TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

Wake County Restaurant News

•  Triangle Business Journal reported the latest details of Raleigh restaurateur Lou Moshakos’ plans for a new restaurant in downtown Raleigh expected to open this fall. Vidrio will be a Mediterranean small plate concept that will be located on the ground floor of his recently opened Glenwood South location of Carolina Ale House (it is a 3 story building at 500 Glenwood Avenue). Also of note, Moshakos is bringing in George Bakatsias to help in the development of Vidrio’s menu design and brand. This is gonna be good!

• I was tipped off to this tidbit from my good friend Jo Smith. The Triangle is just a few months away from getting its first gluten free / non-gmo restaurant. Called Fresh Levant Bistro, they are planning to open this summer in Lafayette Village in North Raleigh. For now, check them out on Facebook here.

•  We got word this week that June 13th is the day for the opening of the Triangle’s second location of City Barbeque. There will be lots of activities all day that day. The new restaurant is in Garner in the Cabela’s shopping center (White Oak Crossing) sitting alongside Highway 70 at 110 Cabela Drive. Get all the details here.

• New neighborhood communities don’t normally make my blog. But when the community includes a new coffee shop they do! And that is the case with Wendell Falls in Wendell that will have its very own coffee shop as of May 16th. As part of the café (and neighborhood) grand opening, they’ll also have a “barn raising” celebration feature southern dishes by Farmers Table, Big Boss craft beer and new gourmet coffees from Grounds Café. Stop by on May 16th from 12 – 6 p.m. Get all the details here.

• This is sweet. The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Nothing Bundt Cakes is now open in Morrisville’s Park West Village near the street roundabout at Gander Mountain. The dessert specialty franchise is the first in the Triangle. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for May 20 at 10 a.m., and grand opening festivities will take place on May 23 – with free samples and kid-friendly activities from noon to 2 p.m. Get a peek at them here.

• Congratulations to the good folks over at Sassool Mediterranean Café in North Raleigh as they celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the rebranding of Neomonde North Raleigh in honor of Mounir’s mother. And on Sunday, May 10 (Mother’s Day) they will have a special Mother’s Day menu and a carnation for moms. Also 10% of sales that day will go to the Susan G. Komen NC Triangle to the Coast!  Get all the details here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• I got a tip from John Huisman (aka Triangle Explorer) that the folks over at Big Bundts Bakery are planning to open BrewMoo Café in the former Straw Valley Café location in Durham. They will specialize in cold- and hot-brew coffee drinks made with fresh dairy and homemade mix-ins. No date yet, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Check out Big Bundts Bakery here.

• Also, happened to notice on the Facebook page for Rise Biscuits & Donuts that they are looking for restaurant space in downtown Durham for their first corporate store. They also hinted that it would be a “two restaurant thing” paired with their latest concept (stay tuned). Wow, talking about whetting ones appetite. Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out Rise’s web site here.

• The official opening date for the much-anticipated Tom+Chee restaurant in Carrboro was announced this week. They will hold their ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:15 a.m. on May 15th. They are located at 370 E. Main Street in the Hampton Inn complex. Visit their website here or their Facebook page here.

• One of our readers fed us the information that Charros Mexican Restaurant has opened in the old Los Comales at 3511 Witherspoon Boulevard in southwest Durham. We were unable to locate a website.

• The Herald-Sun reported this week that Luna, a restaurant focused on South American cuisine, will open at 112 W. Main St. this summer. Chef Shawn Stokes, who has worked in restaurants across the country, owns the restaurant. We will keep an eye on it.

• If you like good beer and good food and are in the Durham area on Saturdays this summer, you might want to know that the folks over at G2B Restaurant and Brewery will open up their patio from 12-3 p.m. every Saturday this summer to offer their house-made and favorite beers along with small bites from executive chef Travis Robinson. Get all the details here.

Closings 

• It is with much sadness that I report that my good friends Lisa & Jimmy Schmid have decided to close The Food Factory at Devil’s Bistro over on Duke’s campus. My very best to both of them in wherever life takes them next!

