November 5, 2021 · 6:12 am
Featured Restaurant News
- Now through November 14th the Downtown Raleigh Alliance is hosting the 2021 Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week. This is a great time to support all your favorite places—and discover new ones. During the week, restaurants offer lunch and dinner specials and/or 3 course prix-fixe options. The challenges of the past year and a half have greatly impacted the restaurant community, so let’s continue to show love and support for our downtown restaurants. Visit their event site here. See a complete list of participating restaurants here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- This week the Flying Mayan moved into their new location in Morrisville in the former Famous Toastery spot, just down from Guasaca (9928 Chapel Hill Road, Morrrisville to be exact). This follows on the news of the closing of their Original Flying Burrito spot on Grove Barton Road in Raleigh (closed last month) and the closing of their downtown Raleigh Flying Mayan location. Stop by and check them out and give them a warm welcome.
- The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that the rooftop lounge The Willard (at the new AC Hotel on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh) opened on Wednesday, and apparently the view is pretty cool. According to the TBJ, they have a craft cocktail program to go with a Spanish and Mediterranean menu. The hotel brought on Craig Spitzer and his Early Bird Night Owl team to manage The Willard. It is the same group that owns and manages The Mayton Hotel in Cary and The Durham Hotel. Check out the view and get to know them here.
- The folks over at RalToday brought it to our attention that getting up in the morning is totally worth it when you find out that Iris Coffee Lab in Glenwood South has added Flip Side Donuts to their menu six days a week. Flip Side just opened this year in Cary and apparently (as you will see) have a good thing going. Get by their location in Cary or by Iris Coffee Lab to check them out.
- Guess what today is? Yep, today is the day that Thanksgiving pre-orders begin at Boulted Bread in downtown Raleigh (614 W South Street). Can you say Buttermilk Muscadine Pie….or Pumpkin Pie…or assorted pastries…or freshly baked bread? Make Boulted part of your Thanksgiving tradition beginning this year! Check out their Thanksgiving offerings here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Things continue to heat up out at Boxyard RTP in the middle of Research Triangle Park (900 Park Offices Drive) with the pending opening of Fullsteam Brewery. According to multiple social media posts it looks like they will “officially” be open Thursday, November 18th. But keep your eyes peeled (and follow them on Instagram) for some sneak peak pourings. And did I mention they will have square pizza…with a nod to Teddy Diggs from Coronato Pizza for his guidance on that. Check out Fullsteam’s Boxyard site here.
- You scream, I scream, we all scream for Mister Softee ice cream…or something like that. The folks over at Bites of Bull City shared the news that Durham now has a Mister Softee ice cream truck. Not familiar with Mister Softee? Well, they were first established in Philadelphia in 1956 and they are now the largest franchiser of soft ice cream trucks in the United States with over 625 trucks and over 350 franchise dealers operating in 18 states. Follow/find the one in Durham via their Instagram site here.
Closings / Cancellations
- None to report. Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
- Thanks to a post on the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook page, we saw that on November 21st the Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture and Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation will host the first-ever THANKS + GIVING FOOD TRUCK RODEO from 12 – 4 pm at Legion Road. There will be about 15 food trucks, about 15 local non-profits, a DJ, and good community vibes. Get ready to give, grub, and be grateful! Get all the details here.
- 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
- The Downtown Raleigh Alliance is hosting their Dine Out First Friday event, tonight, Friday, November 5 from 7-10 pm in the Warehouse District just outside of Morgan Street Food Hall down to Union Station Plaza. It is a monthly celebration of arts and culture where they will have live music by DJ Luxe Posh, live painting demos by Zero Period, a writing activity with Red Bud Writing Group and a Driveway Drag Show from 9-9:30pm. Beer, wine and hot beverages will be available for purchase. And lots of great eating establishments in and around that area. Check it out here.
- After having to cancel the 2019 and 2020 events, the Town of Cary will hold Fest in the West this Saturday, November 6th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and will feature food and beer vendors, entertainment, a kids’ zone as well as arts and crafts. Get all the details here.
- The folks at Empire Eats have some great Thanksgiving options in store for you. First up, Sitti and Gravy are both offering Thanksgiving take-out packages. Check out Sitti here and Gravy here. And The Pit (both Raleigh and Durham locations) are serving their traditional family-style Thanksgiving dinner again this year available for dine-in or takeout. Check out The Pit’s offerings here.
Food Bank Corner
- Cheers to an easy way to support the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, as they continue serving an 11% higher need, due to COVID-19. Island Brands USA is a premium beer brand with a mission to bring better, cleaner beer to the world. By downloading their new Loyalty app, Island Passport, you can select the Food Bank and they’ll donate $10 when you redeem 800 points in their App. For more information, visit them here.
