Friday Fun Food Facts – February 4, 2022

Featured Restaurant News

• The third time is the charm! This week saw the re-opening of St. James Seafood in Durham’s Brightleaf District. You will remember it first opened in 2017, replacing Fishmonger’s, only to close in 2018 after the gas explosion just outside Kaffeinate coffee shop on North Duke Street. Then it reopened in early 2020, only to have to close again due to the pandemic. Kelly also owns Vin Rouge, Mothers & Sons Trattoria and Mateo Bar de Tapas. Thanks to Andrea Weigl for the update. Visit St. James on Instagram here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Get ready Knightdale! You are getting ready to get 4 new concepts all in one spot at the Craften Food Hall set to open next week on Friday, February 11th! Craften is part craft cocktails, part craft kitchens and 100% a space for all to enjoy. The concepts under one roof at 706 Money Court, include: The Corner Venezuelan, Poblanos Tacos, Fiori Trattoria and Finca Burger. Additionally, you’ll find the Craften Bar where you can choose from a wide variety of drink options. Get to know them, and each concept, here. Congrats to Kip Downer and Max Trujillo and their entire team!

• RaleighToday shared the news that La Buena Vida is bringing their authentic Mexican food to North Raleigh. Salvador Alvarez, owner of Chido Taco and Fonda Lupita in Sanford, plans to open his new Raleigh restaurant in late February. The new spot will feature dishes from acclaimed restaurant Fonda Lupita. Get familiar with them here.

• And then there were 5! Ruckus Pizza & Pasta owner Robert Royster shared with me the news that they will be opening Ruckus Fast Fired in the Talley Center on NC State’s campus. This is full-circle for Royster and his wife Ashley (and co-owner) as they both attended NC State. Additionally, two of their children are NC State students and a third will start in the fall! The first Ruckus location opened with NC State students in mind in 1999 across the street from campus in Mission Valley. Expect the on-campus location to open this month! Check out the write-up on NC State’s dining site here. And visit Ruckus here.

• They are getting bigger(ish)! (ish) delicatessen has expanded their hours and they are now open on Tuesdays, serving breakfast and lunch. So they are now open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., serving breakfast until 11:30 on weekdays, and all day on weekends. Congrats to Matt Fern and his team on their continued success/growth! Visit (ish) here.

• The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Preeti Waas, owner of the coffee shop Cheeni Chai + Coffee + Tiffin, will soon open Cheeni Indian Food Emporium in North Raleigh at 1141 Falls River Avenue. They will serve cafe items along with Indian dishes for both dine-in and takeaway options. She also plans to rent out the space for guest chefs teaching cooking classes, pop-up dinners, product or video shoots in the kitchen, as well as kitchen space for up to three businesses to utilize. Keep up with Cheeni here.

• Reader Chris Creighton shared the news that every parent in Cary needs to be aware of. The Chick-fil-A at Waverly Place in Cary is temporarily closed for renovation. We don’t know for how long, but please plan accordingly. We don’t need any unnecessary melt-downs. 🙂

• Down in Wendell, Colin Campbell shared the news that a restaurant called Blanchie’s has opened in the Food Lion shopping center. They are self-described as, “delicious food cooked the way my nanna taught me!!!” If that isn’t enough, Campbell also pointed out that one their specialties is biscuits with a chocolate dipping sauce. Sign me up! Get familiar with them on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• The Daily Tar Heel reported this week that Buena Vibra, a new restaurant and bar specializing in Caribbean cuisine, is set to open in Chapel Hill on Feb. 9. They are opening on East Rosemary Street in the spot that formerly housed Country Fried Duck (157 E. Rosemary Street). According to the paper, they will feature an assortment of food, from empanadas to seafood dishes, from countries like Colombia and Venezuela. Get to know them here.

• Last week we told you about the expansion of Chapel Hill’s Brandwein’s Bagels (503 W. Rosemary Street) and that they would be closed for a week or two. Well, it only took a week, and they reopened the new side of the space this week! Opening the new side allows the next phase, which includes an upgrade to the current shop, to take place. Won’t be long before that side reopens into one, huge bagel experience! Probably best to follow along on Facebook to keep up with their progress and continued re-opening announcements.

• Nancy Luberoff shared with the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook group that Thaiphoon Bistro in Raleigh will be opening a location in Chapel Hill on E. Franklin Street in the spot formerly occupied by Red Pepper (next to Staples). They operate two locations in Raleigh – in Glenwood Center and Stonehenge Market. Get to know them here.

• The students over at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill don’t mess around. The Triangle Business Journal shared the news that sophomore Will Gerstein is opening a late-night wings and chicken and waffle spot called Buckets on Franklin Street in the Blue Dogwood Public Market. And opening day is next week, February 11th. It will be open only from 9 p.m. till 1 a.m. for five weeks as an experiment. If the business is successful after the five-week lease is up, 20-year-old Gerstein is hoping to transition the concept to a full-time restaurant. That’s impressive. Best I could do as a student was to stumble down to Time-Out Chicken! Best of luck to Gerstein!

• Over in Durham, WRAL shared the news that Saltbox Seafood Joint owner and chef Ricky Moore is celebrating Black History Month with a new dish featured each Wednesday in February. Moore noted that these dishes speak to the global influence African food has had on our food culture in the Americas, not just the United States. Coming up: Wednesday, Feb. 9 – Bake & Shark; Wednesday, Feb. 16 – Senegalese Fish Yassa; Wednesday Feb 23 – Moqueca Baiana. See WRAL’s feature to get more information on each special here. I know where Andre Fortune and I will be next Wednesday!