• And reader Michelle Fleer informed me that Slice of NY Pizza in Beaver Creek Crossings has closed.

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• Probably the easiest way to help families in need is happening tomorrow – and you need to participate! All you need to do is fill a bag with food, place it by your mail box…and you are done. It is that simple. It is taking place TOMORROW – May 9. Want to know more? Want to know what kind of foods are most needed? Get all the details here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Today at 11 a.m. Kamado Grille will officially swing open their doors. There is little doubt this is one of the most anticipated, and sure to be one of the most unique, dining experiences in Raleigh. Your meals are prepared on highly efficient lump charcoal-burning ceramic grills – 15 in all – and they’ll take your order via iPads while serving lunch and dinner every day except Sunday. Take a peek at their operation here.

• Our friends over at New Raleigh tipped us off to the fact that Treat, a new ice cream shop in downtown Raleigh’s City Market, is opening today (May 1st). The ice cream shop, which serves Orange County’s Maple View Ice Cream, is located at 305 S. Blount Street next to Woody’s. Today they will have 50% off all regular cones and cups all day, as well as free mini-cones from 6-9pm during First Friday! Check them out here.

• Got word yesterday that The Egg & I Restaurant is set to open their second Triangle area location later this summer. This location will be near Crossroads Shopping Center in Cary across from REI. Like their sister location in Chapel Hill, they will serve breakfast and lunch. Congratulations to Teresa Pace and Cole Harris! Get more information on The Egg & I on their Facebook page here.

• Not sure how I missed this, but I saw on The Raleigh Connoisseur blog (put out by Leo Suarez) that a restaurant called Provenance is planned for inside the Skyhouse Apartment building at 308 S. Blount Street in downtown Raleigh. Teddy Klopf is the executive chef. No word yet on an open date. Keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here.

• A big congratulations to Hibernian Irish Pub & Restaurant as they celebrate 15 years of their downtown Raleigh location at 311 Glenwood Avenue. They are shutting down the street and holding a block party on Saturday, May 2nd (that’s tomorrow!) from noon until 11 p.m. Stop by and join in on the festivities. Get more details here.

• Joseph Wells told us that it looks like a second location of Tropical PIcken Chicken, a Caribbean restaurant, is opening at the corner of Six Forks and Wake Forest Road in Raleigh in the former Pronto Pasta location. Check them out on Facebook here.

• And new neighborhood communities don’t normally make my blog. But when the community includes a new coffee shop they do! And that is the case with Wendell Falls in Wendell that will have its very own coffee shop – called Grounds Cafe – as of May 16th. As part of the café (and neighborhood) grand opening, they’ll also have a “barn raising” celebration feature southern dishes by Farmers Table, Big Boss craft beer and new gourmet coffees from Grounds Café. Stop by on May 16th from 12 – 6 p.m. Get all the details here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• My friends over at Cranky Diners turned me onto the fact that a new shop called Purple Monkey Boba Tea and Ice Cream is opening over in Durham on University Drive (4015 University Drive to be exact). Check out their Facebook page here.

•  The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Carolina Glazed Doughnuts is coming to the Imperial Center Business Park off Page Road in south Durham at 5400 S. Miami Blvd. It is owned by Kresna Huon and they are targeting a June opening. You can keep up with them on Facebook here.

• The Triangle Business Journal is also reporting that The Heritage Grill, located in northeastern Durham County near Falls Lake, has reopened under new management. You can learn more about them and their daily specials on their Facebook page here.

Closings 

•   No closings to report! Keeping eating local, folks!

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• Did you know that the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina plans to distribute between 50 and 52 million pounds of food this year? That’s more than 140,000 meals a day! They expect their fleet of 19 trucks to travel over 500,000 miles to serve their 800 partner agencies and maximize their food donor partnerships. To do that, they are aiming to raise over $8 million in revenue and work with over 15,000 volunteers to keep the Food Bank running and expand service where possible. Want to see a list of upcoming “foodie” events that you can attend AND help the Food Bank? Check it out here.