Friday Fun Food Facts – June 14, 2019

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  Up in North Raleigh, the much-anticipated Cape Fear Seafood Company (CFSC) announced they will open their first location outside the Wilmington area next Monday, June 17 at 832 Spring Forest Road, the former Kamado Grill/Lucky 32 spot. This will be the fourth location for the company, and the first franchise location. This week they are hosting four reservation-only charity events. The events are open to the public and will benefit The First Tee of the Triangle, Habitat for Humanity, Make a Wish and The Trawick Pediatric Cardiology Fund at Duke Children’s Hospital. Fifty percent of sales will be donated to the designated charity partners. Keep up with them on their Facebook page here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Ashton Mae Smith shared the news this week that One Glenwood would become the home to Australian-based Zambero, a Mexican restaurant concept that also donates a meal to someone in need from disadvantaged communities across Africa, Asia and the Americas. This will be just their third location in the United States. Get familiar with our new mates here.

• This past Wednesday saw the opening of Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing which completely revamped the former Boylan Bridge Brewpub space that is home to the “best view of Raleigh’s skyline.” Get to know them here.

• The folks over at ITB Insider shared the news that a new two-story restaurant and bar called the Yacht Club is coming to the former home of Office Tavern at 710 W. Johnson. Not much other detail has been provided yet, nor could we find an online presence. One can only assume the menu would have a seafood bend. Stay tuned!

• Also in downtown Raleigh, don’t think we ever completed our reporting that Slice Pie Company, home of the State Fair blue ribbon pie, and Sweet Water New York Ice Co. are open in a “pop-up” location at 17 E. Martin Street through September. Visit Slice Pie here and Sweet Water here.

• And one last bit of downtown Raleigh news, WTVD shared this week that Budacai (Boba Bar Bites), a new tea bar and restaurant featuring Asian fusion dishes and teas of all sorts, has opened in the former Provenance space at 120 E. Martin Street. They are open Monday-Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Visit their Facebook page here.

• The folks over at WRAL reported 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.

• And if that is not enough exciting news next week from North Hills, WRAL let us know that Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls will hold a grand opening on June 19 where attendees will get a chance to win free lobster for a year. Everything begins at 11 a.m. This is their eighth location, the first in North Carolina. Check them out here.

• WRAL also shared the news this week that a new taqueria concept called Chido Taco is coming into the McNeil Pointe development at the intersection of McNeil Street and Wake Forest Road (across from Mami Nora’s). It is a Mercado style fast-casual taqueria and bar set to open later this month or July. If your Spanish is a little weak, Chido is slang for cool. Get familiar with them here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Tim Coynesmith was not the only one excited to learn the news this week that the former Tyler’s location at American Tobacco Campus will soon be filled with beer again. The News & Observer shared the news that a pop-up beer garden will spend the summer in the outdoor space formerly known as Tyler’s, bringing a handful of Rocky Mount breweries to the Bull City. The beer garden, led by HopFly Brewing Co., will feature some of the breweries currently operating out of the Rocky Mount Mills development. HopFly be joined by Tarboro Brewing Co., Koi Pong Brewing and BDD Brewing. The beer garden will open Friday, June 21, and initially will be open Thursday and Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 9 p.m. Visit the American Tobacco campus website here.

• Speaking of pop-ups at American Tobacco, local food truck, Oak City Fish and Chips will be the  new tenant at Pop Up at American Tobacco through June 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 to know them here.

• Amber Watson over Bites of Bull City shared that a new coffee shop is coming soon to 721 Broad Street in Durham. Cloche Coffee is set to open in August. Not much to see just yet, but visit and keep up with them on Instagram here.

• And last week we shared the news that Michael DePersia of National Restaurant Properties had sold the Bagel Bar in downtown Durham (across the street from City Hall) to Doel Gonzalez, owner of Spanglish food truck and the restaurant Pressed in north Raleigh. This week he successfully sold the Chapel Hill location of the Bagel Bar to Sam Suchoff, owner of The Pig (in the same development). Stay tuned to see what he does with his newest purchase. In the meantime, visit The Pig here.

Closings

• Well this might be a record. Leo Suarez shared via Twitter that The Acorn at Oak City closed at 170 East Davie Street. They had just opened back in April. Can we have Kaiju Bowl and Bao back?

• And speaking of short-timers, after just under a year, Chapel Hill’s MidiCi location at the corner of Columbia and Franklin streets closed quietly.

• Over in Apex, WRAL reported that a bankruptcy judge ordered Peak City Grill & Bar (owned by Peak Hospitality Group LLC) to close immediately.

• Derek Medlin shared the news that Hillsborough Street’s Smashed Waffles was no more. They opened in January/February 2018.

• Just a reminder that Jason Smith’s s 18 Seaboard will end a 14 year run on July 2 – but good luck reserving a “farewell” lunch or dinner. Here is their website.

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 – including one THIS Sunday, June 16. The final two will be on September 1 and November 3! Get all the dates here.

• And the remaining two dates for the 2019 edition of the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo 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.

Events

•  Come to 321 S. Blount Street (MOFU Shoppe) tomorrow (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.

• This weekend (June 14-15), 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.

• You can ask the lovely and talented Lori Bowers-Lennard, but I’m not much of a fruit fan. But one fruit I can get excited about is a good ol’ North Carolina peach. That is why I’m excited to share that Dexter Hill reached out to me this week to be one of the judges at the NC Peach Day which will take place at the State Farmers Market on Thursday, July 11 beginning at 11 a.m. There will be free peach ice cream, fresh NC peaches, a peach recipe contest (of which I will be a judge!) and a special appearance by the N.C. Peach Queen (who knew?). Get all the details 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!