Friday Fun Food Facts – June 7, 2019

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  The biggest holiday of the year has arrived! Today, June 7th, is National Donut Day! Surprisingly, most businesses remain open, however, police coverage might be a little thin today (yes, we recognize the irony of that sentence). Want to know where to get free donuts today? The folks over at Triangle on the Cheap have you covered. See the list here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Jason Smith shared the news this week with the News & Observer that he would be shutting down 18 Seaboard on July 2 as redevelopment of Seaboard Station looms. 18 Seaboard was the original restaurant in Smith’s 18 Restaurant Group that also includes Cantina 18 (locations in Raleigh and Morrisville) and 18 Harvest in Durham. 18 Seaboard saw some talented chefs come through in its 14 years including John Knox, now of Benchwarmers Bagels, Serge Falcoz-Vigne of Saint Jacques and Jake Wood of Plates on Glenwood Avenue. You still have about a month to get one (or two, or three) last visit in before they close. Visit all of Smith’s restaurants here.

• Next Wednesday, June 12th is the date for the opening of Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing which has completely revamped the former Boylan Bridge Brewpub space that is home to the “best view of Raleigh’s skyline.” They’ve redone everything from the look and feel, to a completely new and swanky menu and a great line-up of tasty beverages (“Come for the brews and stay for the views.”). Congrats to owners Chris Borreson and Sara Abernethy and the team they assembled to make this happen. The restaurant will only serve dinner for its first few weeks, operating from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 5 p.m. to midnight on the weekends. Its normal business hours will be from noon to 10 p.m. during the week and from noon to midnight on the weekends. Keep up with their progress here.

• WRAL reported this week that the much-anticipated Stir will open June 17th in North Hills. The restaurant, which will be located next to The Capital Grille, will feature premium oysters along with made-from-scratch entrees and cocktails made with artisanal ice. The house oyster will be a local North Carolina selection and the restaurant is working with purveyors including Sweet Pea Urban Gardener for microgreens and Raleigh City Farm. This will be Stir’s second location, the flagship location is in Chattanooga. Get familiar with them here.

• The folks over at EatRaleigh noticed a new spot called Iris Coffee Lab coming to 725 Tucker Street in the Glenwood South district. Look for them to open this summer. Check them out on Instagram here.

• This week Scott Crawford announced Madison Tessener would join Crawford Hospitality as the chef de cuisine for his French bistro Jolie, opening later this summer. For Tessener, this marks a return to Raleigh, her hometown, after a career working in the South’s most respected kitchens – at Fig, Husk, Charleston Grill, McCrady’s and Chez Nous – in Charleston since 2011. Look for Jolie to open this summer. Keep up with additional announcements on their Facebook page here.

• And down in Holly Springs, reader Eric Melvin shared the news (and apparently was their first customer) that Smoothie King has finally opened (he said it was great!) at 4208 Lassiter Drive. Check them out here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Michael DePersia of National Restaurant Properties shared the news this week that the Bagel Bar  in downtown Durham (across the street from City Hall) has been sold to Doel Gonzalez, owner of Spanglish food truck and the restaurant Pressed in north Raleigh. They plan to do some lite remodeling and open their concept shortly. Get familiar with them here.

• The folks over at Ninth Street Watch noticed signage up for Chicken Bee, which specializes in Korean-style fried chicken and a variety of savory Asian fusion dishes, at 810 Ninth Street, Suite 129 – in the former Saint & Co. spot. Visit their website here.

• Amber Watson at Bites of Bull City shared the news this week that Elon’s The Oak House, described as not a coffee shop that serves drinks and it is not a bar that serves coffee-it’s a high-end craft beverage lounge with something for everyone, is coming to downtown Durham’s One City Center. The Oak House looks to open later in June. Get familiar with them on their Facebook page here.

• And speaking of One City Center and just in time for summer, Bites of Bull City also reported that Raleigh’s Juicekeys has opened on the ground floor. If you are not familiar with them, they are a locally owned and operated organic juice and smoothie bar. They have two locations in Raleigh, Quail Corners and LaFayette Village. Get to know them here.

• Local food truck, Oak City Fish and Chips will be a new tenant at Pop Up at American Tobacco from June 3rd to the 27th. Find them during lunch 11am-2pm, Monday through Friday. Perhaps this is Oak City testing the waters in Durham…Bull City Fish and Chips has a nice ring to it! Get the details here.

• Also in Durham, reader Glenn Gillen noticed that in the former Pho 9N9 spot was a new Vietnamese restaurant called Phomazing at 2945 S. Miami Blvd. Get to know them on Facebook here.

Closings

• The Triangle lost a location of WhichWich last Friday. Which WhichWich, you ask? The Lake Boone Trail location in Raleigh. There are still 9 other locations in the Triangle.

• Jeddiah Gant tweeted the news this week that the downtown Raleigh YMCA location lost their partnership with Benelux. There last day was May 31. No news yet on what will be replacing that option, but they will make an announcement this summer.

Food Trucks 

• Got word from Wake Forest that the next Wake Forest Food Truck Rodeo will take place on Sunday, June 30th from 12 – 4 pm at 405 S. Brooks St. in downtown Wake Forest! Go ahead and mark your calendar. You can get all the details on their Facebook page here.

