Featured Restaurant News
- The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that two Triangle-area powerhouses are teaming up for Cary’s newest dining destination. LM Restaurants and acclaimed chef Katsuji Tanabe will open A’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library later this year. The restaurant will be located at 2300 Walnut St. in the former Wild Wing Cafe space at the Centrum at Crossroads shopping center. And LM Restaurants has put acclaimed chef Giorgios Bakatsias, of Giorgios Hospitality Group, in charge of the design. Keep up with their progress here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- And speaking of the Crossroads area, the Triangle Business Journal also reported this week that a new Mexican restaurant, Taco Addicts, is coming to Crossroads Plaza in Cary, in the former Ruby Tuesday space. The restaurant will offer a combination of street food and traditional Hispanic dishes and is expected to open later this summer. Best to follow them on Instagram here.
- This Saturday, Glenwood Avenue’s newest drinking establishment, Teets, celebrates their grand opening with activities planned all day beginning at noon. They will be serving up BBQ beginning at 2 p.m., live music beginning at 6 p.m. and a Hurricanes pre-season ticket give away. Stop by anytime to congratulate Bates and Anthony Battaglia on their latest venture. Visit their Facebook page here.
- A quick update. Woody’s Sports Tavern & Grill has opened their third location in Grace Park in Morrisville (former Trali space). Their other locations are in Cary and Raleigh’s City Market. Check them out here.
- Got word this week from Vijay Shah that Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken has just signed a lease at the Parkstone Shopping Center on Highway 64 in Knightdale. This will be their 10th location! No word yet on an open date. Visit Alpaca 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
- Over in Durham, buddy Denny Marcin shared the news that Ian Bracken has opened Ideal’s Sandwich and Grocery at 2108 Angier Ave. Marcin noted that they have a limited menu but that all the sandwiches are served on fresh bread with great homemade potato chips (Pro tip: he recommends the roast pork, provolone and broccoli rabe). Get to know them here.
- Also in Durham, WRAL’s Sarah Krueger spotted a sign for Mr. Fries Man, that is coming to downtown Durham at 1105 W. Main Street in the Bartlett condo building. The concept began in the Los Angeles market, and now has nearly 20 locations across the United States. This will be the first location in North Carolina. Get to know them here.
- Raleigh Convergence reported that out in RTP, Wonderpuff, the cotton candy purveyor that specializes in all-organic treats in creative flavors, is opening 12-5 p.m. this Friday (July 30) at Boxyard RTP. It’s the first physical shop for the popular Black-owned business. Best to follow them on Instagram 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
- Due to risks with the Covid-19 Delta variant, the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo, which was scheduled for this Sunday, August 1st, has been canceled.
Food Trucks
- 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
- You are going to want to put next Thursday, 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.
- Over a 24-hour period on August 11th and 12th the folks over at Rocky Top Catering are looking for about 120 volunteers over 4 shifts to help out at meal packing events to partner with Overflowing Hands and Kids Around the World to pack 130,000 meals to feed undernourished families in Nicaragua. This is a great opportunity for families, companies, friends and youth groups. Visit this site for all the details and to sign-up to volunteer.
- Downtown Durham Inc. announced that The Streetery will return Saturday, August 14 at Five Points 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.
- 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.
- Get ready for the seventh-annual WRAL.com Voters’ Choice Awards! Each year, your nominations and votes help WRAL recognize local favorites. Mark your calendars because the nomination period will begin September 13! Get all the details here.
- The 8th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K is happening this year on Saturday, September 18th and registration is now open. You can register to run/walk, volunteer, donate or sponsor as they look to top last year’s effort to raise money towards finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Three years ago, Jeanne, the co-owner of Sola Coffee, was diagnosed with ALS. Get all the details on their website 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
- Through July 31 (that is tomorrow!), generous donors are matching your gifts – so your dollars go even further! While 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!
