Friday Fun Food Facts – May 12, 2017

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

• This week Coleen Speaks, owner of PoshNosh Catering, announced that she will open Whitaker & Atlantic and Hummingbird in the revitalized warehouse, Dock 1053, located in Raleigh at the corner of Whitaker Mill Road and Atlantic Avenue. Whitaker & Atlantic – a private event space – and Hummingbird – an adjacent café & bar. Both concepts are set to open early Fall 2017. Keep up with the latest on the PoshNosh Facebook page here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• The News & Observer reported that House of Hops, a craft beer bar and bottle shop, and Shuckin’ Shack, an oyster bar, will anchor a new development near Mami Nora’s Rotisserie Chicken at the corner of McNeill Street and Wake Forest Road. Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar has several locations on the coast and opened in Cary in early 2016. This will be the second location for House of Hops, which has a site on Glenwood Avenue near the intersection with Duraleigh Road. Check out Shuckin’ Shack here, and House of Hops here.

• The News & Observer reported that MOFU Shoppe, the brick-and-mortar restaurant from Pho Nomenal Dumpling Truck, is getting close to opening its new City Market restaurant in downtown Raleigh. To that end, they will hold a sneak peek today (Friday, May 12) starting at 5:30 p.m. when you’ll be able to go inside the store to see the progress. Visitors are asked to bring food for a canned food drive to benefit Haven House Services, a Raleigh nonprofit that provides a variety of services to at-risk youth and their families. Check them out here. (Still miss their original truck name – Dump Pho King truck…)

• Got word from Michayla Noonan that she saw a sign in front of the former Tribeca Tavern on Falls of the Neuse Road in North Raleigh that said there was a Chopt and a Zoe’s Kitchen coming soon. We will ask Michayla to keep an eye on it for us. Thanks Michayla!

• And in Cary, the News & Observer reported that Tyler Watt, owner of Pharmacy Bottle & Beverage, a bottle shop and bar on East Chatham Street, has plans to open a new restaurant called Postmaster Restaurant and Bar. It is expected to open this fall at the corner of E. Cedar St. and North Walker Street. The menu is described as “modern Southern American food.” Dishes will rotate with the seasons. Keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• The News & Observer reported that acclaimed baker and pastry chef Phoebe Lawless is set to open her first full-service restaurant and bar, The Lakewood, around May 22 or 23. It is located in the former Davis Baking Co. building on Chapel Hill Road in the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood neighborhood. After opening that, she will open a second location of Scratch Bakery in early July. Keep up with the opening of The Lakewood here and with the second location of Scratch here.

• Also in Durham, It was announced this week that Joe Van Gogh Coffee will open its fourth Durham coffee house this summer in the West End neighborhood. The new store will join with Local Yogurt to occupy the former Gulf station at 1114 West Chapel Hill Street. Look for them to open in mid-summer. Check out their website here.

• Related to that, Joe Van Gogh on Broad Street will celebrate its 10-year anniversary on Thursday, June 1st from 7-10pm with music and karaoke. Joe Van Gogh’s other two Durham locations are at Duke University and the Woodcroft Shopping Center. Check out their website here.

• The newest location of Chopt opened this week at Eastgate Crossing shopping center. Chopt combines seasonal ingredients from local purveyors with authentic flavors from around the world to create delicious salads that people crave. Check out Chopt here.

Closings

• Received multiple reports that Champps at the Streets at Southpoint closed their doors.

• Mendy Iler at Catering By Design (and Cary resident) was the first to let me know that it appears as if the Cary location of Guacamaya Fresh Mex (formerly Chubby’s Tacos) has closed. How does that happen? What’s wrong with you Cary folks (not you, Mendy)? It was located in Stone Creek Village. Thanks Mendy for always keeping your eyes and ears open!

Food Trucks

• John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, brought it to my attention that as of last Friday there is a new food truck on the scene – Curry in a Hurry! It was born out of a passion for cooking authentic Indian cuisine by two time award winning chef and owner Alaksha Surti. Learn more about Alaksha, the truck and their schedule here.

