Friday Fun Food Facts – August 24, 2018

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  Back in July we told you about the newest location of Two Roosters Ice Cream coming to downtown Raleigh. Well, WRAL reported this week that they have opened a pop up location in their Person Street Plaza location! And they are here to stay. They will close sometime in October for a few months to finish renovations, but they do plan to re-open there in the spring. Keep up with them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Ashton Mae Smith’s email last week noted that Tapworks, the 50-tap, self-pour joint at 222 Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh, has opened and also includes a pretty fun food menu. Check them out here.

• Also at 222 Glenwood South, and also in Ashton’s email, she noted that Anise Pho has opened serving up authentic Vietnamese cuisine. This is actually a re-opening, as they moved from Cary to this location. Get familiar with them here on Facebook.

• Up in North Raleigh at the intersection of Six Forks and Sawmill, we’ve been notified of some updates and changes thanks to a note from reader John Voigt. First up, the Las Margaritas Mexican Restaurant has closed. And on a more positive note, Hot Sauce and Ketchup, a burgers and wings joint, has opened at 7400 Six Forks Road. See them on Facebook here.

• This might be a bit premature, but it is too exciting not to share. A reader shared with us that they recently learned that Cape Fear Seafood Company Restaurant, which has 3 locations in Wilmington, is hiring for the opening of their 4th restaurant, which will be here in Raleigh. We reached out to the restaurant and the confirmed they are coming, but chose not to reveal the where and when at this time. Go ahead and get familiar with them here.

• Over in Cary, reader Scott Eaton shared with us a coupe of updates going on at Millpond Village at the corner of Kildaire and Ten Ten. First up, Frida’s Patio Mexican Cuisine has moved into the former 3 Amigos Mexican Restaurant space and is currently in a “soft-open” mode with a grand opening planned for September 15^th. He also noted that a Starbucks is under construction next to the McDonald’s. All we could find for Frida’s was a Yelp listing here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• On a recent visit to the new Monterrey Mexican restaurant location in Chapel Hill’s Rams Plaza, I noticed a “coming soon” sign for a Mr. Tokyo Japanese Restaurant moving into the space next door. Apparently they have a couple of locations in the Charlotte area, but most notably on their website is that they offer an unlimited sushi and hibachi menu for lunch and dinner. Get ready! Get familiar with them here.

• Over in Durham, the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau shared via Twitter that the craft coffee roaster, Caballa Rojo, has opened a pop-up coffee shop at 359 Blackwell Street in the American Tobacco Campus from now through the end of August. Check them out here.

• Also in Durham, learned from Michael DePersia of National Restaurant Properties that Mattie B’s Public House has been sold to Saroj Poudel of Pop’s Backdoor in Durham and Papa’s Pizza in Raleigh. He plans on keeping the menu primarily the same but changing the name over the course of the next six months. Stay tuned. Visit Mattie B’s here.

• And listen up restaurateurs; got word that Durham County government has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking tenants to fill two brand new restaurant spaces in the newly renovated County Administrative Building II. If you haven’t seen this building, it is absolutely gorgeous and right on Main Street! The RFP and required documentation for submission can be downloaded from the Durham County Government website here.

• If you find yourself in Siler City down in Chatham County, make it a point to get by chef Dustin Poe’s Artisan Hub diner. Apparently they haven’t been open too long, but are quickly gaining a great reputation for their breakfast, lunch and brunch options. And reader Eric Dahl tells me they are now doing a Friday night dinner special. Not much on their website, but they are located at 113. W. Raleigh Street in Siler City.

Closings

•  Good news, bad news. First the bad news. Sugarland Bakery has closed their Cameron Village location. Good news. They still have the original Chapel Hill location on Franklin Street. More reason to go to Chapel Hill!

• Meg Smigielska, from Meg Here and There, is reporting that Phat Chicken on Martin Street has closed.

• And got word from WRAL that Vegan Flava Cafe has closed the Guess Road location in Durham (by Northgate Mall) and will focus on the new location in Chapel Hill’s Blue Dogwood Market.

Food Trucks

• Not sure what possessed me to share this, but the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck – a Hello Kitty-themed food truck – will stop in Raleigh for a special appearance on Aug. 25 at Triangle Town Center. The truck will be near the mall’s Creekside Cafes from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with “supercute treats & merch,” according to their Facebook event page. The food and drink menu includes things like mini cakes, macarons, cookies, pocket pies and more. Hello Kitty-themed T-shirts, mugs, sparkly bows, thermal bottles, a lunchbox and other items also typically are for sale from the trucks.

• Only a few dates remain in 2018 for the Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo and Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo. The next one is in Durham on Sunday, September 2nd. Check out Durham here and Raleigh here.

