Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- Up in North Raleigh Derek Wilkins shared with me that they have opened up their newest location of The Butcher’s Market. This location has all the delicious conveniences they are known for, now just off Falls of Neuse and Dunn Road at the entrance to Bedford at Falls River. They are open everyday 9am-7pm and also offer online ordering with curbside pick up. They are also excited to announce that construction has begun on their Wake Forest location near the Heritage community at Rogers Road and S. Franklin. Stay tuned for progress updates on that. They have three other convenient locations in North Raleigh, Cary and Holly Springs. Visit their newest location on Facebook here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Experience Raleigh shared the news that Idle Hour Coffee is coming to Oberlin Road, just around the corner from Mandolin. They plan to be open before the end of August. In addition to the extensive coffee and tea offerings, they’ll do chef-inspired sandwiches, like the house specialty Bahn-Mi, and eventually they will be offering craft beer and wine! Keep up with their progress and pending announcement on Instagram.
- Down in Wendell, reader Nicole Rowe let us know that the microbrewery Bearded Bee Brewing has opened in downtown! Their mission is to brew great beer using local ingredients, support the honeybee and local beekeepers, and create a place for the community to gather – the “hive” is what they are affectionately calling their renovated building! The brewery will have a large taproom and beer garden… a place where friends, family, and pets gather to enjoy great company and great beer! Visit their Facebook page to check them out.
- David McCreary shared with us that effective today, the latest location of Wisconsin-based fast-casual franchise Culver’s is open at 1860 Cinema Drive in Fuquay-Varina. People in the Quay can now get their fill of burgers, frozen custard and cheese curds. Visit Culver’s here.
- Taco Tuesday is great, but what if you could get $2 tacos every day of the week? Well, the folks at Chubby’s Tacos are doing just that. They just announced that they are introducing Taco Happy Hour – aka $2 Tacos Monday through Friday from 2-5 p.m. And who couldn’t use an extra taco or three to get us through 2020! Visit Chubby’s here.
- Looking for outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- So today is the day! QueenBurger, the burger pop-up from the folks at KingFisher, opens for dinner tonight (Friday, August 14). They have taken over the back parking lot where you can now enjoy locally sourced smash burgers, veggie burgers, bottled cocktails, beer, and most of all – a good time! 15% of all profits will be donated to we are, a local organization working to extend anti-racist education. They are open Friday and Saturday from 6pm until they’re sold out! Check them out here. And check out we are here.
- Over in Chapel Hill, a return to campus for the students without He’s Not Here would be like a basketball season with no NCAA tourney. But fear not. The Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership notified us that He’s Not Here (Home of the Blue Cup) has reopened the courtyard where you can sit and sip and inside is a bottle shop. Social distancing and masks are required (this is enforced strictly) and there is no inside seating available. Instead, shop grab and go beer options upstairs or have a blue cup filled. Visit them on Facebook here.
Closings / Cancellations
- True Flavors has made the difficult decision to close its doors at Lakewood due to loses from the pandemic. The bit of good news is that they still plan to keep the Highway 55 location open.
- Also in Durham, WRAL reported that after 18 years, the Rudino’s in Durham decided to close their doors. However co-owner Eric Turner hinted that he is optimistic this isn’t the end for Rudino’s Bull City. Stay tuned…
- Got the update this week that the Fest in the West canceled their event this year which had been re-scheduled for Saturday, November 7.
Food Trucks
- Triangle on the Cheap shared the news that Food Truck Flix is a recurring event that combines drive-in movies with food trucks, for a safer entertainment experience just announced their schedule for the upcoming weekends (Friday and Saturday nights). The events will be taking place at Frontier RTP, 800 Park Offices, Durham, and at Focus Church, 7000 Destiny Drive, Raleigh. You can purchase tickets in advance for any of the drive-in movies. The price is $25 per car. Of course, you’ll also want to bring money for the food trucks. Get the movie schedule, purchase your pass and get all the details here.
