{"id":220,"date":"2015-01-09T08:05:04","date_gmt":"2015-01-09T13:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=220"},"modified":"2015-01-09T08:06:15","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T13:06:15","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-january-9-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; January 9, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 align=\"left\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Triangle Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Triangle restaurant news&#8230;that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00a0<strong>Featured Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Did you miss me? It is good to be back and already loving 2015! We&#8217;ve got a ton of news, so let&#8217;s get to it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The newest member of the <strong>Carolina Ale House<\/strong> family is scheduled to open their doors for lunch on <strong>January 12th<\/strong>. This is a beautiful location in the middle of Raleigh&#8217;s Glenwood South district (500 Glenwood Avenue to be exact). The restaurant is located on the third floor of the new building and features a rooftop patio. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CAHDTRaleigh\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">Check them out on Facebook here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Wake County Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>I begin the new year with a suggestion of a great article to read. If you are sensing that the food scene in Raleigh has experienced a bit of a resurgence over the last couple of years, you would be correct. And in this article, the <strong>News &amp; Observer&#8217;s Andrea Weigl<\/strong> does a great job of capturing that momentum. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/2015\/01\/06\/4455220_raleighs-food-and-drink-scene.html?sp=\/99\/106\/139\/&amp;rh=1\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">Take a few minutes to read it<\/a><\/span><\/strong> &#8211; you&#8217;ll be glad you did (and hungry!).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And if you want to read\/see something else pretty cool &#8211; <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> tapped <strong>Ashley Christensen<\/strong> as their <strong>Businessperson of the Year for 2014<\/strong>! <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/triangle\/news\/2014\/12\/19\/2014-businessperson-of-the-year-ashley-christensen.html\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">Check it out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>WRAL<\/strong> reported that <strong>The Medlin<\/strong>, a new neighborhood bar at 3037 Medlin Drive in Raleigh, opened its doors on Christmas Day. It is located in a small shopping area off of Dixie Trail, and is owned by the same folks who own <strong>The Goat<\/strong> bar. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheMedlin\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">You can check them out on Facebook here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Saw on <strong>Yelp<\/strong> that a 4th Triangle location of <strong>Mami Nora&#8217;s<\/strong>, a Peruvian style chicken rotisserie restaurant, will open in early 2015 on Capital Boulevard in the <strong>MiniCity Market Place<\/strong> shopping center in the former <strong>Polla a la Brasa<\/strong> location. Should be opening any day now, but we&#8217;ll keep an eye on it. In the meantime, <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/maminoras.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">check out one of their other locations<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>According to their Facebook page, popular food truck\/barn <strong>Big Mike&#8217;s BBQ<\/strong> is opening their brick and mortar location this weekend with a soft opening for dinner tonight (Friday) and Saturday. The new location is at 1222 NW Maynard Road in Cary. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.apexbbq.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And speaking of food trucks transitioning into brick and mortar locations, I saw in the <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> that <strong>Chick-N-Que<\/strong> is slated to open in Rolesville today (<strong>January 9th<\/strong>). The restaurant is a brick-and-mortar location of a popular food truck that has been on the road since 2009. It is located at 420 S. Main St. in Rolesville. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.chicknque.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>After 17 years, downtown Raleigh&#8217;s <strong>Mo&#8217;s Diner<\/strong> transitioned quickly just after the new year into <strong>Holly&#8217;s on Hargett<\/strong>. A new interior look and an added bar are some of the changes, while many of the menu favorites remain the same according to owner <strong>Holly Mohajer<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Hollys-on-Hargett\/744632102280902\" target=\"_blank\">Check her out on Facebook here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Downtown Raleigh&#8217;s <strong>La Volta<\/strong> is no more. The owners are transitioning the space into a new Caribbean concept called <strong>The Twisted Mango<\/strong>. It will remain under the ownership of <strong>Michael Longo<\/strong>. No word yet on an open date. Thank you to <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NewRaleigh\" target=\"_blank\">New Raleigh<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, <strong>Derrick Minor<\/strong> and <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> for filling in the details on this change. Keep up with them and their progress <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheTwistedMango\/info?tab=overview\" target=\"_blank\">on their Facebook page here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Saw on Yelp that <strong>Drink Drank Drunk<\/strong>, a new beer, wine, and coffee shop has opened at 905 West Morgan Street in downtown Raleigh next to Atomic Salon &amp; <strong>Irregardless Cafe<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.drinkdrankdrunk.rocks\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Saw on <strong>New Raleigh&#8217;s<\/strong> Twitter feed that a new fun spot called <strong>The Level Up, Kitchen and Barcadium<\/strong> will open very soon at the corner of Salisbury and Hargett in downtown Raleigh across from Wells Fargo. It will feature 25-30 restored classic arcade games and pinball machines, upscale pub food, craft\/domestic beer and hand made craft cocktails. No word yet on an official open date.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Hey Morrisville, do you remember <strong>Vino<\/strong>? Which then became <strong>Mare<\/strong>&#8230;which then become <strong>Cucina De Milano<\/strong>. Well now that space is taking a turn as <strong>Mi Cancun Mexican Restaurant<\/strong>. It opened earlier this month and is located in Morrisville&#8217;s <strong>Grace Park<\/strong> at the corner of Davis Drive and Morrisville Carpenter Road. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Micancunn\" target=\"_blank\">Check out their Facebook page here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>After the closing of its sister store in Chapel Hill, <strong>Top This! Caf\u00e9<\/strong> in Raleigh&#8217;s Atrium building has sold to new owners who will reopen the space on <strong>January 19th<\/strong> as <strong>The Atrium Grille<\/strong>. Best of luck to <strong>Stephen<\/strong> and <strong>Jeff<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The newest location of <strong>Smashburger<\/strong> opened in Raleigh over the holidays in <strong>Falls Village<\/strong> (6679 Falls of Neuse Road). It joins the Durham location, which is in the <strong>Pavilion East<\/strong> near Duke Medical Campus. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/smashburger.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Saw on Yelp that <strong>Uncle Maddio&#8217;s Pizza Joint<\/strong> will be opening in <strong>Parkside Town Commons<\/strong> in Cary in mid-January. No official open date yet, but you can <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.unclemaddios.com\/cary\/\" target=\"_blank\">check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Out in Holly Springs things are a bit chillier, and I&#8217;m not talking about the weather. <strong>A Dairy Queen Grill &amp; Chill<\/strong> has just opened in the <strong>South Park Village Center<\/strong> off of GB Alford Highway according to the <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DQinHollySprings\/timeline\" target=\"_blank\">You can check out their Facebook page here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham County Restaurant News<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Over in Durham <strong>Eschelon Experiences<\/strong> will open their newest concept, a new Japanese\/sushi restaurant called <strong>Basan<\/strong>, on <strong>January 20th<\/strong>. It is located in the new <strong>Diamond View III<\/strong> building at <strong>American Tobacco Campus<\/strong>. Our best to <strong>G Patel<\/strong> on his latest venture. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/basanrestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Also in Durham, we got word that <strong>Smallcakes, A Cupcakery<\/strong>, is now baking in southern Durham, opening at 4711 Hope Valley Road in the <strong>Woodcroft Shopping Center<\/strong>. They will hold a grand opening on <strong>Saturday, January 24th<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmallcakesDurham\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out on Facebook here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>On a recent drive through Carrboro, I noticed that <strong>Monterrey Mexican restaurant<\/strong> is moving in with their newest location. It will be in <strong>Carrboro Plaza<\/strong>. They are currently upfitting the space, and no word yet on an open date. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.monterreychapelhill.com\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Check out one of their other locations here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Also in Carrboro, national chain <strong>Tom+Chee<\/strong> (which gained some national awareness after grabbing some &#8220;Shark Tank&#8221; cash) has announced a March opening. It will be located at 370 E. Main St. in Carrboro according to <strong>Triangle Business Journal.