• Also in Durham, Twitter buddy @BurgeoningBaker shared that Canastas Chicken, a Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken concept out of Virginia, is coming into the same shopping center as Tandoori Bites (intersection of 15-501 and Interstate 40) in New Hope Commons. This is their first venture into North Carolina. No word on an open date. Get to know them here.

• And down in Chatham County, I learned this week that Pittsboro will soon be home to a pay-what-you-can community restaurant called The Quiltmaker Cafe. Like other similar concepts in the Triangle, they are a nonprofit, that will operate a full-service restaurant offering tasty meals and “suggested scale” pricing to guests. Their mission is to provide community and healthy meals to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. They haven’t released their location or their opening date yet. Get additional information here.

• Being in the “food business” there are always causes to get involved in and support. That is especially the case with a couple of upcoming events over in Chapel Hill. In 2019, Stephanie Jackson, who is married to Daniel Jackson, executive chef of Osteria Georgi, was diagnosed with a tumor pressing on the communication part of her brain. Her symptoms progressed and in 2020 it was discovered that she had stage 4 brain cancer. You can show your support for the Jackson family in a couple of different ways. On Saturday, February 26th, Osteria Giorgi will donate a portion of their sales to the “Head for a Cure” foundation. Plan to dine in or take-out. And secondly, you can participate in (or simply donate to) a 5k at 9 a.m. on Sunday, February 27th that begins at the Southern Village Green. Stephanie and Dan have a team called “Above Average” that is participating in the 5k. Find out about the dinner here and the race here. Thanks to Carrie Brogren for bringing this to my attention. Our prayers are with Stephanie, Dan and their family.

• The folks over at the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau have put together a great list of dining options in Orange County (Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, etc.) that have outdoor seating and heaters. Check out the list here.

Closings / Cancellations

• Mike DePersia of DePersia and Associates shared the news that Tamarind Asian Bistro in Brier Creek has closed. DePersia indicated that it will reopen in 2-3 months as a Peri Peri chicken concept called F. F. Chicken.

Food Trucks 

• Happy to share that the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo has announced the dates for 2022 rodeos. They are as follows – May 1st, June 12th, August 7th, Sept 25th or Oct 2nd and November 6th (Alternate/Rain Date). The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• And not to be outdone, Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo has also released their 2022 schedule and it is as follows – March 20, June 5, September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here. And if you are food truck, you can get information on participating 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

• This Saturday, February 5th, will see the return of The Big Frosty Beer Festival at the Raleigh Beer Garden (614 Glenwood Avenue). They will have a great line-up of local, regional, and national breweries offering tasty samples from 12-4pm. There will be live music and food will be available. This beer festival is rain or shine in their climate-controlled event tent in the back! Your ticket purchase includes a complimentary sampling mug with unlimited samples. Get all the details and tickets here.

• On Saturday, February 12th the folks over at The Rockford on downtown Raleigh’s Glenwood Avenue will introduce a new music series over brunch called Rockin’ Brunch. The first Brunch and a Band in the series will feature Say Less The Band, a local trio featuring folk-pop and soul music. Brunch will be served from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Make reservations here.

• On Thursday, February 17th, Ruckus Pizza & Pasta will kick off their Bourbon Dinner Nights where they will pair bourbon with a special menu. Each event will be in their private dining space. The February 17th event will be in their Apex location. Followed by February 24th in Cary and the third event on March 3rd at their Morrisville location. Get your tickets here.

• April 2, 2022 will see the return of a very popular food festival in Cary. Let me warn you, this is “nacho” average food festival – it is the Tacos ‘N Taps Festival from 12-5 p.m. at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre. The event features over 15 taco trucks, taquerias, and Mexican restaurants with over 30 different types of tacos. Each taco vendor will offer a wide variety of tacos and Mexican inspired dishes. Additionally, they will have over 60+ craft beers, mezcals, margaritas, tequilas, wine and ciders. Get tickets and all the details here.

• Cary’s Downtown Chowdown food truck rally returns this year on Sunday, April 10th where you can enjoy a food-filled afternoon along Academy Street tasting some of the best food in the Triangle, enjoy cool beverages from craft beer and wine vendors, and relax to the music of great local performers. See you downtown! Get all the details here.

• On Satruday, April 16th (I think it is in honor of my birthday on Sunday)The Pit’s 12th ‘Cuegass Festival returns to downtown Raleigh. The event will once again support SAFEchild. For the event, they close down the streets around The Pit and fire up the pig cookers to serve plenty of their famous Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue and a selection of locally made beers. And on the stage they’ll have your favorite bands. Get all the information here.

• And we are just under three months away from this year’s edition of Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo (April 22-23) – NC’s largest craft beer festival and 2nd biggest in the US! Voted #1 Best Beer Festival two years in a row by USA Today’s 10Best. The weekend of events features craft breweries from NC and partners with local food trucks, local vendors and local bands. Friday night will be a sampler event from 6-10pm. Tickets are $45 per person. Saturday’s event is 2-10pm and open to the public. Beer is sold by the pint or the taste. The day will feature over 75 NC breweries, over 50 food trucks, dozens of local vendors and bands. Drink tickets will be sold in advance and available for purchase at the festival. Food trucks and vendors accept cash and credit options. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• You can make a difference every month! Despite a record amount of food being distributed to individuals, seniors, children, veterans, and families of all kinds who are facing hunger last year, the food bank is still not meeting the increased need in the 34 counties the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina serves. Their partner agencies on the front lines are still reporting a sustained 35% increase in need over pre-pandemic levels. They need your reliable support to nourish all their neighbors in need. Sign up this January and your 1st monthly gift can be matched up to $2,500! Start giving today! #NoOneGoesHungry