Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- Could it be? Friend and “anything about Raleigh” guru Ashton Mae Smith tweeted out this week that Andrew Leager, the owner of Boylan Bridge Brewpub, told her that the popular summer hangout will open very soon. Leager told Out and About Friday morning that pending Friday’s Wake County Health Department walk-through, the restaurant would start staff training Saturday and reopen for its first full day of operation on Monday. Keeping our fingers crossed! Check first before going! Probably the best place to get the latest is on their Facebook page here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- The Rudd family, the folks behind the popular Rudino’s eateries, have transformed, and now opened, the Cary location in Cornerstone Village shopping center as a new restaurant called Smok’t BBQ & Taps. The menu features smoked ribs, chicken, beef brisket, pulled pork and wings that are cooked in a commercial smoker. There’s deep-fried turkey, and for those who prefer a vegetarian option, there’s smoked tofu and portabella mushrooms. Check them out here.
- This will make my buddy Sparky Cullen happy. WRAL reported this week that Raleigh’s very own Char-Grill is looking to open their 11th location at 2503 Ten Ten Road near the Apex/Cary line. If approved by Cary officials, it will be their second Cary location. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check them out here.
- Got word from a reader/viewer at WRAL that a new Mexican restaurant called Fogata Brava is opening in the former On The Border spot at Plantation Point near BJs and Triangle Town Center in Raleigh. They are looking to open in about a month according to employees on site. Thanks to reader/viewer Kelly Thomas for the tip. Check them out on Facebook here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- The News & Observer reported this week that Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken opened its fifth location this past week – this one on Durham’s Ninth Street. The popular Peruvian chicken restaurant got its start in Durham and has since opened in Raleigh, Cary and Sanford. Check out Alpaca here.
- 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.
Closings
- Over in Chapel Hill, even with a national championship in basketball and a contract extension for Larry Fedora, bad things still happen – like the closing announced this week of Franklin Street’s Carolina Ale House. Less than two years old, the closure leaves a very cool venue sitting empty. The only question is, for how long?
- The folks over at The Point reported that less than seven months after opening its doors again, Tir na Nog is closing them. Former manager Annie Britton-Nice has announced on Facebook that the pub will be shuttered starting May 31st. Tir na Nog had been operating out of an extension of London Bridge Pub on Hargett St. ever since November. It relocated there after 18 years at it’s previous location on South Blount St.
- And the News & Observer reported that more. kitchen & wine bar in downtown Raleigh will close this Saturday.
Food Trucks
- 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 (they both have rodeos in June). Check out the Durham dates here and the Raleigh dates here.
Events
- Ever attended a hummus mix-off? Well, get ready to scratch it off your bucket list because this Saturday, May 27th Sassool in North Raleigh will host a hummus “competition” featuring local chefs and their creations. The public, along with celebrity judges, will have a say. So get by Sassool between 4 and 9 p.m. to weigh in on the fun. Ballots are $5 and all proceeds benefit the Polka Dot Mama Melanoma Foundation. Get the details of the event on Facebook here.
- The Raleigh Food Corridor is hosting four unique “pop-up” dinners celebrating local food and community in Raleigh starting May 31st and continuing on June 1st, 7th and 8th. These are small, intimate dinners and seats are limited, so get tickets now by clicking here.
- Catering Works’ executive chef Rich Carter, winner of “Cooking for a Classic” chef competition, is sharing a secret – he doesn’t like to fly, so he goes on FOODCATIONS around the world. And you are invited to join him! Carter and his team are preparing a six course meal with wine and cocktail accompaniments for their 2017 Global Culinary Adventure. It will be held on Thursday, June 1st at 6:30 pm at Catering Works’ new venue, The Laurelbrook. I recently got a tour of the space thanks to friend Rebecca Antonelli and it is absolutely gorgeous! Tickets are only $45 and will definitely sell out (the trip to Spain last month did). Wine + cocktail pairings are an additional $25 per person. Tickets can be purchased by phone: 919.828.5932 or here.
- The restaurant and farm pairings for the 2017 Farm to Fork Picnic were announced recently. 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.
- Triangle Restaurant Week is 10 years old! The week-long event, June 5-11, features restaurants that offer three-course menu options and fixed pricing. Pricing for the event is $15 for a 3-course lunch, and $20,$25, $30 or $35 for a 3-course dinner. It is a great way to check out places you haven’t been before. Get a full list of participating restaurants and all the details here.
- 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! Trust me. And get your tickets EARLY! Speaking of which, tickets to the eighth annual TerraVita Food & Drink Festival (@TerraVitaFest), scheduled for Oct. 18-21 in and around Chapel Hill, are now on sale here. It will sell out. Trust me!
Food Bank Corner
- Nearly 300,000 children in the Food Bank’s 34 counties rely on the free and reduced-cost meals at school to get them through the day. For them, summertime doesn’t mean a fun-filled vacation. For them, no school means no meals. Stop Summer Hunger is the Food Bank’s annual initiative to provide additional food to feed these children and their families during this season of increased need. For example: A donation of $35 will feed a child for two months; A donation of $75 will feed a family of four for one month; and a donation of $150 will feed a family of four for two months. Help reach the goal of 3.4 million meals before July 31 and ensure that children will receive the daily, nutritious meals they need to grow healthy and strong! Click here to donate and find out more.
