Featured Restaurant News
- !Yesterday, La Farm Bakery, helmed by Lionel and Missy Vatinet, had their official grand opening of their fourth bakery which is located in Raleigh-Durham International Airport. LaFarm, which first opened in Cary in 1999, opened their food and beverage outlet in Terminal 2, much to the delight of travelers in and out of the area. They have three locations in Cary – the original location in Preston Corners, downtown Cary on Chatham Street, and in West Cary on Arco Street. Get all the details on their website here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Next up for Matt Fern’s (ish) delicatessen is a soft(ish) opening. We haven’t confirmed when that will happen, so best to follow their social media for when that will take place. Or just keep taking your chances by swinging by to see. They are in the former Pharmacy Café location at the Person Street Pharmacy at 702 N. Person St. It will be a blend of sort of Jewish, sort of Italian and sort of from the South, according to Fern. Best to follow them on Instagram here for any announcements including pop-ups and their soft opening.
- The Downtown Raleigh Alliance shared the news that Buena Papa Fry Bar has opened in the Morgan Street Food Hall. Their Instagram page says it all – Hand cut, made-to-order, gourmet French fries with delicious premium toppings – yes please! Stop by and check their Instagram page here.
- Reader Carol Zimmerman shared the news that a new restaurant called Kazu HIbachi has opened in Brennan Station in Raleigh at 8111 Creedmoor Road. It is located just to the left of Bottlemixx. Visit them here.
- Looking for good sushi at a gas station? Well, head on over to Apex for the soft opening of Akami Sushi Bar. It is right beside the Bojangles on Highway 55 in a former Subway attached to the gas station (1561 E. William Street). David McCreary brought this to my attention and gave it an initial “thumbs up” after trying a simple spicy salmon roll. Check them out here.
- And out in Brier Creek, Jennifer Buchholz shared that Crumbl Cookies has finally opened! In fact, their free cookie day is today, July 16, from 8 am until midnight. Get by! Visit them here.
- Looking for all the 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
- Saw online this week that Dashi has reopened over in Durham at 415 E. Chapel Hill Street. You are now able to either dine in their downstairs ramen shop or head upstairs to their izakaya (essentially a Japanese pub). Both are now open Wednesdays through Mondays from 5 to 10 p.m. Reacquaint yourself here.
- And over on Broad Street (1116 Broad Street) in the former DeeLuxe spot, the signage for Metro 8 Steakhouse has gone up. Apparently they are waiting on their ABC liquor license, so it won’t be long now. They will be right next to The Loop, which opened not long ago. Visit Metro here. Thanks to reader Mel Mantano for keeping us abreast of the updates!
- Here is another reopening – Carrie Brogren, founder of Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies, shared the news that Carrboro’s Glasshalfull has reopened – first day was yesterday, July 15th. They are open for both indoor and patio dining. Check them out here.
- Carrie Brogren also shared the news that Coco Bean Coffee Shop & Cafe is relocating and expanding from their East 54 location “across the street” (sort of) into the new Gwendolyn building in the historic Glen Lennox community. The new enterprise will be known as Coco and they will function as a coffee shop, restaurant, and bar. You can expect the same exceptional coffee shop experience, with the addition of a plant-based menu and full bar. Look for them to open in the new location in early September. Keep up with announcements on their Facebook page here.
- And here are a couple of wonderful resources for those looking to dine in downtown Durham or downtown Chapel Hill – Downtown Durham Inc. has an up-to-date listing of the status of each restaurant in downtown Durham. Check out the list here. And the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership has put together a similar list for Chapel Hill here.
Closings / Cancellations
- None to report! Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
- They are back! The Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo will make its return on Sunday, September 5th (Labor Day weekend) from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Find out which trucks will be there and 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
- For the month of July, Capital City Clauses is hosting Give Back Days leading up to their Jingle in July event on July 29th at the Raleigh Beer Garden. During the month of July you can enjoy great specials from the following establishments: Goodberry’s Frozen Custard, PDQ, DeMo’s Pizzeria & Deli, Two Roosters, Raleigh Beer Garden, Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie, and Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending. Get all the details on Give Back Days and each establishments deal here. Proceeds from both events go towards Capital City Clauses’ mission of enriching children’s lives with hope, cheer and joy.
- Downtown Durham Inc. announced that The Streetery will return Saturday, July 24 at Main & Parrish with added outdoor seating and buskers. Join them from 12 – 9 p.m. to shop, carry out, dine in or dine out. The Streetery happens on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Get all the details here.
- You are going to want to put August 5th on your calendar as Chef Tracy and his team at Sitti will host an event called Sitti Soiree. The event will be from 6-9 p.m. in their hidden courtyard (The Jiddi Space & Courtyard) just behind the restaurant — a really cool space if you have never been. There you will be able to experience a unique blend of Lebanese and French culture for a rendez-vous with an array of bubbles, burgundies and bordeauxs. It will feature a five-course Lebanese dinner with an amuse-bouche prepared with a French flair and exclusive French wines, hand-picked by the connoisseurs at Queen of Wines. Get tickets and all the details here.
- RalToday shared that Raleigh’s International Food Festival is returning to City Plaza on Sat., August 28 from 12 noon -10 p.m. The festival features a variety of international food, beer and wine, as well as international performers. Admission is free. Get all the details here.
- You might want to go ahead and plan on spending your Labor Day weekend in Pinehurst for the inaugural Pinehurst Barbecue Festival – a three-day event, staged in and around the historic Village of Pinehurst from September 3-5, 2021. The event will offer a unique culinary sampling experience of various barbecue meats and traditional sides. Choose to experience the entire three-day festival, or attend just one signature event. A multi-ticket VIP package, as well as individual tickets for each event are available. The pitmaster lineup includes: Ed Mitchell, The Preserve (Raleigh); Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue (Knightdale); Adam Hughes, Old Colony Smokehouse (Edenton); Joe Lumbrazo, Backyard Bistro (Raleigh); and Ashley Sheppard, Pik N Pig (Carthage). Get tickets, schedule and all the details here.
- Our friends over at RalToday pointed out a few events you might want to go ahead and get on your calendar. So exciting to think of some of our favorite events actually happening in 2021! First up, Raleigh Veg Fest 2021 originally scheduled for April 4 has moved to October 31 in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square. Details here. And Brewgaloo is now scheduled for September 17 & 18 in downtown Raleigh. Details here.
Food Bank Corner
- When school is out, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina knows families struggle to keep food on the table. Budgets for so many families are already stretched thin from the pandemic, with job losses and hours being cut. Thankfully, our generous corporate and individual donors are matching gifts up to $132,000! Every $10 you give can help provide 100 meals… feeding twice as many kids, teens, and families in need. Can you chip in? Click here if you can!
