TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

•  There is a new dog in town and they open today at 121 Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh in the former Spize Café location. Tasty 8’s Gourmet Hot Dog Company will feature 8 gourmet dogs, 8 dipping sauces, 8 delicious shakes and 8 beers on tap. The impressive renovations to the space include a take-out window and a very fun and welcoming space to enjoy the sites and sounds of downtown Raleigh. Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Got a tip from reader Lauren Landis that Duck Donuts, with a wildly popular location on the Outer Banks, is planning to open a location in Cary. According to their website, they will be coming to Wrenn Plaza this fall. Check them out here and keep up with all their progress on their Facebook page here.

• Cary as we know it is about to change. Beginning at 11 a.m. on September 1st, World of Beer is opening their second Triangle area location at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Westin Parkway. Here are the numbers: 55 taps; 500 bottled beers; 19 flat screens. And that does not include the pretty yummy pub food that will be offered. Check them out here.

• Also in Cary, got a posting on my blog last week that a Mexican restaurant called Totopos is getting ready to open in the old Chili’s space on Kildaire Farm Road opposite Trader Joes (1388 Kildaire Farm Road to be exact). No word yet on an open date, but they tout themselves as chef-driven menu focused on the diverse street foods accompanied by an amazing tequila bar. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one for sure!

• Got word from several sources this week that Blackfinn Ameripub is set to open September 3rd (as with any opening, that is subject to change) in Morrisville’s Park West Village at 3201 Village Market Place. With other locations throughout the country, this marks the first Triangle area location. It looks pretty cool. Check it out here.

• Also in Morrisville, the Triangle Business Journal is reporting that Cafe Anar, a Mediterranean and central Asian restaurant, has opened in the Factory Shops in Morrisville in the former Moustache Café spot. Check out their Facebook page here.

• The Triangle Business Journal reported that the owners of the Cleveland Drafthouse at I-40 and Highway 42 in Cleveland (between Garner and Clayton) are opening a second location in Clayton at the intersection of US 70 and Shotwell Road behind the CVS Pharmacy. According to their Facebook page, they are targeting a mid-September opening. Check them out here.

• The Carolina Ale House continues to grow, this time into Garner. The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that the Carolina Ale House restaurant group has been named as the first tenant to commit to the expansion of the White Oak Crossing shopping center in Garner that will be anchored by Cabela’s outdoor retail store. Look for an opening in the first quarter of 2015.

• And also in Garner, my friends Melissa and Alvin Cotto have opened up Big Al’s Pizza and Wings at 5176 NC 42 West. A scratch made kitchen, they make their own dough, pizza sauce, wing sauces, and even sausage in house. Get by and check them out here.

• Chipotle Mexican Grill continues to grow its presence in the Triangle with two new locations on the way in North Raleigh. The first is along with the new Gander Mountain outdoor store at the Triangle Plaza shopping center on Capital Boulevard. Look for it to open in the next month. The other is at the Harvest Plaza shopping center at Strickland and Six Forks roads at the spot of the leveled Burger King.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• G Patel is extending his Eschelon Experiences empire over into Durham with the report this week by the Herald Sun that Basan, a modern Japanese restaurant, is coming to downtown Durham’s American Tobacco Campus in the Diamond View III building adjacent to the DPAC and overlooking the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The menu is inspired by the West Coast style of Japanese cuisine and focuses on specialty sushi rolls, seafood, appetizers and a sake selection. They hope to have it open by the end of the year. Check them out here.

• Got a little bit more information this week on Heavenly Buffaloes in Durham. It is the creation of Dain Phelan, owner of Dain’s Place, and is on course to open next week. It is located just off Ninth Street on Markham Avenue in what was formerly Sam’s Grill. Check them out here.

• And the Herald Sun also reported this week that a restaurant chain Pholicious is coming to the Streets at Southpoint. This will be their first venture into North Carolina. The restaurant specializes in Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup. Our guess is that it will be in the food court. Check them out here.

