{"id":2243,"date":"2023-03-24T06:09:41","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T10:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=2243"},"modified":"2023-03-24T06:13:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T10:13:25","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-march-24-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=2243","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; March 24, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Triangle Restaurant News<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><br>Triangle restaurant news\u2026that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Featured Restaurant News<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pitmaster <strong>Jake Wood<\/strong> of <strong>Lawrence Barbecue<\/strong> in <strong>Boxyard RTP<\/strong> is opening a new concept two doors down this weekend. The <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> shared this week that <strong>Leroy\u2019s Taco Shop<\/strong> will open its doors on <strong>Saturday, March 25<\/strong> at 11 a.m. with a menu featuring Mexican-American-inspired dishes like quesabirria tacos, a signature smoked brisket birria, and sides such as stewed hominy. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/leroystacoshop\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Best to follow along on Instagram here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Wake County Restaurant News<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Raleigh, blogger <strong>EatRaleigh<\/strong> shared that a new ramen spot called <strong>Gen Ramen<\/strong> opened this week in <strong>McNeil Pointe<\/strong> (corner of Bale Street and Wake Forest Road). Following their successful soft opening last weekend, they are now open 7 days a week from 4:30 -9 p.m. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/genramen_raleigh\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Follow them on Instagram here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Blogger <strong>EatRaleigh<\/strong> also shared that we are getting closer to the opening of <strong>Il Fal\u00f2<\/strong>, a wood-fired kitchen located in the <strong>Westin Hotel<\/strong> in <strong>Brier Creek<\/strong> (3931 Macaw St., Raleigh). Their wood-fired stone hearth oven will add a &#8220;kiss of fire&#8221; to artisan-quality meats, fresh seafood, vegetables sourced from local partners, pizzas on house-made sourdough, and elements of their craft cocktails. No exact date on the opening other than &#8220;soon.&#8221; <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ilfalo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Start getting familiar with them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Just outside of downtown Raleigh, <strong>WRAL<\/strong> shared that the newest watering hole, <strong>Tap Yard Raleigh<\/strong>, will officially hold its grand opening this <strong>Saturday, March 25<\/strong>. They are open now on a one-acre space at 1610 Automotive Way (next to <strong>Pine State Coffee<\/strong> and across from the now closed <strong>Circus Restaurant<\/strong>). The sprawling space includes free yard games, a rotating schedule of food trucks and arcade games. There is 5,000 square-feet of indoor space with two full bars with 16 craft beers on tap, in addition to wine, spirits and cocktails. There is also an expansive non-alcoholic drink menu, featuring a variety of zero-alcohol beers, spirits and cocktails. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tapyardraleigh.com\/\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get familiar with them here<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Cary, <strong>David McCreary<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Mochinut<\/strong>, a shop offering mochi donuts and more, has opened at 9958 Chapel Hill Road. What is a Mochi donut? Glad you asked. Mochi donut is a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi. They have a light crispy coating with a soft chewy inside. Yes please! <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mochinut.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get to know them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Up in Wake Forest, <strong>Merrick McKeig<\/strong> shared with us that<strong> Finger Licking Fried Thingz<\/strong> opened up in the former <strong>Empanada Factory<\/strong> spot (2010 S Main St) a few weeks ago. They are self-described as &#8220;soul food done right.&#8221; Sign me up! They also have a location in Raleigh on Bragg Street. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fingerlickinsoul.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Check them out here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also up near the Wake Forest\/Raleigh line off 401\/Louisburg Road in the <strong>Forrestville Crossing<\/strong> shopping center I saw signs up for <strong>Andy&#8217;s Frozen Custard<\/strong> going into the former <strong>Torero&#8217;s <\/strong>building. No word on an open date, but you can <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/locations.eatandys.com\/ll\/US\/NC\/Raleigh\/3002-Leland-Drive*-(Forestville-Cross)\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">start getting familiar with them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Just across the county line (in Johnston County) outside of downtown Clayton, the <strong>Triangle Business Journal <\/strong>shared that<strong> Luna Pizza<\/strong> will soon open their fourth location, with an August target date. The restaurant will be located near the Spinning Mill Loft apartment complex, located just southeast of downtown. The Greenville-based, Neapolitan-style pizza joint already has locations in Greenville, Selma and Salt Lake City, Utah. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/lunapizzacafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get familiar with them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham Restaurant News<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Last week we told you about <strong>Zweli\u2019s Kitchen<\/strong> moving from <strong>Oak Creek Village<\/strong> to <strong>Brightleaf Square<\/strong>, with an anticipated opening date of August. We also told you they would soon open a new, upscale dining spot called <strong>Zweli\u2019s Ekhaya<\/strong> at <strong>American Tobacco Campus<\/strong>. Well, wait no longer! They are now accepting reservations! The restaurant features a small-plate menu that acts as a love letter to the dishes <strong>Chef Zweli <\/strong>grew up with in Zimbabwe. Congratulations to chef <strong>Zweli Williams<\/strong> and husband <strong>Leonardo Williams<\/strong> on their continued success! <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/zwelisekhaya.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>News &amp; Observer <\/strong>shared the news that owner <strong>Jen Kremer<\/strong> and chef <strong>Ray Williams<\/strong> are opening <strong>Corner Yaki<\/strong> in the <strong>Durham Food Hall<\/strong> in the former <strong>Old North Meats &amp; Provisions<\/strong> space.  The opening menu is a medley of popular Japanese dishes. They are looking to open in mid-April, serving lunch and dinner. Follow their progress and opening announcement <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCornerYaki\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">on their Facebook page here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Closings<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>None to report. Keep eating local, folks! <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Food Trucks<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The next <strong>Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo<\/strong> is <strong>June 11<\/strong> from <strong>12-4 p.m.<\/strong> Get out your calendar and make note of the dates for the rest of the <strong>2023 Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeos<\/strong>. <strong>September 3 | October 29<\/strong> \u2013 and all the rodeos are from 12-4 p.m. Giddyup! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/durhamcentralpark.org\/events\/food-truck-rodeo-info\/\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Here is the link<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And the <strong>Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo<\/strong> has not yet announced plans for 2023. They concluded 2022 announcing they would not return to Fayetteville Street after a nine-year run. They hinted that the rodeo might move to <strong>Dix Park<\/strong>. But, still no word yet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don\u2019t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/streetfoodfinder.com\/\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Street Food Finder here<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Events<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And a little help if you can. As many of you know, the Triangle restaurant scene is a very tight-knit one where everyone knows everyone. And when one is in need, we all try and do our part. Such is the case with <strong>Eddie<\/strong>, the kitchen manager at <strong>The Pickled Onion<\/strong> location on Glenwood Avenue (he has been there 9 years!). Last month he suffered a stroke and is facing a long road to recovery and pretty sizeable medical bills. <strong>The Pickled Onion<\/strong> is holding a <strong>Patio Parking Lot Party<\/strong> on <strong>Saturday, March 25th<\/strong> from 1-8 p.m. at the <strong>Glenwood location <\/strong>(8511 Cantilever Way, Raleigh) featuring live music and raffles. In the meantime, if you can support the <strong>GoFundMe<\/strong> they have set up for him, it would mean a lot. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/uvdeex-eddie?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&amp;utm_content=undefined&amp;utm_medium=sms&amp;utm_source=customer-andr&amp;utm_term=undefined\"><mark><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Do so here<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/a>, and thanks!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WRAL<\/strong> let us know that this <strong>Saturday, March 25th<\/strong> from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. the <strong>Rotary Club of Wake Forest<\/strong> will host <strong>Cars &amp; Carnivores<\/strong> in downtown Wake Forest, featuring classic cars, delicious food, and a steak cookout competition. Proceeds from the festival will pay off past-due medical debt for cancer patients at WakeMed Health &amp; Hospitals. