Featured Restaurant News
- Durham lost a culinary giant, and an even greater person, this week with the passing of Tom Ferguson, the creative talent and founder of Durham Catering, Only Burger and RISE Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken. Our heart and prayers go out to his family and all that had the pleasure of working with and knowing Tom. Life is precious – be kind to others and give big hugs to those close to you.
Wake County Restaurant News
- The Triangle Business Journal is reporting Fine Folk is getting very close to opening in their location behind Union Special in Gateway Plaza (former Brew Coffee Bar spot). The duo behind Fine Folk, Chris Lopez and John Kleinert, ran Cary restaurant Postmaster Bar and Grill until the Covid-19 pandemic forced the restaurant to close. Since then they have hosted pop-up meals at the Foundation bar and more recently at Union Special. Best to follow their progress and announcements on their Instagram page here.
- Hillsborough Street saw two openings this month. First up, BulBox continued their expansion as they opened their newest location in the former Wok Haus spot next door to Guasaca (2526 Hillsborough St.). BulBox has three other locations – Morrisville, North Hills and in Transfer Co. Food Hall in downtown Raleigh. Also opening on Hillsborough Street is the newest location of Starbucks located at 2526 Hillsborough Street, in the Electric Co Mall. Visit BulBox here.
- Up in North Raleigh in the Sutton Square shopping center (former Blockbuster spot) reader Katie Page spotted the sign for the newest Guasaca South American Grill location. The exact location is 913 Spring Forest Road. Look for them to open this Spring. This will be their sixth Triangle location. They currently have locations in Durham (2), in Cary/Morrisville and in Raleigh with locations on Hillsborough Street and Lake Boone Trail. Check out Guasaca here.
- Blogger EatRaleigh shared the news that the duo behind Little Blue Macaron, Allison and Carl Vick, announced this week that they are opening a brick and mortar location called Little Blue Bakehouse, which will be located in the same shopping center as Alamo Drafthouse (2116 New Bern Ave). It will be a bakery food hall of sorts, with four different pastry-focused vendors also selling their product there. Thanks to the North Carolina Food & Beverage podcast for providing the medium for that announcement. Get to know them here.
- In Apex, reader Megan Hershey spotted a new sushi place in downtown in the former Pizza Hut spot on Salem Street in the Salem Heritage Plaza called Sushi Suyu. We don’t have an open date yet (Instagram says Spring 2022) and there is not much up on their Facebook page just yet.
- Over in Cary, Jennifer Buchholz shared a couple of opening announcements. First up, The Sweetest Things Bakery will have their grand opening today, February 18th with a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. Their new location is in MacGregor Square at 1881 Lake Pine Drive in Cary. Also in Cary, Pineapple Sol, offering fresh pastries, charcuteries, high tea and picnic experiences, will have their grand opening on Saturday, March 5th at 302 Colonades Way also in Cary. Check out The Sweetest Things here and Pineapple Sol here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- WRAL reported this week that french fry fans in Durham will soon have another option to check out. Buena Papa Fry Bar, which opened its first location last year inside Morgan Street Food Hall, announced that they will be opening a second location at the Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham in May. It will be in the former Built-In-Burger spot in the food court. Congrats to owners James and Johanna Windon. Visit them here.
- Over in Chapel Hill new life is coming to the former Casa Maria/Cerritos Cantina spot at 1502 E. Franklin Street. It was shared on the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook page that Piero’s Pasta & Wine will move into that space. Pasta and wine? Please and thank you! No word on an open date just yet. Stay tuned on their Facebook page for any announcements.
- A quick update, Buena Vibra in Chapel Hill, a new restaurant and bar specializing in Caribbean cuisine, opened this past Monday on East Rosemary Street. Get to know them on Instagram here.
- And staying on Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill, the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership shared the news that The Gathering Place, a game shop and bar, is having their soft opening event today, Friday, February 18th. They are located at 157 E. Rosemary Street in downtown Chapel Hill (corner of Rosemary and Henderson streets). Visit them here.
- 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. Last one is next Wednesday, February 23 – Moqueca Baiana. See WRAL’s feature to get more information on each special here.
- Downtown Durham restaurants have created a new option for your dining pleasure on Thursday nights called Small Plates Crawl! Each establishment is offering special small plates on Thursday nights. It began yesterday and features the following restaurants: Mateos, Taberna Tapas, Viceroy, COPA, Luna, Pompieri, Bull City Burger, Dos Peros, Jack Tar, Dashi, Rue Cler, Alley 26, Queeny’s, M Pocha and Killer Queen. Get all the details, including a map, on the Downtown Durham Inc. website 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.
- And here’s a way to enjoy a great dish while supporting a good cause. In celebration of the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook group reaching 20k followers, founder Carrie Brogren teamed up with Chapel Hill’s Il Palio to create a special dish – Spaghettini alla Carrettiera, which includes sicilian oregano, garlic, olive oil, white wine, pepperoncini, arugula, and grana padano. It will be on the menu until March 3rd and paired with a glass of wine, a portion of the pasta proceeds will go to TABLE NC.
Closings / Cancellations
- Over in Chapel Hill, Lindsay Batalo Bonnett shared with the Chapel Hill Carrboro foodies group that Jed’s Kitchen on Franklin Street has closed.
- And more bad news in Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies reported this week that Margaret’s Cantina will close at the end of February. Margaret’s has been around for 31 years! Please see their Facebook page here for closing plans and a farewell party.
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
- RalToday brought it to our attention the Locals Seafood will hold an Oyster Roast at Longleaf Hotel from 2-5 p.m. this Sunday, February 20th. It’s been two years since their last public oyster roast – so don’t miss it! They will have pecks and half pecks available to shuck yourself (knives and towels provided) and The Longleaf Lounge will be serving beer, wine, and cocktails. Please RSVP on their Facebook event page here.
- Next Thursday, February 24th, Ruckus Pizza & Pasta continues their Bourbon Dinner Nights where they pair bourbon with a special menu. Each event will be in their private dining space. The February 24th event will be in their Cary location and the dinner on March 3rd will be in 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
