Friday Fun Food Facts – August 21, 2015

Triangle Restaurant News

Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.

And so it begins. The first franchise location of Rise Donuts and Biscuits officially opens tomorrow (August 22) at 7 a.m. in Morrisville at Park West Village. However, today (August 21) from noon until 2, stop by for FREE donuts! And then stay tuned for four more locations here in the Triangle! In the meantime, get over to the newest location in Morrisville. Check them out on Facebook here.

Got word from reader Mary-Rose Woodward that Diced Gourmet Salads and Wraps has opened at the Shoppes of Kildaire in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s. They will have a grand celebration opening on Saturday, August 29th. Check them out here.

We got word this week that La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, which is moving into the former OC Bar and Grill spot in Oberlin Court in Raleigh, is scheduled to open this Monday, August 24th. Thanks to Mark Appleby (and New Raleigh) for that information.

Want to be one of the first ones to dine at Scott Crawford’s Standard Foods? Sign up to be there on August 30th as he welcomes author and James Beard Award winning chef Hugh Acheson for a special evening. Get all the details here.

The Triangle’s newest location of The Egg & I announced their grand opening date of August 31st. They will have a “training” day on August 30th (reservations are required and donations to The Carying Place are appreciated). Get all the details here.

Saw in the News & Observer that Wyatt Dickson and Ben Adams announced this week that they are on schedule to open their barbecue joint (Picnic) by the years end (on Cole Mill Road in Durham). And as a way to introduce you to their offerings, they are having a “pop-up” dinner tonight at 6 p.m. outside of RX Wine Lab located in Golden Belt at 807 E. Main Street in Durham. They will have enough food (smoked-buttermilk fried chicken, cole slaw and a chilled field pea and corn salad) to serve about 80 people. Prices will be $15 for a fried chicken platter with sides, $10 for a glass of wine, $35 for a bottle and $15 for a flight of three wines.

The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Dame’s Chicken & Waffles in Durham is opening a second location on the campus of Duke University this fall. They will be taking over the Devil’s Bistro spot formerly occupied by The Food Factory on Duke’s Central Campus. Check them out here.

Also in Durham, the Triangle Business Journal reported that Vegan Flava Cafe, a new vegetarian and vegan restaurant, is opening in the former Blue Note Grill space at 4125 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd. The grand opening is scheduled for August 29th. Check them out here.

Got word from my good friend Tabitha Turner that Shanghai Dumplings opened this week at 143 E. Franklin Street in the former location of Mei Asian. We were unable to locate a website.

Also in Chapel Hill, WRAL reported this week that food truck Captain Ponchos has announced the opening date of August 27th for their brick-and-mortar location in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village. Visit their site here.

Got word from David McCreary (aka LunchBoy Says) that Chippy’s, a local fish and chips restaurant on Davis Drive in Apex, has hung up it’s frying baskets for good.

Learned this week that the folks over at Panther Creek High School will host a movie night and food truck rodeo (6 trucks) tonight (Friday, August 21st) from 6-10 p.m. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here.

Mark your calendar to be in Durham for Labor Day Weekend (September 6th) for their huge food truck rodeo at Durham Central Park. This one will be from noon until 4 p.m. Get all the details here.

For a listing of ALL food truck events, head over to Art’s page, The Wandering Sheppard on all things food truck related here.

Tickets have gone on sale for one of the biggest foodie events around – the TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, which will be held in Chapel Hill October 8-10. It simply can’t be missed. Get details on all the events around this festival here.

Got word from my friend John Huisman (aka Triangle Explorer) that tickets are on sale now for Beericana, a craft beer & music festival in Holly Springs on September 12. Beericana is in its second year and all signs point to it being even better than last year. The festival will feature over 60 breweries from across the state and beyond, more food trucks than last year with at least 20 trucks. General admission tickets are $45 and VIP tickets are $75. Get all the details and information on tickets here.

Speaking of beer, join the brewers of Wake County at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh tonight (August 21st) at 7 p.m. ($30; $25 for members) for a one-of-a-kind evening of beer and science. At the sampling session, a dozen brewers will offer unique creations fitting the Museum’s natural science focus. Sit in on discussions about fermentation, flavors and the engineering of beer. Get all the details here. Thanks to Deborah Copeland for the tip on this event.

You’ll want to go ahead and mark your calendar for the 2nd Annual Triangle Oktoberfest coming to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre on October 3rd and 4th. There will be some great authentic German fare as well as some amazing breweries. Get all the details here.

And if you are into eating healthier, you might want to go ahead and get this event on your calendar – the 2015 Triangle Vegfest which will be held at Moore Square and City Market in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, October 17th from noon until 5 p.m. Get all the details here.

It is that time of year again and big plans are in place for this year’s #FoodBank24 New Media Telethon. It will be held over two days, September 11-12 and lots of new features are in the works. With September 11th being a National Day of Service, there are tons of opportunities to volunteer and get your company involved. But do so quickly, as the Saturday morning slots are already filled! Find out how to get involved, how to contribute and all the details here.