Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- The News & Observer reported that Andrew Shepherd and Will Jeffers, two of the partners in Raleigh’s popular Stanbury restaurant, are opening Cafe Lucarne in the former Benelux spot in City Market. Cafe Lucarne will be a casual, counter-service restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Look for an early summer opening. They also are taking over the former Battistella’s space off Moore Square in Raleigh and hope to open that restaurant later this year. Keep up with their progress on Facebook here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- In downtown Raleigh, Eschelon Experiences’ newest concept, Haymaker, opened this past weekend in the Charter Square building at 555 Fayetteville Street. Keep up with the latest here.
- Also in downtown Raleigh, thanks to a tip from New Raleigh, we learned that during the transition to a new chef and new team, Standard Foods will be closed until the middle of July. However, the attached grocery store and butcher remain open during this transition. As well, look for some “pop-up” dinners to be announced next week. Keep up with the latest here.
- Not sure how I missed this, but Glenwood South’s Blue Mango is now Indio Restaurant and Lounge. Check out the new look here.
- Over at North Hills in Raleigh, the Triangle Business Journal reported that the first Grabbagreen Food + Juice restaurant in the Triangle will open by the fall near the Sur La Table store. It also looks like an additional location will open in Cary at the corner of Northwest Maynard and Chapel Hill roads. Get familiar with the concept here.
- Also in North Raleigh, WRAL noted that Burger 21 is opening a location in north Raleigh off of Falls of Neuse near Chipotle. They also have a location in Cary near the intersection of Davis Drive and High House. Check them out here.
- Over in Apex, reader Jane Long tipped me off to the fact that downtown Apex has a new wine bar called Peak of the Vine at 115 N. Salem Street. Check them out here.
- Also in Apex, after a five-week long soft opening, Southern Peak Brewery will host their grand opening this Saturday, June 4th from 2 p.m. until close. They are located at 950 Windy Road and they will host Chirba Chirba and Big Mike’s BBQ during their celebration. Get all the details here.
- And over in Holly Springs, reader Barbara Calise tipped me off to the fact that the latest restaurant/movie concept in the Triangle, Ovation Cinema Grill, will be opening at Holly Springs Town Center in August. I literally drove by yesterday and it looks cool and is conveniently located fairly close to where 540 dumps into Highway 55. Check them out here.
- If your travels take you a little north of the Triangle, in Franklinton to be exact, you’ll want to check out the newest addition to that area, Wilton Pizzeria. It looks delicious and might very well be worth the drive even if you don’t live up that way! Check them out there.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- After a successful soft opening for “Friends & Family” (which I was not invited to…it’s OK, I’m slowly getting over that), Giorgios Bakatsias’ newest concept, Boheme, opened this past week in the historic Black House at Straw Valley near the intersection of 15-501 and Interstate 40 near the Durham/Chapel Hill border. Get by and pay them a visit.
- And in the category of Durham’s gain, Raleigh’s loss, the Peace Street bridge redesign on Capital Boulevard is forcing Raleigh’s legendary Finch’s to move. And WRAL noted this week that the move will take it to Durham after calling Raleigh home for nearly 70 years. In the meantime, get by before they close, and keep up with the latest here.
Closings
- The North Raleigh location of Z Pizza has closed. That leaves the one location, and their coolest location, still open in downtown Raleigh. If you haven’t paid them a visit recently, you should – they just completed a major renovation of that space.
Food Trucks
- With the warm weather returning, it also means the return of the Food Truck Thursdays in Knightdale. Every Thursday from April through June, the town will host a new truck at Knightdale Station Park for lunch and dinner. Just look for it from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm near the amphitheater (rain or shine – shelters are covered). For all the details and the truck schedule, check them out here. Thanks to Mark Ginsberg for the heads up!
- For a listing of ALL food truck events, head over to Art’s page, The Wandering Sheppard on all things food truck related here.
Events
- As if I even needed to tell anyone this, but today, June 3rd, is National Donut Day. You know what to do. Now go. Eat a donut.
- The Chef’s Palette on Ten Ten Road in Cary will hold a huge celebration this Saturday, June 4th from 6 p.m. until closing to celebrate their 6th anniversary. Look for food, fun, live music and tasty beverages. Get all the details on their website here.
- The 5th Annual Bull City BBQ Classic is scheduled for this Saturday, June 4th from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at at the Scrap Exchange located at 2050 Chapel Hill Road in Durham. The bbq competition welcomes cooks/ Pitmasters (beginners and experts alike – the even have a kids rib competition) from across North Carolina. The $10 entry fee gets you sample BBQ from every cook station. Get all the details here.
- The annual Triangle Restaurant Week is set to run next week (June 6-12th). During the event, participating restaurants within Raleigh, Cary,Chapel Hill, Durham and surrounding areas will offer a special, 3-course prix fixe lunch menu ($15) and/or 3-course prix fixe dinner menu ($20, $25, $30) each day they are open. For all the details and a full list of participating restaurants, check out their website here.
- The Carolina Inn will host a Bar-B-Que Throwdown on Saturday, June 11th from 12 – 3 p.m. featuring local chefs preparing their twist on barbecue. Participating chefs include the Carolina Inn’s James Clark; Kim Hunter (Kimbap Cafe); James Johnson (Tribeca Tavern); Isae Allen (The Eddy Pub & Restaurant); Regan Stachler (Little Hen); Serge Falcoz-Vigne (Saint-Jacques); Bob Compton (Mebane Downtown Table); and Adam Rose (H Street Kitchen). Get tickets ($55) and all the details here.
- Arguably the area’s biggest “foodie” event, TerraVita, recently announced the dates for this year’s festival – September 28th through October 1st. The Chapel Hill-based festival, now in its seventh year, offers exceptional dinners, tasting events, after parties, chef demos as well as the “Sustainable Classroom” – educational experiences featuring renowned chefs, authors & national media. TerraVita concludes with a Grand Tasting on the Green featuring over 65 chefs, artisans and beverage producers for tastings, live chef demonstrations and cookbook signings. TerraVita’s ticket launch and full schedule will be released in mid-June. More details here.
Food Bank Corner
- For many of us, summertime means family vacations and cookouts with friends and neighbors. But instead of trying to decide where to go on your next trip, imagine having to decide between putting gas in your car to go to work or buying groceries for dinner. Instead of getting supplies for the barbecue, imagine standing in line at the food pantry because your paycheck didn’t last through the end of the month. For the families of nearly 300,000 children in our service area, this is the difficult situation they will face this summer when school is closed. The Food Bank’s Stop Summer Hunger Campaign aims to provide meals and groceries to children and their families over the summer months. Through July 31, they are committed to providing 3.3 million meals. Visit their website to learn more about how you can get involved.
