Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- Good things come to those who wait. That is true if you visit Dame’s Chicken & Waffles in downtown Durham, or if you are a resident of Wake County and have jealously watched Durham-ites enjoy the goodness of Dame’s. Well, Wake County’s wait is over as my friend Ursula Littlejohn informed me this week that Dame’s has plans to open a Wake County location in Cary on Harrison Avenue in the former Firewurst location next to Bass Pro Shop. Look for an early August opening. Check them out here.
Wake County Restaurant News
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The latest edition of Rise Biscuits & Donuts opened this past Saturday in the Brier Creek Shopping Center across from Caribou Coffee where Elevation Burger used to be. Check them out here.
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In downtown Raleigh, chef Susan Tower of Deli-icious Food Truck is doing a pop-up menu at Hadley’s Martini Bar June 9-11 from 5 p.m. until midnight each day. Hadley’s is located at 317 W. Morgan Street. This is the first in a series that will be offered at Hadley’s. Get all the details on their event Facebook page here.
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Also in downtown Raleigh, thanks to a tip from Lisa Jeffries, we learned this week that Cafe Helios has introduced a new dinner menu. I haven’t had a chance to go by and try it out, but it looks fantastic. You can view the entire menu here. Cafe Helios is located at 413 Glenwood Avenue.
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Got word from brothers Patrick and Ryan Malley that they are bringing their Wings Over Chapel Hill and Wings Over Greenville concept to Raleigh in the form of, you guessed it, Wings Over Raleigh. The are looking to open this location on July 7th at 2900 Hillsborough Street. Get a sneak peek at them here.
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The second Triangle-area location of Burger 21 opens this coming Monday, June 13th, at 6196 Falls of the Neuse Road. The other local location is over in Cary. Check them out here.
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Up in Wake Forest, WRAL reported that over in Wake Forest, Italian Trattoria by Bruno has opened at 1248 S. Main Street.
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Over in Cary, the long-awaited replacement for Mimi’s Cafe near Cary Towne Center has an opening date. La Madeleine, the acclaimed French-inspired bakery café, will swing open their doors on July 12th. If you are not familiar with La Madeleine, check them out here.
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And a quick shout out of congratulations to the folks over at Village Deli who are celebrating their 20th anniversary! Check them out here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
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Lots of big announcements in Durham this week. Pay attention. Chef Greg Gettles is leaving Durham’s Piedmont Restaurant and moving to Charleston, SC. His last day in the restaurant will be this Sunday, June 12th. That led to the announcement that The Boot’s John May will move over to take the helm at Piedmont beginning on August 1. With that announcement, came the announcement that Rob Kinneen, May’s right-hand man at The Boot, will move into the lead role there. Since his move from Alaska, Kinneen has spent time at Magnolia Grill, Pop’s and Elaine’s on Franklin. He even has his own website – meet him here. Thanks to the News & Observer’s Andrea Weigl for keeping me straight on all this!
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Bites of Bull City blogger Amber Watson reported this week that both Mothers & Sons and Lucky’s Deli will POSSIBLY be opening this weekend. The two joints, located right next to each other on W. Chapel Hill Street, are the creation of Mateo owners Matt Kelly and Josh DeCarolis along with Drew Brown. Check their Facebook pages here and here for the latest. Any day now!!
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The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that one of the first franchise owners of Built, a new burger spinoff of California-based The Counter Custom Built Burgers, has signed a lease to open the company’s first North Carolina location at The Streets at Southpoint mall in south Durham. Look for them to open in early 2017 in the food court. The local owners have the rights to open 5 additional Triangle area locations. In the meantime, check them out here.
Closings
- After 16 years of phenomenal service, owners Shane Ingram and Elizabeth Woodhouse announced this week that Four Square Restaurant in Durham will close June 25. Make your reservations now (if you can).
- Got word from Jimmy Chhay that his restaurant, Chais Noodle Bar and Bistro in Durham, will close at the end of this month. However, see the news below about his food truck.
Food Trucks
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As noted above, Jimmy Chhay is closing his brick and mortar establishment at the end of this month. That is the bad news. The good news is that you can still get his food through his recently purchased food truck Buddhalicious (how can you not LOVE that name!). Check him out here.
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The Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo is this Sunday, June 12th, from 1 to 6 p.m. Over 50 local food trucks will line Fayetteville Street, so make sure you get there early. You can view the complete list of participating trucks here.
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Every Friday through August 5, Raleigh’s Triangle Town Center will host food trucks at its new “Creekside Wind Down” event series. Stop by the mall’s Creekside Cafe food court entrance from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. to grab a bite, listen to live music and enjoy a local brew from Compass Rose Brewery. Food trucks stopping by this Friday (June 10) include Not Just Icing, Snowie of NC, Mixed Korean Truck and Howard Lee’s Sum ‘Teat. Get all the details here.
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With the warm weather returning, it also means the return of the Food Truck Thursdays in Knightdale. Every Thursday from April through June, the town will host a new truck at Knightdale Station Park for lunch and dinner. Just look for it from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm near the amphitheater (rain or shine – shelters are covered). For all the details and the truck schedule, check them out here. Thanks to Mark Ginsberg for the heads up!
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For a listing of ALL food truck events, head over to Art’s page, The Wandering Sheppard on all things food truck related here.
Events
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The Carolina Inn will host a Bar-B-Que Throwdown tomorrow (Saturday, June 11th) from 12 – 3 p.m. featuring local chefs preparing their twist on barbecue. Participating chefs include the Carolina Inn’s James Clark; Kim Hunter (Kimbap Cafe); James Johnson (Tribeca Tavern); Isae Allen (The Eddy Pub & Restaurant); Regan Stachler (Little Hen); Serge Falcoz-Vigne (Saint-Jacques); Bob Compton (Mebane Downtown Table); and Adam Rose (H Street Kitchen). Get tickets ($55) and all the details here.
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Carolina Ale House in downtown Raleigh is hosting their 2nd Annual The Spirited Pig Summer Shindig event Saturday, June 25th. It is a Spirits, Beer and BBQ event featuring 6 local breweries, a variety of spirits including TOPO distillery and live music. Tickets are $35 and guests will receive a souvenir tasting glass on the day of the event. Event proceeds will go to Stop Hunger Now. Get all the details and tickets here.
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The good folks over at the Downtown Raleigh Alliance announced this week the dates for the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant week – it will be held this year August 15-21. Go ahead and mark your calendar. Get all the details here.
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Arguably the area’s biggest “foodie” event, TerraVita, recently announced the dates for this year’s festival – September 28th through October 1st. The Chapel Hill-based festival, now in its seventh year, offers exceptional dinners, tasting events, after parties, chef demos as well as the “Sustainable Classroom” – educational experiences featuring renowned chefs, authors & national media. TerraVita concludes with a Grand Tasting on the Green featuring over 65 chefs, artisans and beverage producers for tastings, live chef demonstrations and cookbook signings. TerraVita’s ticket launch and full schedule will be released in mid-June. More details here.
Food Bank Corner
- For many of us, summertime means family vacations and cookouts with friends and neighbors. But instead of trying to decide where to go on your next trip, imagine having to decide between putting gas in your car to go to work or buying groceries for dinner. Instead of getting supplies for the barbecue, imagine standing in line at the food pantry because your paycheck didn’t last through the end of the month. For the families of nearly 300,000 children in our service area, this is the difficult situation they will face this summer when school is closed. The Food Bank’s Stop Summer Hunger Campaign aims to provide meals and groceries to children and their families over the summer months. Through July 31, they are committed to providing 3.3 million meals. Visit their website to learn more about how you can get involved.
