Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- The dates are set. Go ahead and put them on your calendar – October 8-10, 2015. Seriously, I’m waiting. What is it, you ask? Only my favorite food event of the year – the TerraVita Food & Drink Festival held in Chapel Hill every year. It simply can’t be missed. Go ahead and start setting aside your money for the tickets – they go on sale the middle of next month. Take a look at all the initial details here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- This is really cool. Raleigh is getting its first “pay-what-you-can” café called A Place at The Table. It is coming to Hillsborough Street in the former location of Two Guys Pizza. The concept has been highly successful in other parts of the country and I can’t wait to see it here. Check them out here. Thanks to New Raleigh for pointing this out.
- We’ve been following this since July, 2014, but just saw on their Facebook page that Kamado Grille (going into the former Lucky 32 location in North Raleigh) is shooting for an April 27th open. Check out their website here.
- The News & Observer reported this week that Sardi’s Den, a popular rib joint in Clemson, S.C., is opening their first franchise location in North Raleigh in the old Oliver Twist space in Brennan Station. Look for a late April opening. Get all the details about Sardi’s Den here.
- The Triangle Business Journal broke the news this week that it appears as if the old Steak & Ale and Pizza Hut location along Creedmoor Road overlooking Crabtree Valley Mall is getting a new dining option. Apparently plans have been submitted for a concept out of Nashville called J. Alexander’s. There are a couple of more hoops to jump through, but it appears as if it is a done deal. J. Alexander’s is a contemporary American-style restaurant, known for its wood-fired cuisine. It currently has 31 other restaurant locations in 12 states, but none so far in the Carolinas. Get a sneak peak at them here.
- Got word from my friends over at New Raleigh that Dos Taquitos is moving their Creedmoor Road location to the Taverna Agora building at 6101 Glenwood Avenue when Taverna moves to its new digs at 326 Hillsborough Street. No timeline yet on either the move or opening.
- And with things warming up outside, apparently it is time to open a couple of new yogurt shops. According to the Triangle Business Journal, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is doing just that. The Durham shop opens today in Patterson Place at 3604 Witherspoon Blvd. The grand opening celebration is April 18, with free frozen yogurt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. And the Cary shop opens April 20 in Parkside Town Commons at 7169 O’Kelly Chapel Road. The grand opening is April 25, with free frozen yogurt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check Menchie’s out here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News
- Congratulations to Durham’s very own Counter Culture Coffee, which just turned 20! They will hold a 20th anniversary celebration with music, activities for kids, food, and of course, lots of coffee tomorrow (April 18th) from 3 to 7 p.m. in Durham’s Central Park. It is free to the public. Get all the details here.
Closings
- Got a note from one of our readers that KoMo KoMo on NW Maynard Road in Cary had closed as of April 9, 2015.
Food Trucks
- There is a new food truck that just started rolling around the streets of the Triangle – and one you’ve got to see. Fire Truck Raleigh is serving up hot dogs and burgers out of an old fire truck (from 1967 – but with extensive renovations). It is worth going to the site to see the pictures. Now you need to catch up with them on the street to check out their offerings. Good luck guys!
- Cary’s very first Chatham Street Chowdown of the year is this Sunday, April 19th. Get all the details and the full schedule here.
- Food Trucks and Flowers – sounds like a great, and fun, combination. The third annual Fairview Garden Center Flora and Food Trucks Series will feature the Triangle’s most popular and delicious food trucks. These events will take place on spring Saturdays, March 28 through May 23, 11:30 AM until 2:30 PM at 8224 Holly Springs Rd. in Raleigh, North Carolina. Get all the details here.
- Get the schedule for the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo Series here. But also, the Early Bird VIP Wristbands are ready for those that want them. They will only be available through April 25th. The wristbands (limited number) will get you into the trucks half hour before everyone else. Get them while they are available here.
- Got word from Matt Lundgren that one of the area’s newest trucks, The Wandering Moose, is having their “grand opening” this Saturday (April 18) from 1-8 p.m. at Gizmo Brewery. Get all the details here.
Events
- Barbecue, beer and bluegrass return to Raleigh’s warehouse district at The Pit Authentic Barbecue’s 7th annual ‘Cuegrass Festival this Saturday, April 18 from noon to 6 p.m. Proceeds to benefit the Junior League of Raleigh’s BackPack Buddies program. This is really a fun event and tickets are only $5. Get all the details here.
- The Great Grapes! Wine and Food Festival is this Saturday from 11 am until 7 pm at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre. Advance ticket sales are closed, but you can buy tickets at the door ($32, cash only). The event features over 220 wines from 20 wineries, live music, tasty food and a free kids area. Get all the details here.
- The Divan Cultural Center will host a Turkish Food Festival on Sunday, April 19th from 11am to 4pm at IITS located at 1391 SE Maynard Rd in Cary. The purpose of the festival is to raise funds to construct three water wells in Kenya. Get all the details here.
- The good folks over at Leadership Raleigh (a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce) are hosting a Shuck-n-Cluck Oyster Roast on Thursday, April 23rd at 6 p.m. to benefit Rebuilding Together of the Triangle. Tickets are $50 and include all-you-can-eat oysters, drinks and a $20 donation to Rebuilding Together of the Triangle. Get tickets and details here.
- Taste The Event 2015 is coming up, but it is really more a series of events, with the Grand Taste Experience being held on Thursday, April 23rd at the Armory in downtown Durham, where you’ll experience over 20 dishes created by the area’s top chefs. There are other events surrounding this event. Get all the details here.
- Snap Pea Underground, a pop-up dinner concept at various locations (kept secret until 36 hours prior to the event), announced their next dinners as being held on April 24 and 25. This one will be held somewhere west of Carrboro and the Saturday night dinner has already sold out and last I checked, there were only 4 tickets left for Friday night. Get tickets and all the details here.
- And go ahead and mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25th to be in downtown Raleigh (City Plaza to be exact) for Brewgaloo – a festival celebrating craft beer…and they’ll have 50+ food trucks there. Get all the details here.
- Tickets went on sale recently for one of my favorite events of the year (a weekend of events really) – Farm to Fork – which will take place this year Friday, June 5th through Sunday, June 7th. Get tickets and all the details here.
- Vinos Finos Kitchen & Wine Bar in North Raleigh is planning another Four Course Wine Dinner and Wine Pairing on Monday, April 27 at 7:00 pm. The wine dinner is a Spanish themed with 4 different courses paired with Spanish wines, prepared by Chef Silvano Garcia. Reservations are required. Cost is $65 per person. Make your reservations and get all the details here.
Food Bank Corner
- Did you know that the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina plans to distribute between 50 and 52 million pounds of food this year? That’s more than 140,000 meals a day! They expect their fleet of 19 trucks to travel over 500,000 miles to serve their 800 partner agencies and maximize their food donor partnerships. To do that, they are aiming to raise over $8 million in revenue and work with over 15,000 volunteers to keep the Food Bank running and expand service where possible. Want to see a list of upcoming “foodie” events that you can attend AND help the Food Bank? Check it out here.