October 29, 2021 · 6:23 am
Featured Restaurant News
- Tomorrow is the day. The day that Raleigh finally gets to walk through the doors at Ashley Christensen’s latest venture – BB’s Crispy Chicken, featuring incredibly crispy chicken breasts on a locally-made fresh brioche bun. But don’t stop there, check out the salads, wraps, sea-salt brined french fries, pickled cabbage slaw and the crunchy cheese curds. Be sure to choose the sauce or sauces that fit your taste – 13 homemade sauces to choose from (good luck settling on just one…or three!). And did I mention the shakes? Be sure to check out the seasonal Pumpkin Maple shake! Beginning tomorrow (Saturday, October 30), the doors will be open every day (including Sunday) from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. It is located on Wake Forest Road in front of the Wegman’s. They hope to have the Durham location open next, followed shortly thereafter by the Cary location. Expect those two by March, 2022. Get familiar with BB’s here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Thanks to a tip from blogger EatRaleigh, we learned that Gym Tacos is opening their sports bar concept in Bedford (space formerly occupied by the Public House) next Monday, November 1st. Can see from their Instagram posts that a “nacho tower” and hamburgers are on the menu. Check them out on Instagram here.
- Need more taco news? Raleigh Convergence shared the news that Tacos El Patron 323 will be opening a location in the former Peking Duck & Dumplings spot on Hillsborough Street (2873 Hillsborough Street). They are looking to open in December. The Tijuana-style red tacos concept out of Los Angeles first “entered” the market with the announcement that they were opening in the former Donatos Pizza location at Seaboard Station, which is still in the works. Follow their progress on their Instagram here.
- The crew down at Union Special (two locations now to serve you – Gateway and downtown), just released their new fall menu featuring a fall salad, a tomato soup/grill cheese combo, and a hot vegan sandwich featuring roasted sweet potatoes. Check out their fall menu here.
- Looking for a reason to trek over to Garner? I’ve got one reason you won’t be able to pass up. Daily Donut. Got your attention? They just opened this month and are getting everyone’s attention. Thanks to Rich Girard at the Clayton Bakery & Cafe (another great reason to head that way) for letting me know about this. Daily Donut is located at 106 Bratton Dr. in Garner. I can’t find an online presence, but there is simply no reason not to get in your car and head that way now. Like, right now. Seriously…what are you waiting on?
- Also down that way, David McCreary brought it to my attention that Fuquay Spice and Tea, a locally-owned purveyor of spices and loose leaf teas, is coming soon to 503 East Broad Street in Fuquay-Varina. Visit their Facebook page for all the details as they get closer and closer to opening.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- WRAL reported that Durham’s first Black-owned winery, Melanated Wines & Spirits, opened on Wednesday in the Southside Industrial Park of Durham (4608 Industry Lane). Congratulations to owner Lashonda Modest. Get by and visit her here.
Closings / Cancellations
- None to report. Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
- Thanks to a post on the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook page, we saw that on November 21st the Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture and Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation will host the first-ever THANKS + GIVING FOOD TRUCK RODEO from 12 – 4 pm at Legion Road. There will be about 15 food trucks, about 15 local non-profits, a DJ, and good community vibes. Get ready to give, grub, and be grateful! Get all the details here.
- 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
- Along with the crisp fall weather, sweet potato season has arrived, and Empire Eats is joining the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission’s 2021 Eat Sweet Restaurant Week to celebrate! Visit Empire Eats restaurants (Gravy, Sitti, The Pit, The Raleigh Times, The Morning Times, and Square Burger) starting now (October 29 – November 7) to enjoy a limited time only sweet potato recipe unique to each cuisine. See all of Empire Eats menu items here. In addition to these, a total of about 18 Triangle-area restaurants are participating so far. Get all the details and see which restaurants are participating here.
- LouElla in Durham will be hosting a natural wine tasting event on October 29th from 6-8 p.m. to benefit Duke Cancer Institute’s Sarcoma Disease Center. It is a $25 tasting fee with all proceeds going towards the center. There will also be raffles with some great prizes. Get all the details on Facebook here.
- Drink Durham. Ok, I’m on board with that – give me more details. The Drink Durham Festival will take place this Saturday, October 30 from 2-11 p.m and combines beer, live music, food trucks, and local vendors to raise money for the CNOTE Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which provides scholarship funds to HBCUs in North Carolina. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the CNOTE Foundation. Get all the details here.
- Our friends over at RalToday reminded us that Raleigh Veg Fest 2021 originally scheduled for April 4 has moved to October 31 in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square. Details here.
- After having to cancel the 2019 and 2020 events, the Town of Cary will hold Fest in the West on November 6th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and will feature food and beer vendors, entertainment, a kids’ zone as well as arts and crafts. Get all the details here.
- And there is a new event in the works for the Triangle – our first Triangle Vegan Restaurant Week which is scheduled for November 1-7 this year. Organizer Karen Pullen has lined up 16 participating restaurants so far and is looking for more. So if your restaurant is interested in participating (a special menu for that week–at least two creative vegan options, or a three-course fixed price meal) reach out to her at [email protected] or visit the site here for more details.
- This week the Downtown Raleigh Alliance announced that this year’s Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week will run from November 5th through 14th. During the week, local restaurants will offer pre-fixe menus at special prices. Visit their event site here.
Food Bank Corner
- Cheers to an easy way to support the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, as they continue serving an 11% higher need, due to COVID-19. Island Brands USA is a premium beer brand with a mission to bring better, cleaner beer to the world. By downloading their new Loyalty app, Island Passport, you can select the Food Bank and they’ll donate $10 when you redeem 800 points in their App. For more information, visit them here.
