Friday Fun Food Facts – July 10, 2015

Wake County Restaurant News

•  What do you get when you cross dining, bowling, movies (50 screens), an arcade and a bar? You get Cary’s latest announcement of CineBowl & Grille which opens today in Parkside Town Commons Center. CineBowl is billing itself as “the greater Triangle area’s first Dine & Recline cinema – allowing moviegoers to order freshly prepared items and drinks from the comfort of luxury electric leather recliners” according to the News & Observer. Check out all the fun here.

• Chanticleer Cafe and Bakery is now open in Cary at 6490 Tryon Road in Cary’s Wellington Park Shopping Center, at the corner of Tryon and Cary Parkway. The bakery is owned by Jennifer and Craig Freeman and is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Look for fresh bakery items, sandwiches and Joe Van Gogh coffee. Check them out on Facebook here.

• The folks over at JMR Kitchens (who brought us The Oak and Taste) are doing it again announcing this week that they will be opening more. kitchen and bar at 116 N. West Street in the old Mantra location. more. will be a unique European inspired small plate concept with hard to find wines. Check them out here.

• Heard from several sources that Berkeley Café in Raleigh’s Nash Square is under new ownership. Not much is expected to change, except the addition of items to the menu. Check them out here on Facebook.

• In other downtown Raleigh news, heard from the folks over at Offline Media that Fiction Kitchen will be closed until July 13 for vacation. But go ahead and book your dinner for July 14th! Check them out here.

• Also in downtown Raleigh, New Raleigh is reporting that a new wine bar and art gallery is coming to 313 W. Hargett Street across from Cafe de los Muertos. Not much else to report at this point, but we’ll keep an eye on it.

• And just on the outskirts of downtown, New Raleigh noted this week that the former Quality Grocery in historic Oakwood (701 E. Lane Street) will become some combination of Belgian / French beer and food joint. Grated that is a bit vague; it is exciting to see something coming into that great space. Stay tuned.

• Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Wicked Taco, a Blacksburg, Virginia-based fresh-Mex concept, opened its second restaurant – and the first in North Carolina – in Raleigh at 3928 Western Blvd. Calling itself the “craft brewer of tacos,” the restaurant features locally sourced ingredients and fresh-made salsas. Visit them online here.

• West Raleigh just got some good news. The Triangle Business Journal reported that the owner of Vic’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria on Blake Street at City Market in downtown Raleigh will open a second location at the MarketPlace at Lake Boone retail and office complex on Lake Boone Trail in the space formerly occupied by Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt. Check out Vic’s here.

• WRAL reported this morning that a new restaurant called CaRibb Cuisine & Bar is on its way in Raleigh off Glenwood Avenue out near the airport (8111 Rowlock Way). It will feature authentic Caribbean food and signature drinks. Check them out here.

• Up in Wake Forest, WRAL reported this week that there is a new place to get your ice cream fix in downtown Wake Forest. Scoops on Main just opened this month at 701 N. Main Street. Check them out on Facebook here.

• Happy to announce that Chicago pizza maker Rosati’s in Wake Forest has reopened. They closed toward the end of April, but reopened June 14th under new management. Check out Rosati’s here.

• Also in Wake Forest, WRAL reported that The Burger Shop opened Wednesday in downtown Wake Forest, at 203 Wait Ave. which is next to Virgilio’s where Odette’s Café used to be. We were unable to find a website for them.

• Heard from my friend David McCreary (aka Lunchboy Says) that Fattoush Mediterranean Grill is now open at 781 Center Street in Apex. Check them out on Facebook here.

• Over in Garner, WRAL noted on their Twitter feed that Carolina Ale House will be opening that location on July 20th. Check their Facebook page out here.

• Also in Garner, reader Hugh Autry tipped me off to the fact that there is a new sign up for Krafty’s Burgers and Brews next to White Oak Cinemas in the space previously occupied by Shuck em’ Shack. No word yet on an open date, but you can keep up with them on Facebook here.

• Hugh Autry also informed me that there is a new restaurant called East Garden Restaurant that is going in across from REI on Maynard Road in Raleigh. We were unable to find a website for it, but we’ll ask Hugh to keep an eye on it for us. Thanks Hugh!

• And congratulations to Cary-based Firewürst, founded by a father-and-two-sons team in 2012, as they officially registered to begin franchising in North Carolina. They’ll look to the Triangle for their first franchise locations, hoping to find a franchisee who is excited to build off of the buzz the brand has created in the past couple of years of operation. With locations already in Brier Creek and on Harrison Ave in Cary, Firewürst is anxious to tap into markets such as North Raleigh and Durham to continue serving flame-grilled sausages, burgers, and dogs, both in the restaurant and through their growing catering efforts. If you are interested, check them out there.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• As we told you in our last edition, Durham’s Gregoria’s Cuban Steakhouse closed July 3. But they have completely renovated the building into a vibrant new upscale tapas-style Latin eatery called Mesa Latin Kitchen. And WRAL reported that they will swing open their doors on July 17th. Mesa is owned by Fares Hanna, who previously owned and operated Gregoria’s. Sign up for their newsletter here.

• The Triangle Business Journal “noted” that Durham’s Blue Note Grill reopened at the end of last month at its new location at 709 Washington St. near the historic Durham Athletic Park. The new space is twice the size of its old location. Check them out here.

• Got word from WRAL that Mez in Durham will be starting new hours soon, including a Sunday Brunch. Stay tuned! And we’ll stay on top of it for you. Check them out here.

• The folks over at ChickenWireNC announced that their next “pop-up” event on July 19, will be a Glazed & Confused Tasting Picnic in Pittsboro. The festival-like event will feature 20 chefs, over 20 artisans, 5 local brewers, 3 distillers, 3 wine distributors, a kids’ tent, silent auction, and live music by the Onyx Club Boys!
  Tickets will go fast. Get tickets and all the details here.

Closings 

• Got word from reader Joel Marcus that Hayashi-ya in Brier Creek has closed their doors. Marcus also reports that there is a sign for Bar Louie in the window. I reached out to Bar Louie, but haven’t received a response yet. Stay tuned. Get a sneak peek at them here.

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• West 94th St. Pub in southwest Durham will host the 2nd Annual Grill Master Cook Off Competition to benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. They are calling all local “Grill Masters” to show off their “grillin” skills on Saturday, July 11, 2015 from 9am- 4pm. The food will be donated by West 94th St Pub and the secret ingredient will be provided by TOPO. Each contestant will be required to cook onsite, 2-3 whole chickens with TOPO’s secret Ingredient. The registration deadline to cook is July 6th. For more information or to get involved contact Kerry Bryant at 919-403-0025 or email [email protected].

• Also, July is National Hot Dog Month, and Firewürst has begun its second annual #DollarsForDogs campaign, in which the locally-owned restaurant commits to donating $1 for every dog sold throughout the month to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC‘s Stop Summer Hunger Program. Last year, the community involvement in the campaign led to a $10,000 donation! Firewürst of course has some tricks up their sleeve for National Hot Dog Day specifically (July 23rd), so keep an eye out! Visit Firewurst this July!