• The food truck events in Knightdale are cranking back up every Thursday through June and September through November, they will host a new truck at Knightdale Station Park for lunch and dinner. Just look for it from 11:30am to 1:30pm and 6pm to 8pm near the amphitheater (rain or shine – shelters are covered). Get all the details and schedule here.

• And the food truck rodeos in Durham and Raleigh are back in full swing. Check out the Durham dates here and the Raleigh dates here.

Events

• This Saturday, May 13, come out for a community garden party complete with wood-fired pizza, local brews, and live music, to support the Raleigh Food Corridor! Hosted by the Irregardless Cafe and supported by Crank Arm Brewery, the event supports healthy food systems and healthy neighborhoods in Raleigh. Come learn more, meet new friends, and enjoy hanging out in one of Raleigh’s most beautiful, productive gardens. More can be found about the Corridor project here. Tickets are $25 per person or $10 for Friends of the Corridor and can be purchased here.

• The Raleigh Food & Wine Festival will take place next weekend, May 18-21. The festival is a four-day event highlighting some of the most unique offerings in food and beverage, including including wine dinners and cooking classes. Get all the details and RSVP here.

• Cary’s Fest in the West is on for Saturday, May 20 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. Festival-goers can hop on an antique tractor, take a selfie with Lisa Gaither’s 3D mural, browse art and watch demonstrations from local artisans, enjoy the food truck rodeo, compete in a pie-eating contest, and visit the beer garden with five local brewers all while listening to music from 4 area bands. A KidZone will include an obstacle course inflatable bounce house, face painting, roving magician and make & take crafts. Get all the details here.

• Learned from Bites of Bull City’s Amber Watson that the Durham Blues and Brews Festival is back May 21st at Durham Central Park. Delicious NC craft brews, rockin’ blues, food trucks and fun! Enjoy unlimited 12 oz. pours of 20 of the finest brews that North Carolina has to offer. Advance festival tickets are $40 or $50 on site. Designated driver tickets are $20. Get all the details and tickets here.

• Black Twig Cider House, Mattie B’s Public House and the Rickhouse are bringing back Txakolifest on Sunday May 21st from 12 – 4 p.m. at the Rickhouse. Txakolifest is a celebration of Basque country’s finest white wines combined with Durham’s best food – the list of participating restaurants is impressive. Tickets are $75 ($100 VIP). Get all the details here.

• The restaurant and farm pairings for the 2017 Farm to Fork Picnic were announced this week. The 10th anniversary Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend, June 2-4 at Fearrington Village, will celebrate creative partnerships among Triangle farmers, chefs and culinary artisans. Pairings for the June 4 picnic, which has been dubbed “The Country’s Best All-You-Can-Eat Feast” by Bon Appetit, represent more than 70 farms and restaurants. For more information and to purchase tickets for any event, visit them here.

• Childhood friend Gordon Brown and his wife Lisa have some amazing children – and daughter Meredith is no exception. The Broughton High School junior has taken it upon herself to organize a road race, The Food Shuttle Garden Gallop 5k, to raise money for the Food Shuttle’s Camden Street Learning Garden. The race is on Saturday, June 10. (Editor’s note: I’m running in it and am certain to eclipse Gordon’s time.) Read more about her efforts here in the News & Observer and register for the race here. Kudos Meredith!

• Folks, listen up. I try to make it a habit not to tell people what to do (mainly because I don’t want them to tell me what to do, but I digress). Here is an exception. Go to this event! You can thank me later. Trust me. And get your tickets EARLY! Speaking of which, tickets to the eighth annual TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, scheduled for Oct. 18-21 in and around Chapel Hill, are now on sale here. It will sell out. Trust me!

Food Bank Corner

• Tomorrow, May 13th, is Stamp Out Hunger – the National Association of Letter Carriers largest one-day food drive in the nation! Look out for a designated donation bag delivered to you by your letter carrier, fill it with your donation, and your letter carrier will pick it up on May 13! Or forget the hassle of a trip to the grocery store and “shop” their virtual food drive and maximize your donation times ten! Get those details here.