Friday Fun Food Facts – February 26, 2016

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Matthew Beason and John Eisensmith will celebrate Six Plates’ 8-year success in Durham on Friday, March 11th, before closing the restaurant to renovate for their new cider-focused restaurant, Black Twig Cider House, which will be the first cider house of its kind in the Southeast. In addition to a crazy selection of cider offerings, they will offer a fantastic menu featuring locally sourced Firsthand Foods sausages, housemade toppings and elevated bar fare. Get by Six Plates before March 11th! Check out Black Twig here.

In December we told you about the transition in ownership of Maximillian’s Grill in Cary from the original owners, Michael and Gayle Schiffer, to the couple/employees that bought it, Margie and Will Hennessee. The News & Observer reported this week that while the interior will change (just about everything except the floor), the Hennessees say the spirit and legacy of Maximillian’s will not and they hope to reopen the restaurant in early March. Check out Maximillian’s here.

Also in Cary, I saw in Cary Magazine that Tex-Mex restaurant Chuy’s has begun hiring and will open in the new Parkside Town Commons on April 5. Chuy’s has one other location in the Triangle at North Hills. Check out Chuy’s here.

And staying in Cary, we got word of a media-preview event in early March for the Newk’s Eatery that will open in the next few weeks in the spot formerly occupied by the Hibernian Pub on Kildaire Farm Road. If you are not familiar with Newk’s, they offer Southern-inspired, made-from-scratch soups, sandwiches, salads and pizzas for lunch and dinner. This will be their 98th location in the Southeast. Check them out here.

Thanks to David McCreary (aka LunchBoy Says), we learned that Eggs Up Grill, a breakfast-and-lunch franchise concept popular in the Myrtle Beach area, will open its first North Carolina location in Fuquay-Varina sometime this spring. The restaurant will be located at 1436 N. Main Street in the Sexton Commons Shopping Center in the space formerly occupied by Bellini Fine Italian Cuisine. Check out Eggs Up here.

Over in Raleigh, the newest Glenwood South restaurant, International Breakfast & Burger Company, opened this past week in the 222 Glenwood Building in the space formerly occupied by Bruegger’s Bagels. The restaurant is owned by John Tang, who is also the owner of Sushi O.

Got word this week that Kamado Grille in North Raleigh is now open on Sundays from from noon until 8 p.m. Get all the details here.

Got word from Sean O’Neill that he is bringing Chronic Tacos, a franchise from California, to the Triangle. Three of them actually. The first to open will be in Meadowmont Village in Chapel Hill. They are working toward a late April opening. The second location will be at the Shoppes at Heritage Village in Wake Forest, and the third will be at the new Olive Park shopping center at the corner of Falls of Neuse and Litchford Rd. In Raleigh. Get familiar with Chronic Tacos here.

Got word this week that City Beverage in southwest Durham will close their doors this Saturday, February 27th to make way for a new concept and new owners. According to Diggin’ Durham, the new concept will be a brew-pub’ish spot expected to re-open in mid-March. Stay tuned.

And this is kind of fun, Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Restaurant continues to grow, evolve and change. In addition to a new logo and website, the retail bakery is moving to the front of the building along with other site improvements to enhance your experience while there. Check it all out on their new website here.

In Carrboro, Rise Biscuits and Donuts announced that its newest location at East Main Square will open tomorrow, February 27. And the new downtown Durham location at 401 Foster St. will open on March 12. Check out Rise here.

None to report (except City Beverage noted above). Keeping eating local, folks!

The Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo has announced its dates for this year: May 1, June 12, Aug. 7 and Oct. 9. VIP early admission wristbands, which let you get in to buy food before the general public, are on sale now. 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.

The 30th Anniversary of A Toast to the Triangle will be held on Sunday, March 6 at NC State University’s McKimmon Center from 5:30pm-8:30pm. Toast provides impressive offerings from the Triangle’s ﬁnest restaurants, caterers and purveyors of ﬁne wines and specialty beers, as well as a raffle and silent auction that boasts an array of exciting items. A Toast to the Triangle benefits Tammy Lynn Memorial Foundation. Get all the details here.

SEEDS announced this week that their Fork Less Traveled, a chef dinner series that pairs Durham chefs with local farms and beverage purveyors, will kick off this season on March 13th and will feature Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint. The series is one way they support Durham garden-based programming. Get tickets and all the details here.

The World Beer Festival returns to Raleigh Saturday, April 2nd at the exposition center at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 the day of the show. The VIP Experience tickets are $85. Tickets can be purchased online and at Tasty Beverage and at Bottle Revolution. Get all the details here.

The 4th Annual Bull City Food & Beer Experience will be held next year on April 10th, but tickets are already on sale. Looks like tickets will be available through DPAC again this year and you can visit the DPAC ticket center to avoid service charges. Check them out on Facebook here.

Durham Magazine and Chapel Hill Magazine will sponsor the third annual TASTE: A Celebration of Food & Drink, happening from April 21 to 23, 2016. The event will feature more than 30 top local chefs and establishments in Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Raleigh. A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to the Durham Branch of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. Get all the details and updates as well as purchase tickets (they have an early bird price of $85 now!) here.

The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina not only plays a critical role in our community serving the needs of so many people in our area, but they also fulfill that role while making it fun and enjoyable for those lending a hand. To see how you might get involved or what events they have coming up that you can get involved with, check out their listing of upcoming events here. Get involved today!