Friday Fun Food Facts – September 21, 2018

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

• The devastating impact of Hurricane Florence will continue to be felt for weeks and months ahead, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina will continue to be there…and they need your help. Here are some quick links for you: Most Needed Items; How You Can Donate Funds; How To Hold A Virtual Food Drive; and A List Of Local Disaster Response Agencies. If you can, reach out to help some else.

  Also, there have been many restaurants across the Triangle that have designated a percentage back to the Food Bank, which has been fantastic. Here are two that are continuing to do so – Buku/Soca and Mandolin.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Got word this week from reader Wesley Mays that Clean Eatz is now open for business in the Stone Creek Village shopping center in Cary in the old Five Guys location. They also have a location in Raleigh at 7461 Six Forks Road. Get familiar with them there.

• The folks over at ITB Insider kept close tabs on Lola’s Beach Bar, and are now reporting that it is open. They are located a few doors down from NOFO and Third Place Coffee Shop on Glenwood Avenue at Five Points. They are self-described as a gritty surf/tiki beach bar in serving street tacos, burritos, nachos with margaritas, beer and tequila. Check them out here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Got word from Gael Chatelain of Napoli Food Truck fame that he has opened Napoli Café at 105 E. Main Street in downtown Carrboro. The café will be serving up handmade from scratch gelato using local milk, espresso based drinks with Counter Culture beans, teas from Sangha Tea and local craft beer on draft. You can order from the truck in the cafe and enjoy it all on the new patio between the truck and café. Check them out on Facebook here.

Closings

• Noticed on a recent outing that the Living Kitchen on Chapel Hill’s Elliott Road has closed. A sign on the door encourages folks to visit their location in Raleigh. They also have a location in Charlotte.

Food Trucks

• Namu Restaurant and Coffee Bar and the RDU Mobile Food Association are holding a Food Truck Rodeo on Sunday, September 23 from 12 to 4 p.m. at at the Zen and beautiful gardens of Namu Durham (5420 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd.). At this point there are eight trucks, live music and more planned. Check out their Facebook event page here.

• Only two dates remain in 2018 for the Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo and Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo. Check out Durham here and Raleigh here.

Events

• 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.

• Chef Teddy Diggs of Coronato, a new Roman-style pizzeria concept slated to open in early 2019, is partnering with master baker Lionel Vatinet of LaFarm to host a pizza pop-up at La Farm Bakery. The pop-up is scheduled for Sunday, September 23, beginning at 5pm at the original La Farm Bakery location, 4248 NW Cary Parkway, Cary, NC 27513. He will fire up 70 pizzas throughout the night and will be using Vatinet’s terrific flours. Guests have their choice of a starter, pizza and dessert. Complimentary Roman wine tastings will also be available. Seating will be every 30 minutes from 5pm to 8pm. Italian beers and Roman wines from Sunrise Wines will be available. Get tickets and all the details here.

• The folks out at Brier Chapel in Chatham County will hold the 11^th Annual Pepper Festival on September 23, 3-6 p.m. The annual Pepper Festival challenges approximately 50 of the state’s top chefs and brewers to craft one-of-a-kind recipes using the locally grown and bred North Carolina pepper while celebrating North Carolina chefs, cuisines, music and culture to benefit Abundance NC, a nonprofit that supports sustainable food and fuels. Get all the details here.

• Saw in the Beltline Buzz that the East Meets West Festival in Morrisville will return again on September 29^th from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. It is a day of food, culture, and music from around the world. Enjoy small plates from local restaurants, performances by cultural groups from around the community and fun activities for kids, including face painting and a bounce house. Festival admission is free. Get all the details here.

• On October 4^th, Joseph Leli at Leli’s Diner in Wake Forest will host an Indian Summer Wine Dinner at 7 p.m. hosted by Scott Langston. Tickets are $65. Get tickets and all the details on their website 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 porktastic 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 folks over at Melina’s Fresh Pasta reached out to let me know that a group of Italian Americans in the Triangle have gotten together to plan the Inaugural Festa Italiana on October 7 from 11 to 6 in the 600 block of Tucker Street in front of Lucky B’s. They will have a great list of food vendors and food trucks, an entertainment stage and more. Get all the details on their Facebook page here.