• Thanks to a note from Mark Ginsberg, I learned that the Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays is back up for the season. The event is held the third Thursday of the month from April through October at Knightdale Station Park for lunch AND dinner. Get all the details, truck schedule and more here.

• Go ahead and mark down the dates for 2019 for the Durham Food Truck rodeos – they are: June 16, September 1 and November 3! Get all the dates here.

• And the dates for the 2019 edition of the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo have been released – including THIS Sunday June 9th – 12-6pm. The remaining dates are: Sunday August 4th – 3pm-9pm ( Evening Rodeo); and Sunday Oct 6th – 12-6pm. All are held along Fayetteville Street. Get all the details here.

• And learned from the News & Observer’s Drew Jackson that apparently the Longleaf Swine folks are parting with their barbecue trailer as they are focusing on building a restaurant in the Transfer Co. Food Hall. Check out the trailer here.

Events

• On Saturday, June 8th from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.  the Town of Cary will host the Pimento Cheese Festival where food trucks will line Academy Street to serve their regular menu, along with new dishes featuring a southern delicacy: pimento cheese! Enjoy live music at the Downtown Park, grab a drink from local breweries, and taste some of the best pimento cheese samples from local restaurants. You can even test your skills in the pimento cheese sculpting contest. Get all the details here.

• Also on Saturday, June 8th, Raleigh will play host to their own International Food Festival held in downtown on the Raleigh City Plaza. Last year nearly 17k people attended the day full of dance performances, bands and food from around the world from noon until 10 p.m. Get all the details here.

• Mark your calendars to come to 321 S. Blount Street (MOFU Shoppe) on June 15th, from 11am to 3pm for a special brunch pop-up benefiting 321 Coffee! The special menu will feature food and Doughp Biscotti from MOFU Shoppe’s chef Matt Greiner, fresh New York-style bagels from Bold Bagels chef Josiah Halbohm, and coffee from the amazing 321 Coffee. All proceeds will go to benefit 321 Coffee. Visit their Facebook event page here.

• The weekend of June 14-15, 2019, BBQ cook teams from across the U.S. will be gathering in historic downtown Apex to compete for the Grand Championship of the 7th Annual Bone Suckin’ Sauce Peak City Pig Fest. The event is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS), the nation’s leading BBQ sanctioning body. More than 30,000 people are expected to attend.  The Peak City Pig Fest will offer the public the opportunity to again purchase competition barbecue chicken, ribs, beef brisket and pork in addition to live music, pig races, lots of food and fun stuff for the kids. Visit the event site here.

• Ever wanted to show off your pickle? Now is your chance. The Rickhouse hosts Durham’s 5th Annual PickleFest on June 22 – featuring a Home Pickler’s Contest. The pickle-packed tasting event and marketplace will be showcasing North Carolina made products from pickle vendors near and far including locally crafted kombucha and kimchi! Triangle area restaurants sample their unique pickle dishes as well as pickle flavored beers and a Bloody Mary bar to quench your thirst and pucker your lips! VIP $25 includes early bird entry from Noon – 1pm + Home Pickler’s Contest Tasting + (1) free drink ticket. General Admission $10 – Session 1 from 1 – 3pm | Session 2 from 2 – 4pm. Kids under 10 years old are free. Visit their Facebook event page here.

• The folks over at Pompieri Pizza are expanding their annual Lambrusco Fest this year – extending it over 6 days from June 17 through June 22! Lambrusco Fest was a one day festival, but this year they are changing up with events happening over six days. They will have pasta and parmesan dinners as well as specials featuring prosciutto and balsamic and fun things! Get all the details on what is being offered each day (some events are already sold out!).

• Taste celebrates the vibrant Durham-Chapel Hill culinary scene with a festival of food & beverage events, June 26-30, 2019. All told, the event features 5 premium culinary events. New for this year, they are offering back-to-back nights of their signature Grand Taste Experience at the Durham Armory – with each night featuring over 30 great local restaurants. The week also boasts a 1920s themed Speakeasy Nightclub at a secret location, a 6-Course Southern Feast Dinner at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and a Boozy Brunch at Clouds Brewing. Get all the details and tickets here.

• It was recently announced that one of Chatham County’s largest food festivals, the 12th Annual Pittsboro Pepperfest, is returning to main street in downtown Pittsboro. The date for this year’s event is Sunday, September 22 from 3 – 6 p.m. So go ahead and mark your calendar to spend your afternoon in historic, downtown Pittsboro. Get all the details here.

• One of my favorite annual events released details about their event dates and when tickets will go on sale. The 10th anniversary edition of Terra Vita Food & Drink Festival will take place in Chapel Hill October 16 – 19, 2019. Tickets go on sale July 11, so put that date on your calendar to snap up the quick sell-outs! Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• While some kids daydream about trips to the pool and neighborhood games, others are worried summer will mean months with an empty fridge. But thanks to our generous corporate sponsors, you can help twice as many kids facing hunger this summer: Every gift you give before July 31 will be doubled – up to $102,500! That means that every $10 you give will be doubled to help provide 100 meals for children and families losing access to school-provided meals this summer. Double your donation today!