Closings 

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is proud to announce that they will hold their 3rd Annual FoodBank24 New Media Telethon on September 26-27, 2014. The 24-hour event begins at noon on September 26th and continues for 24 straight hours of entertaining and enlightening activities as part of Hunger Action Month. Put it on your calendar and get all the details here. There are lots of ways to participate.

•  Happy to announce that Boulted Bread, downtown Raleigh’s newest bakery, is officially open for business. They are located at 614 W. South Street. Congratulations to Fulton Forde, Sam Kirkpatrick, and Joshua Bellamy. Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Got word this week from John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, that a new smokehouse called The Blistered Pig Smokehouse is coming to downtown Apex (225 N. Salem Street to be exact). It looks like they are shooting for a late October opening, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Get a sneak peek at them here.

• Also in Apex, Ashley Mills tipped me off to the fact that Dohertys Irish Pub, with a location on High House Road in Cary, is opening a new location in Apex off Hwy 55 (at the intersection with Apex Peakway) in the old Sparks Wings & Ribs location. Check out Doherty’s here.

• And if that is not enough good Apex news for you, I got a tweet this week from Nick Thomas that it looks like a fish and chips restaurant named Chippy’s is scheduled to open in the old Dixie Belle’s Smokehouse location at 1001 Davis Drive. No other information is available at this time, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Thanks Nick!

• The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that the Tampa, Florida-based Burger 21, an upscale burger franchise, will soon be opening their second location in North Carolina this time in Morrisville. No word yet on an exact location, but they plan to be open by the summer of next year. We will keep an eye on this. Check them out here.

• Alison Mecca, who recently opened a permanent brick-and-mortar location for her popular food truck, Iced Cupcakes, will hold a grand opening celebration on Thursday, August 21st from 6-9pm. The celebration will be held at Iced Cupcakes’ new location, 5911 Poyner Village Parkway, Suite 103, Raleigh, NC 27616. Get more details here.

• Got a tweet this week from Rebecca Calhoun that there is a Firehouse Subs sign up in the old Cici’s Pizza spot in North Raleigh’s Bent Tree Plaza. No word yet on an open date.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Saw in Chapel Hill Magazine that Time-Out is officially closing their current home in University Square on September 1st, but only days later will open on the corner of Franklin and Henderson Streets (where East End bar used to be) with one location, and yet another, this one a Time-Out Express, inside the Time Out Sports Bar & Restaurant across from Eastgate Shopping Center. Glad to know this year’s UNC freshman class will not miss out on a Chapel Hill institution. Get more details on Time-Out here.

• We were the first to tell you back in June that the Egg & I was taking over the space formerly occupied by Piola in Chapel Hill’s East 54. Got an update this week that they are looking to open before year’s end. Check them out here.

• We also learned this week that the Egg & I is not the only new restaurant headed to Chapel Hill’s East 54. Durham’s very own Enzo’s Pizza will open their second location and will join the mix (in the 3000 building) at East 54. They are looking to open before year’s end as well. Check them out here.

• Got a press release this week that the first North Carolina location of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers restaurant opened on Wednesday in Durham at the intersection of 15-501 and Interstate 40. But their plans in North Carolina don’t end there. Plans are now underway to begin construction on a second location in Cary in the Searstone Retail Village at the corner of Davis Drive and High House Road. Check them out here.

• And a Christina G. posted on a Yelp message board this week that a place called Heavenly Buffaloes (tagged as the wing joint you’ve been looking for) is going into the space on Markham Avenue in Durham that was formerly Sam’s Grill. Nothing much up on their website yet, but says it is coming in August. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Closings 

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is proud to announce that they will hold their 3rd Annual FoodBank24 New Media Telethon on September 26-27, 2014. The 24-hour event begins at noon on September 26th and continues for 24 straight hours of entertaining and enlightening activities as part of Hunger Action Month. Put it on your calendar and get all the details here. There are lots of ways to participate.