetteville Street and fills Downtown Raleigh from 2-10pm with more than 110 NC craft breweries, local food trucks, and local vendors with 2 stages featuring local bands all day long. Get all the details on the Shop Local Raleigh website here.

• The Fest in the West is back for its fifth year on Saturday, November 7 from 11 am- 5 pm at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. The event features food & beer, music, arts & crafts, a KidZone, contests and a petting zoo. A great way to spend time with 7,000 of your closest friends. Admission is free! Get all the details here.

• Thanks to Triangle On The Cheap, here are some updates on event cancellations and rescheduling: PeakFest in Apex was rescheduled to September 19; Meet in the Street Festival in Wake Forest was rescheduled to September 5; Artsplosure in downtown Raleigh was rescheduled to October 10 and 11; and the Pimento Cheese Festival in Cary has been canceled.

Food Bank Corner

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina saw their April distribution record blown out of the water by their distribution in May! For the second straight month the Food Bank distributed a record-breaking amount of food to the community: May distributed 9.14 million pounds of food compared shattering April’s record breaking 7.9 million pounds (typical month is about 7 million pounds). While they wish the need were not so high in the community, they are grateful to have the support and resources to rise to the occasion and help as many families as possible. Make a donation today here. #noonegoeshungry