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wakeforestrotary.org\/index.php\/cc\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get all the details here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You\u2019ll want to get this one on your calendar (you can thank me later). Downtown Raleigh\u2019s <strong>Gravy Italian American Kitchen<\/strong> will be hosting their <strong>Spring Wine Dinner (Cena di Primavera) <\/strong>on <strong>Wednesday, April 12th<\/strong> and will be the first in a series of seasonal dinners. They hold the dinners in their wine cellar, which is a really unique space if you\u2019ve never seen it. The dinner will feature five delicious courses, thoughtfully prepared by <strong>Gravy\u2019s<\/strong> executive chef <strong>Quintin Pocher<\/strong>, paired with Italian wines. Full menu and pairings will be released soon. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/gravy-seasonal-dinner-spring-2023-tickets-577684378527\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Here is the Eventbrite link<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hospitality mavens <strong>Sarah Shepherd<\/strong> of <strong>Height House Hotel <\/strong>and chef <strong>Liz Grandchamp<\/strong> of <strong>Grandchamp Hospitality<\/strong> recently introduced Raleigh\u2019s newest pop-up dining experience \u2013 <strong>Supper Club<\/strong> \u2013 hosted monthly at <strong>Heights House Hotel<\/strong>. They have two more on the schedule and tickets for those \u201copen up\u201d three weeks prior to each event. Mark your calendars for <strong>Supper Club April 17 (Seafood)<\/strong> and <strong>May 22 (Italian American)<\/strong>. After those, <strong>Supper Club at Heights House<\/strong> will then resume in the Fall. So get ready! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exploretock.com\/heightshousehotel\/event\/390230\/supper-club\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Follow along here and get ready for the next one<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Everyone knows what April 15th is. Nope, that is April 18th this year. <strong>April 15th<\/strong> is the date for the <strong>13th Annual Cuegrass Festival<\/strong> which is returning to Fayetteville Street and will feature a large covered area with draft beer options, plenty of seating and extra beer stations throughout the event. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cuegrass.com\/\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get all the details here<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Brewgaloo<\/strong>&nbsp;is back on&nbsp;<strong>Friday, April 21 <\/strong>and<strong> Saturday, April 22<\/strong>. For two full days,&nbsp;craft beer from 100+ breweries&nbsp;will be flowing on Fayetteville Street. The annual event attracts more than&nbsp;50,000 people&nbsp;each year. Thanks to <strong>RalToday<\/strong> for the reminder to get this gem on our calendar! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shoplocalraleigh.org\/brewgaloo\/\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get all the details here<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Got word from <strong>Neha Shah<\/strong>, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention &amp; Visitors Bureau, that <strong>Farm to Fork<\/strong> is making its return in 2023 on <strong>June 4th from 4-7 p.m.<\/strong> at <strong>Fearrington Village<\/strong>. Held in the Triangle for more than 15 years, the <strong>Farm to Fork Picnic<\/strong> is a showcase of North Carolina chefs, artisans, and farmers paired together to create sips and nibbles of the region\u2019s best flavors and seasonal ingredients! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/farm-to-fork-picnic-triangle-2023-tickets-479488822977\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">You can get tickets and all the details here<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><mark><strong><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Food Bank Corner<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Between June 2021 and May 2022, inflation caused a 10.7% increase in food costs in the U.S. For people in our community, making some family\u2019s budget untenable. Your gift today to <strong>The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina<\/strong> can support families whose budgets are being stretched because of the rising cost of food and living. There have also been significant increases in fuel, housing, and energy costs because of inflation. This means the average living costs for households in our country are up $460 per month! Your gift today can provide nutritious food for our neighbors in need. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/secure.foodbankcenc.org\/site\/Donation2\"><mark><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Donate here, and thank you<\/mark><\/mark><\/a><\/strong>! <strong>#noonegoeshungry<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Triangle Restaurant NewsTriangle restaurant news\u2026that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.&nbsp; Featured Restaurant News Wake County Restaurant News Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham Restaurant News Closings Food Trucks Events Food Bank Corner<\/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-2243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243","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=2243"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2251,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243\/revisions\/2251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}