• Also on October 7, TROSA will hold their BBQ & Friends fundraiser co-presented by Sysco Raleigh. This fun, family-friendly event will feature music, games, crafts with The Scrap Exchange, and an amazing sampling of food from some of the Triangle’s best chefs and restaurants. The current list includes: Foster’s Market, Giorgios Group, Guglhupf, J. Betski’s, Mateo, The Mayton Inn, The Original Q Shack, Rise Biscuits & Donuts, Rue Cler, Sage & Swift Gourmet Catering, Saltbox Seafood Joint, Watt’s Grocery, Tom & Jenny’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and Counter Culture Coffee. Tickets are limited and on sale now for $25/Adult; $10/Children ages 5-12. Children 4 and under free. Get tickets and all the details here.

• October 7^th is also the date for the 28th annual A Tasteful Affair will take place at the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill from 5-8pm. Guests will join 500 others to sample the best of the Triangle’s food and beverage establishments. The evening will entail food and beverage, live music by Rory John Zak, an exciting silent auction, and a raffle for a 7-night complimentary resort stay! All funds raised will support the mission of the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill. Tickets to the event, silent auction shopping, and raffle ticket purchases can be made here.

• And one more event on October 7^th, Mandolin’s Fall Farmer’s Dinner where they will celebrate the bounty of Fall Harvest at Mandolin Farm. Chef Sean Fowler and his team will prepare an autumn-themed, family style feast that will be served in this beautiful pastoral setting. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktail hour and dinner begins promptly at 7:00. Tickets are $150 and include passed hors d’oeuvres, family style meal, wine, and gratuity. Proceeds will go to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC to help provide assistance to those who were affected by Hurricane Florence. Get more details and tickets here.

• The 2nd annual Sip + Savor, featuring 30 restaurants, 30 wineries and live music, will take place at the DPAC on Sunday, October 14th 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 9th 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.

• October 19th and 20th are the dates for the 5th Annual Triangle Oktoberfest held again this year at the beautiful Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Presented by the Apex Sunrise and Cary MacGregor Rotary Clubs in collaboration with the Town of Cary, it is an authentic German festival focused on family fun, traditional Bavarian food and fare, and plenty of local and authentic German beers from Munich, all to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and other local and international charities. In addition to brats grilled up by volunteers, the event has confirmed the following food vendors so far: The Butcher’s Market, Annelore’s German Bakery, Capital Club 16, Uncle Dave’s Kettle Corn and The Nutty Bavarian. More to come. Get tickets and details here
• And one of my daughter’s favorite events, the Mac and Cheese Throwdown, has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 21 from 5 until 8 p.m. at 214 Martin in downtown Raleigh. The current 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! All proceeds benefit The Hope Center at Pullen. Details here.

• Come celebrate with us at the 2018 Brewer’s Ball – A Celebration of Triangle’s Finest on Friday, November 16, at Oak and Dagger Public House at Seaboard Station in Raleigh from 7 to 10 p.m. (VIP Honoree and Sponsors Reception at 6:30 p.m.). The Brewer’s Ball is an evening featuring the finest in brews, cocktails, food, music, and difference makers in the community. Guests are treated to a variety of hand-crafted brews and beverages from around town, creative and delicious food pairings from the city’s top restaurants, live music, expansive live and silent auctions, and a chance to mix and mingle with the best and brightest in the Triangle, all while being a part of a great cause: helping move us closer to a cure for CF. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

•  September is Hunger Action Month! Everyone has a role to play in ending hunger. Hunger Action Month is your opportunity to join a movement that has a real and lasting impact on our effort to feed more North Carolinians than ever before. Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, making a donation, having a short conversation with friends, or volunteering, you can find the way that’s right for you to make a difference during Hunger Action Month. Together, we can solve hunger. Each voice counts. Every action matters. Find out how you can make a difference here.