Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- This is it. Your last chance. I’ve been touting this amazing event that Colleen Minton dreamed up 10 years ago and now we are at the 10th and FINAL Terra Vita Food & Drink Festival in Chapel Hill October 16-19, 2019. Yep, you read that right. This is the grand finale. There will be no more. And tickets went on sale this week! And heed my last (and final) warning – tickets will not last. If you’ve never been – GO! If you’ve been, don’t miss the last one. If you don’t know, it is a multi-day celebration that brings together top chefs, food artisans, sommeliers, baristas, brewers, educators, distillers, cookbook authors and industry luminaries from across the Southeast to celebrate culinary excellence and sustainability in food and drink. Get tickets and details here on all the events that week.
Wake County Restaurant News
- We are inching closer and closer to the “soonish” opening of Transfer Co. Food Hall’s newest addition – Mama Crow’s. They had their “family and friends” event this week and we are now in a holding pattern for them to open their doors. This joint could be downtown’s best kept secret – executive chef David Mitchell highlighting items found in southern gardens, you can expect to find quality ingredients in the burgers and salads crafted. Keep up with the latest and their pending opening on their Facebook page here.
- Saw on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance Facebook page that BREW Coffee Bar has taken over the coffee shop at the Poyner YMCA where previously Benelux operated the ground floor gym cafe. BREW opened the new shop last Monday. Including this location, BREW has a spot in Seaboard Station, downtown Cary and has new shops on the way in Gateway Plaza and the McNeill Pointe shopping center on Wake Forest Road. Get familiar with them here.
- The Triangle Business Journal reported that Raleigh’s Litchford Village will be getting a fresher look if plans move forward to turn an abandoned Burger King building into a Latin-inspired chicken restaurant called Pollo Campero. It started in Guatemala in 1971 and entered the U.S. market in Los Angeles in 2002. There are 350 locationss in the world, with 70 of them now in the United States. Pollo Campero, which means “country chicken,” serves crispy and grilled chicken prepared with a blend of Latin flavors using lime, peppers, cilantro, oregano and other spices. Get familiar with them here.
- The folks over at ITB Insider shared the news that the Neuse River Brewing Company will soon open a kitchen to compliment their existing taproom, offering patrons the chance to dine on fresh, locally sourced food. The new kitchen will reportedly transform Neuse River into a sort-of European-style bistro, offering “fine-dining concepts in a casual atmosphere,” according to their Facebook page. Once the restaurant opens, they’ll offer mixed drinks alongside their lineup of in-house brews. The Neuse River Brewing Company is located at 518 Pershing Road and originally opened in 2015. Check them out here.
- The summer pop-up fun continues through the summer where you can get a sneak preview of kō•än at their sister restaurant so•ca in Cameron Village! Follow them on Instagram here.
- Up in North Raleigh, Rebecca Calhoun spotted a sign for Crab Du Jour Cajun Seafood Restaurant and Bar in the Triangle Plantation shopping center on Capital Blvd. (6320 Plantation Center Dr) near I 540 in the former Mimi’s Café spot. No word on an open date. Get familiar with them here.
- Over in Garner, reader John Tipton tipped us off to the fact that Carolina Fish Fry out of the Wilmington area is taking over the closed Burger King location at Benson Rd and Timber Drive. Currently they are remodeling the building. Get familiar with this concept on their Facebook page.
- In Holly Springs, reader Marc Strader reached out to let us know that Osha Thai Kitchen & Sushi in the new Town Hall Commons recently had their soft opening and grand opening. Get by and check them out!
- In Fuquay Varina, David McCreary shared the news that Juicehaus, a raw juice joint, is coming soon to 509 North Broad Street in Fuquay-Varina. Get to know them here.
- And down in Apex, reader Chris Creighton informed us that a new restaurant has opened in Apex called Simply Healthy – fast food for smart people – located at 8753 Holly Springs Road in the same shopping center as Food Lion and Johnny’s Pizza. Get familiar with them on their Facebook page here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Saw on their Facebook page that the Spanglish location in Durham is having their soft opening this week, which means that the crew is in there getting acquainted with the new kitchen and finding their rhythm but still fully open to the public. Their Grand Opening celebration will be THIS Saturday July 13th! They operate the Spanglish food truck as well as Pressed by Spanglish over in Raleigh. This location is in the former Bagel Bar location at 104 City Hall Plaza. Get familiar with their Puerto Rican cuisine here.
- Over in Chapel Hill, you will recall that the former Monterrey location on Elliott Road (Monterrey moved to a larger space in Chapel Hill’s Ram Plaza) become Don Chicken. Well, they transitioned that concept with a rebranding/renaming resulting in Monterrey Tacos & Burritos. Don’t know that much changed (other than signage), but it seems to fit better into their overall concept/branding. Visit them on Facebook here.
- Over in the RTP side of Durham, along Page Road and adjacent to Page Road Grill and Mez, reader Paul Prause sent me a note about a sign for a new restaurant coming our way. The new venture is called Lulu Bangbang Asian, but that is all we know at this point. We were unable to find an online presence, so stay tuned! Thanks Paul!
Closings
- It is official. After 12 years, Watts Grocery, one of the leading restaurants in Durham’s early farm-to-table movement, closed amid bankruptcy issues. However, a Facebook post said that the building will close for a bit for light renovations and reopen as The Sage, an events space for the company’s Sage & Swift Gourmet catering operation.
- Reader Andrew Spracklen was the first to inform us that Hops Burger Bar on Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street has closed. Looks like they will keep their focus on the Triad, with a new location opening soon in Winston Salem.
- David McCreary shared the news that a sign on the front door of the Famous Toastery at 304 Grand Hill Place in Holly Springs indicated that the restaurant had permanently closed. Their location in Morrisville also closed. That leaves only the Cary location in Waverly Place still open in this market.
Food Trucks
- Cary’s next Downtown Chowdown Food Truck Rally will take place THIS Sunday, July 14th from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. Get a listing of trucks and all the details 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.
- The remaining two dates for the 2019 Durham Food Truck rodeos are September 1 and November 3! Get all the details 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
- The folks over at The Root Cellar Cafe (Pittsboro location) and Vino Wine Shop are teaming up for a Summer Wine Dinner on Sunday, July 28th featuring four (4) plated courses with five (5) wine pairings. Tickets are $69, which includes all fees, sales tax, and gratuity. Get all the details and tickets here.
- The date was released this week for the third annual Savor the Triangle Food Festival produced by Mix 101.5. This year’s event will again be held at the Kerr Scott building at the NC State Fairgrounds on Wednesday, September 18th from 6-9 p.m. Savor the Triangle Food Festival is a culinary event with the opportunity to sample many of the Triangle’s most delicious foods and drinks all in one place. Get all the details and early bird discounted 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.
- On Sunday, November 3rd, more than 30 of the Triangle’s finest restaurants will be paired with world-class wines at the third annual Sip + Savor – A Wine, Food and Music Experience. Sip + Savor will showcase 30+ culinary all-stars, sommeliers, on-stage experience with live music, VIP lounge, and more. Get all the details and tickets 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!
