Friday Fun Food Facts – November 11, 2016

Triangle Restaurant News

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

It is turkey time! If you don’t want to spend your Thanksgiving in the kitchen, we have some information you will be interested in. First up, Raleigh’s Q Shack offers up everything from whole smoked turkeys, to sides, to the entire turkey-day meal! My family has been doing this for several years and it has been fantastic! Check out all the details here.

If going out to eat on Thanksgiving is what you had in mind, the News & Observer has you covered with a comprehensive list of restaurants that are open (better get your reservation in now) to serve you. Check it out here.

And finally, the News & Observer has also put together a list of bakeries where you can get delicious pies for your Thanksgiving day spread. Check that list out here.

So a quick update on the changes over at Academy Street Bistro in Cary (just a few weeks ago it was announced that there had been a sudden change in ownership.) We have now learned that Tom Havrish chef/owner of Lugano Ristorante in Cary, is the new owner. We haven’t received an update yet on its plans to reopen (it may already have done so). We will keep up with this. Here is their Facebook page.

Also in Cary, got a press release announcing that the groundbreaking ceremony for a permanent retail location of Annelore’s German Bakery, a home-based, authentic German pastry and bread bakery, is planned for next Monday, November 14 at 4 p.m. at 308 W. Chatham Street in downtown Cary. You can keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here.

Over in Raleigh a couple of quick updates. The Raleigh Agenda posted an update that signage has gone up for Royale, an American bistro, moving into the former Batistella’s space on Raleigh’s Moore Square. Royale is from the same guys behind Stanbury and Cafe Lucarne. They are expected to open next month. Keep up with them on Twitter here.

And we got a press release announcing that Ed Mitchell is launching a food truck, Ed’s Q on Wheels, that can be booked for holiday parties. His brick and mortar location, Ed Mitchell’s Q at The Creek, in Brier Creek has broken ground. And finally, that Ed is no longer considering a space inside the Morgan Street Food Hall & Market in downtown Raleigh. Keep up with Ed on Twitter here.

The openings in Chatham County just south of Chapel Hill, in the Veranda development located at the 15-501 entrance to Briar Chapel, continue. Just this past Monday, Town Hall Burger & Beer at Briar Chapel swung open their doors (and rolled up their garage doors!). And this week we saw the soft-opening of Breakaway Cafe, combining coffee, food, beer and bicycles…Check out Breakaway here and Beer & Burger here.

Over in Durham, the British Indian gastropub, Viceroy, located in the five-points area of downtown Durham, is scheduled to open any day now. I was invited to a media event next week, so it is very, very close. Check them out on Facebook here.

Also in Durham, I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the long-standing Spartacus restaurant had been completely leveled. Reader Cori Harrell Nix notified me that that spot is to become the next Chick-fil-A in the Triangle.

In Chapel Hill, got word from reader Thomas Viemont that there is a “Cuban Revolution” sign on the front of the former Mina’s Grill at 401 W. Franklin Street. Apparently there is quite a bit of renovation taking place, so it may be awhile before we see that open. Check out Cuban Revolution (located in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus) here.

Got word from a reader that Godavari, serving South Indian food, on Strickland Road in Raleigh has closed.

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

Obviously today is Veterans Day, and lots of restaurants do their part to celebrate and thank our veterans. WRAL has composed a great list of offerings that you can enjoy today.

Friend David McCreary tipped me off to SAVOR Fuquay-Varina, a culinary event with music, auctions, great food and great and a celebratory atmosphere. The event will take place Saturday, November 12th from 2-6 p.m. at the Bob Barker Company, 105 N. Main Street in Fuquay-Varina. Area restaurants and caterers come together in a friendly competition. Local breweries share their current selections. Tickets are $50 per person. For more information, visit them here.

And John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, pointed out that Teddy Diggs, executive chef of Il Palio in Chapel Hill, and renowned author Katie Parla are teaming up to host a culinary tour of Italy’s capital. Hosted at Il Palio on November 15th, this Tasting Rome feast will feature recipes from Parla’s acclaimed cookbook, Tasting Rome, along with classics from Chef Diggs’ regional Italian repertoire. Tickets may be purchased for $125 by calling 919-918-2545 and include signed copies of the Tasting Rome cookbook, wine pairings, tax and gratuity. Visit Il Palio here.

Enjoy soups from top Triangle chefs as they compete to win the title of Soup-erior Chef at Urban Ministries of Wake County’s twelfth annual Stone Soup Supper on Wednesday, November 16th at the McKimmon Center at NC State University. For a $25 donation, guests receive unlimited bowls of artisan soups from more than 10 competing chefs and one hand-crafted piece of pottery from the Triangle Potters Guild. Funds raised from the event will be used to feed, shelter, and provide healthcare to low income individuals. Get all the details here.

On November 30th, Piedmont’s Executive Chef John May welcomes Chef Dean Neff of PinPoint in Wilmington, NC to collaborate on a 6-course Gullah-inspired dinner celebrating sustainably farmed oysters; each course will be paired with sparkling wines from different regions, highlighting the breadth and variety of these wines. Locals Seafood will supply North Carolina oysters from Chadwick Creek, Harkers Island, Newport River, and Masonboro, and funds raised support North Carolina Catch. The dinner is at 6:30pm. The $65/ person menu is also available for $95, with sparkling wine pairings. Contact 919-683-1213 for reservations.

Triangle Family Services will host its 14th annual Gingerbread Benefit on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in RTP. This daylong fundraising benefit, running from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., features the Triangle’s best chefs and bakers creating gingerbread masterpieces in lieu of the upcoming holidays. Get all the details here.

Exciting things have been happening at your Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina! They have moved to a much larger facility to accommodate their expanded operations and the continued need for food assistance. In celebration of this move, they invite you to their Community Open House THIS Saturday, November 12th from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. (tours, food truck rodeo and fun & games). The new facility is at 1924 Capital Blvd. Get all the details on the Open House here.