Events
- Ashley Christensen Restaurants is now doing Picnic Pop-up at the Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art. You order your picnic ahead of time and pick it up on Saturday and Sunday from noon til 7 pm. Order ahead here and get contactless pick-up at the Blue Ridge Patio at the East Building.
- Today, Friday, August 14th, Sassool, a great family-owned restaurant founded from Lebanese heritage, will support Lebanon Relief by donating a percentage of sales to UNICEF. Sassool has stores in Raleigh (two, North Raleigh and Morgan Street Food Hall) and in Cary. Check out Sassool here and check out the fundraising site here.
- I can’t think of a better cause – Keep NC Beer Alive! To that end, there is another Brewgaloo Drive Thru happening at the Lincoln Theater in downtown Raleigh this Saturday August 15 from 2-6 p.m. Keep North Carolina breweries going by purchasing a six pack of your favorite style of beer or grab a Taste of NC mix pack to try 24 different brews from around the state. Place your order today and they will have it packed and ready for curbside pickup. Place your order here.
- This is kind of fun. The Root Cellar announced on social media this week that chef Sera Cuni will make her national TV debut at 9 pm on August 19th on Guy’s Grocery Games on the Food Network. Visit The Root Cellar here.
- Alley Twenty Six, one of Downtown Durham’s staple businesses, announced a weekly outdoor pop-up event titled “Alley Freezes Over” happening every Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting) from 12 pm to 8 pm. It continues throughout the summer and early fall. The pop-up includes new frozen cocktails and the choice of “boozy” or alcohol-free snow cones using their local, all-natural Alley Twenty Six syrups, plus a revamped food menu from chef Carrie Schleiffer. Seating will be available outside, in the namesake alley (26 Alley) located directly adjacent to the cocktail bar and will be following safety guidelines, including mask wearing, practicing social distancing, and sanitizing surfaces between guests. Visit them here.
- Taste Carolina has partnered with five local food and drink artisans on a small group online class that will begin in mid-August. It meets once a week for live demonstrations by each artisan and a social and fun experience led by Lesley at Taste Carolina. The businesses represented are: Cookie Gurlie, The Mad Popper, Carrboro Coffee Company, Sweet Little Something, and Alley Twenty Six. All the artisan products are included in the price of the class! Taste Carolina wants to thank you for reading this, so the code, TFG, will get you $10 off when you sign up here.
- If there is any good to be found in the pandemic (there really isn’t!) it might be the resurgence of drive-in and outdoor movies! Some are your traditional drive-in/car venues, while others are outdoor spaces in the grass with market off “spaces” maintaining safe physical distancing and some even involve watching a movie with babygoats! (I’m serious) Our friends over at Triangle On The Cheap have a great list of drive-in and outdoor movie options for you and your family. Of course, bringing food or ordering food on site makes it that much better! Check out their complete listing of options here.
Food Bank Corner
- Covid 19 and the impact will be with us for a long time and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina stands ready for the challenge – but they need your help! Here’s how you can help:
- DONATE FUNDS. As we shift our inventory and operations to meet the ever-changing need as well as prepare ourselves for Hurricane Season, funds are the resource we need most. Financial donations allow us to stay nimble, to change our operation as needed, and to reach new people with our efforts.
- INVOLVE FRIENDS. Want to mobilize your neighborhood, church group, or other circle of friends? Holding a Virtual Food Drive is a great way to help – while practicing social distancing. We even re-launched our Virtual Food Drive platform. Visit foodbankcenc.org/vfd to set yours up today.
- USE YOUR VOICE. Research the policies that impact hunger and speak out! Contact your state, local, and federal representatives to let them know policies like SNAP, TEFAP, and WIC need to be strengthened in order to break the cycle of hunger and help relieve families of the burden of hunger. Visit foodbankcenc.org/advocacy to learn more.
- DONATE TIME. The Food Bank greatly relies on our volunteers, especially in times of crisis.If you are a healthy adult and want to volunteer, you can self-schedule a shift here. #noonegoeshungry
