Friday Fun Food Facts – January 17, 2014

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Triangle Restaurant Week returns next week running January 20-26. The week offers you a chance at three courses of lunch or dinner at area restaurants for a fixed price. The price is $15 for a three-course lunch and $30 for a three-course dinner. It does not include drinks, tax or tip. Get out and try some new restaurants next week! Get more information here.

If you work in downtown Raleigh there is a new place to get your morning coffee fix. We got word this week from a couple of sources that Cafe de Los Muertos coffee shop is now open on the ground floor of The Hue building in the warehouse district (300 West Hargett Street, to be exact). Check them out here.

New Raleigh noted this week that Zaky Mediterranean Restaurant on Glenwood South plans to expand into the Tutti Fruitti space next door adding a salad bar and yogurt to menu. Check them out here.

TBJ’s Amanda Jones Hoyle reported this week that the Burger King location in North Raleigh in the Harvest Plaza shopping center is set to be bulldozed on February 1st, and construction of a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant will begin in early April. It will mark the Triangle’s 10th location upon completion.

Bombshell Beer Company, an all-female-owned brewery, has opened in Holly Springs at 120 Quantum Drive. They will have a grand opening on January 25 beginning at 12 noon with music, three food trucks, giveaways and their very own beer. Get all the details here.

A couple of “rising from the ashes” stories for you. The N&O is reporting this morning that Cameron Village’s Sushi Gami, which closed last summer due to a fire, will reopen in the next 60 days. And Greg Cox over at the N&O tweeted this week that Durham’s Pizzeria Toro is slated to open next month after a fire closed it last year.

Tim Lyons, owner/chef of Blu Seafood & Bar, has announced plans to open Primal Food & Spirits this summer. He describes the venture as the Triangle’s first gluten-free restaurant. It will be in the Southpoint Crossing Shopping Center where Souper Salad used to be. Look for a May or June opening. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with their progress.

We got word from our friends over at Taste Carolina that a Zaxby’s is going in on Hillsborough Road in Durham in the location of the former Bergama Restaurant which closed at the end of last August.

Gregoria’s Kitchen in Durham (which just recently reopened) announced this week that they will begin opening for brunch on February 2nd from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Gregoria’s serves Cuban cuisine with an emphasis on steaks, chops and seafood, as well as vegetarian and vegan specialties. Get all the details here.

Durham’s first food truck rodeo of 2014 is all set for Sunday, January 26th from noon until 4 p.m. at Durham’s Central Park. Look for 40+ trucks and local beer from Fullsteam. Additionally, this edition will feature a hill full of snow for sledding thanks to the folks over at Durham Parks & Recreation. Bring the kids and all your friends! Get all the details here.

There will be a new truck rolling around the streets of the Triangle come next April – assuming they get a little help from you! And they are now just under $1k from reaching that goal/dream. Dump Pho King Truck is targeting an April launch, but they are still in the middle of a kickstarter campaign (through tomorrow!). As you can guess from their name, they are Asian inspired and their staples will be dumplings and pho. Check them out here.

Some of the best baristas in the region will face off in a friendly competition at this region’s version of the US Coffee Championships. It will take place in our very own downtown Durham this weekend – January 17th through the 19th in The Cotton Room on East Main Street. It is open to the public. Get all the details here.

Think you’ve got mad bread baking skills? If so, Ninth Street Bakery in downtown Durham has the event for you – the Triangle Amateur Bread Baking contest. There are two categories – Traditional (flour, water, yeast, salt) and Anything Goes! The prize for both categories is $100. The event will be held from 5-8 p.m. on January 24th. Get all the details at their Facebook event page here.

The 3rd annual chef competition in Durham called the Bull City Vegan Challenge is back for the month of February. Six restaurants are competing to see who can dish up the most creative vegan entree and dessert for the entire month of February. Participating restaurants (one more to be announced) are Beyu Café, Dos Perros, Hummingbird Bakery, Parts & Labor (Motorco) and The Refectory Café. And you get to vote. Get all the details here.

The Bull City Food & Beer Experience is back for its second year. This year’s event will be held at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) on March 9th at 4 p.m. The event pairs food from 30 Durham restaurants and unbelievable beer from 30 premier craft / import breweries. Tickets are $85.50. A limited number of exclusive VIP tickets are also available. Get all the details here.

Here is an event you are definitely going to want to get on your calendar for 2014. Two words: Beer. Bacon. That’s right, a Beer and Bacon Festival is coming to Cary’s Booth Amphitheater featuring at least 75 craft beers and 10 varieties of bacon (did you know there were 10 varieties?). The event will be held on March 29 from noon until 6 p.m. Get all the details and ticket information here.

There is someone I would like you to meet. Her name is Kate. But chances are pretty good, you already know her. You see, in our area (just 34 counties) more than 560,000 people live at or below the poverty level: 191,000 are children. Read here to learn more about what the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is doing to help those children. Do me a favor, and take the two minutes to watch the video. You’ll be glad you did.