<\/strong> As you might guess, they specialize in tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tomandchee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And in Chapel Hill, the wife and I stopped by for lunch last week at <strong>JuJube<\/strong> only to learn that they are currently closed for renovations. Sign on the door says they will reopen in early 2015. No word yet on an exact date. Guess this is a good &#8220;excuse&#8221; (like I need an excuse!) to go try out their new sister restaurant in Durham &#8211; <strong>JuJu<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jujuberestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Keep up with JuJuBe here<\/a><\/span><\/strong> and <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jujudurham.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">check out JuJu here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Closings<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>In one of the biggest surprises I can remember, Glenwood South&#8217;s <strong>Cafe Helios<\/strong> coffee shop closed their doors after a 12 year run. Sorry to see them go. And in a very cool move, downtown&#8217;s <strong>Brew Coffee Bar<\/strong>, a coffee shop in Raleigh&#8217;s <strong>Seaboard Station<\/strong>, is offering two free drinks in exchange for any <strong>Cafe Helios<\/strong> gift cards you may be stuck holding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And my friend Dana McCall (aka <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gogoraleigh.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">GoGo Raleigh<\/a><\/span><\/strong>) reported that <strong>Mantra Indian Cuisine and Bar<\/strong> has closed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Food Trucks<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>We did it once, winning the top dessert truck in the country. Now we have two local trucks trying to win the title of <strong>&#8220;Rookie Truck of the Year.&#8221;<\/strong> Both <strong>Stuft<\/strong>, featuring gourmet stuffed potatoes, and <strong>Bam Pow Chow<\/strong>, featuring gourmet tacos, are in the running (although woefully behind). Let&#8217;s give them our support by <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/mobile-cuisine.com\/contest\/vote-now-2014-rookie-food-truck-year\/\" target=\"_blank\">voting here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Voting closes at midnight tonight! Thanks to the <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> for the reminder on this.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Events<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>&#8220;Got To Be NC&#8221; Competition Dining Series<\/strong> revealed this week the 16 chefs that will be competing in the <strong>Fire in the Triangle<\/strong> competition that runs from <strong>January 19th<\/strong> through the grand finale on <strong>March 2nd<\/strong>. Tickets are now on sale and they will sell out most events. If you&#8217;ve never been to experience one of these events, do it now! <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.competitiondining.com\/events\/2015-triangle\" target=\"_blank\">See who the chefs this year are, see match-ups and get your tickets here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Time to mark your calendar for <strong>January 26th through February 1st<\/strong> for the next round of <strong>Triangle Restaurant Week<\/strong>, a week-long event where participating restaurants offer fixed-price, three-course menu options. A 3-course lunch is $15 and a 3-course dinner is $20 or $30 person, not including beverages, tax or gratuity. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/trirestaurantweek.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">See a list of participating restaurants and get all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are tired of football bowls, or if you can&#8217;t get enough of them, here is another &#8220;bowl&#8221; to check out &#8211; <strong>The Q Shack&#8217;s 2015 Chili Bowl<\/strong>. Each week they will feature a new chili for you to check out (perfect for all this cold weather). And the best part&#8230;10% of all chili sales in January will go to support <strong>Loaves and Fishes Ministry<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theqshack.com\/special_events.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Food Bank Corner<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>\n<p>A huge kudos to <strong>The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina<\/strong> and to all of you that contributed to their <strong>Holiday Meals Drive<\/strong>. Their goal was to raise $435,000 by midnight on December 31st in order to provide <strong>2.17 million meals<\/strong>. And with less than an hour to go, they hit their goal! A huge thank you to everyone at the food bank for all they do and to all of you that continue to support them in so many ways. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foodbankcenc.org\/site\/PageServer?pagename=FBCENCHome\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more about the food bank here <\/a><\/span><\/strong>and get involved in 2015!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Triangle Restaurant News Triangle restaurant news&#8230;that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler. \u00a0Featured Restaurant News Did you miss me? It is good to be back and already loving 2015! We&#8217;ve got a ton of news, so &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=220\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":222,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions\/222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}