Events

•  The 2nd annual Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market Brewfest is happening on Saturday, August 25, with a 12 pack of local brewers and fermenters bringing product to sample and sell. Look for: Botanist & Barrel, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Bull City Ciderworks, Dingo Dog Brewing, Fullsteam Brewery, Haw River Farmhouse Ales, Mystery Brewing, Oak & Dagger Public House, Raleigh Brewing, Starpoint Brewing, 3rd Degree Brewhouse, and Vecino Brewing. The address is 201 S. Estes Drive Chapel Hill. (University Place next to Silverspot) and hours are regular market hours, 8am-12. Get details here.

• Sunday, August 26^th is the date for Families Moving Forward’s Kids for Change End of Summer Celebration at Durham Central Park from 3-5 p.m. featuring budget-friendly food trucks and lots of fun entertainment. Admission is free. Check it out here.

• The NCRLA Chef Showdown is an annual statewide culinary competition sponsored by the NC Department of Ag. that will result in a final competition on Monday, Aug 27 in Charlotte. The final event is in conjunction with the first night of the industry’s Restaurant & Hotel Expo. Get all the information you need here.

• This is always a fun event for the family to attend – the 37^th Annual Raleigh Greek Festival being held September 7-9 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Get all the details including the food, entertainment and ticket information on their website here.

• On Saturday, September 8^th from 12-5 p.m. Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre will be host to Tacos ‘N Taps featuring all you care to taste beer and tequila along with the area’s best tacos and Mexican food. Get all the details and tickets here.

• The Root Cellar and the House of Hops will host a Low Country Boil and Brew on Sunday, September 9th from 4-8 p.m. at their adjoining Pittsboro locations in Chatham Park. Your $25 ticket gets you an overflowing plate of fresh shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes. Thirsty? They’ll have 24 craft beers on tap and hundreds of bottled and canned beers, available for purchase. Get your tickets and all the details here.

• And one of my daughter’s favorite events has set the date for their 2018 edition – the Mac and Cheese Throwdown is scheduled for Sunday, September 16th from 5pm until 8pm at 214 Martin.  They’ve had a great response from some “mac makers” and have some new contestants this year.  So far, it looks like the lineup is Relish, The Butcher’s Market, Oak and Dagger, Wandering Moose, Dram and Draught, US Foods, The Mac House, Southern Charred, NOFO and the chef from 214 Martin. My daughter and I will be judges again this year! Check it out.

• Chef Satoshi Katakura travels from Tokyo, Japan to Durham to join the Dashi team for a four-night Omakase Dinner Series September 17-20. The Japanese chef and owner of Hiro, an izakaya in the Nakameguro neighborhood in Tokyo, will team up with co-owner and head chef, Billy Cotter, for the third year in a row, to create a unique omakase meal of five courses that highlight Japanese culinary skills while showcasing local, North Carolina ingredients. Get all the details here.

• St. Ann Church in Clayton will host their 10th International Food Festival on September 22nd, featuring foods from 20 countries prepared by parishioners. The family friendly event also includes live international entertainment on stage, children’s games and a silent auction. Admission and parking are free. Hours are from 11 till 6. For more information, visit them here.

• The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering announced that they will host their annual Porkapalooza Festival at their new Pittsboro restaurant on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. To celebrate their seventh year, the celebration will offer small plate creations, featuring locally raised pork from Hickory Nut Gap and Sharp Family Farms, served casually indoors and outdoors, rather than a traditional seated dinner. Their Pittsboro location is at 35 Suttles Road in Penguin Place in Pittsboro. Tickets for Porkapalooza are $50, which includes all food, entertainment and a souvenir pint cup. Get all the details here.

• The 2^nd annual Sip + Savor, featuring 30 restaurants, 30 wineries and live music, will take place at the DPAC on Sunday, October 14^th from 4 – 7 p.m. The event is an exclusive opportunity to sample the Triangle’s top restaurants paired with famed wineries from across the world. There will also be live music, desert and bubbly on the DPAC stage. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Get tickets and all the details here.

• Ok, here it is again. And I tell you EVERY year, but I will repeat it again. DO. NOT. MISS. THIS. EVENT. You can just thank me later. The dates have been set for the 9^th annual TerraVita Festival over in Chapel Hill. Those dates are October 17-20. Things will kick off Wednesday, October 17, with the East Meets West dinner (first year at The Carolina Inn) and end on October 20 with the Fall Fête on The Green in Southern Village. Check out this video that give you a great look at all the events that make up TerraVita. Or visit their website here.

Food Bank Corner

• For most of us and for our children summertime is full of memories and fun times and it seems like school will be here before we know it. But for many, summertime is the hardest time of the year – children not feeling full and parents struggling to keep food on the table. The Food Bank CENC can remove the grown-up worries for kids in our community, and help ease the stress of their parents…but they cannot Stop Summer Hunger alone. Help kids just be kids for the rest of the summer by donating today.