{"id":238,"date":"2015-02-20T07:12:35","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T12:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=238"},"modified":"2015-02-20T07:12:35","modified_gmt":"2015-02-20T12:12:35","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-february-20-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=238","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; February 20, 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>\u00a0If you need another reminder of what a great culinary mecca we live in, look no further than the latest list of restaurant and chef semifinalists put out annually from the <strong>James Beard Foundation<\/strong>. This year&#8217;s list includes five from the Triangle (six if we adopt Kinston)! (and for those keeping score at home, 0 for Charlotte and the Triad&#8230;.just sayin&#8217;) <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jamesbeard.org\/blog\/2015-restaurant-and-chef-award-semifinalists\" target=\"_blank\">Check out the complete list here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Looking forward to the announcement of the finalists on March 24th and the winners on May 4.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Wake County Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0A huge shout out and congratulations to <strong>Arthur Gordon<\/strong> and the 40th anniversary of his restaurant &#8211; <strong>Irregardless Caf\u00e9<\/strong>. What started 40 years ago as a way to get some &#8220;experience&#8221; has turned into one of Raleigh&#8217;s greatest traditions. If you haven&#8217;t been before, make it happen (you can thank me later). Very well done <strong>Mr. Gordon<\/strong>! <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.irregardless.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I received a Twitter tip this week from <strong>Robert Williams<\/strong> that the <strong>Steak &#8216;n Shake<\/strong> has opened at 5900 Duraleigh Road in the <strong>Duraleigh Commons shopping center<\/strong> in the former <strong>KFC<\/strong> sport. Thanks <strong>Robert<\/strong>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>My buddy <strong>John Huisman<\/strong> (aka <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/triangleexplorer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Triangle Explorer<\/a><\/span><\/strong>) tells me that a new <strong>El Tapatio<\/strong> is in the works in <strong>Wakefield<\/strong> next to <strong>Sergio&#8217;s Pizza<\/strong>. No other details are available at this time, but I know <strong>John<\/strong> will keep us updated &#8211; thanks <strong>John<\/strong>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I was informed this week (second hand, I swear) that the <strong>Hooters<\/strong> in Raleigh at 4206 Old Wake Forest Road has recently completed some&#8230;&#8221;enhancements&#8221; of sorts. Including additional outdoor seating, more comfortable interior seating, and state-of-the-art audio visual packages. Oh, and they still serve great food. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hooters.com\/locations\/nc\/raleigh\/old-wake-forest-road\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check it out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Got word that <strong>Camos Brothers Pizza<\/strong> has opened in Fuquay-Varina at 2916 N. Main Street. They also have locations in Raleigh and Cary. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.camosbrotherspizza.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> reported this week that <strong>CaRibb Cuisine &amp; Bar<\/strong> is opening this spring in the Lowe&#8217;s Foods-anchored shopping center just east of Carmax off Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. The actual address is 8111 Rowlock Way. As you might guess, the restaurant will feature Caribbean food. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/CaRibb-Cuisine-Bar-LLC\/517414451734515\" target=\"_blank\">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>The <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> reported this week that <strong>Blue Coffee Caf\u00e9<\/strong>, formerly at 202 Corcoran Street, will open on Tuesday in their new location in the <strong>North Carolina Mutual Insurance building<\/strong> at 411 W. Chapel Hill Street. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/bluecoffeedurham.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Got the official word this week that the New Zealand-inspired gastro pub and burger restaurant, <strong>Burger Bach<\/strong> (pronounced &#8220;batch&#8221;), will open a third location on March 9th in the <strong>Erwin Mill<\/strong> community in Durham at 737 Ninth Street. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/theburgerbach.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Congratulations to our friends over at <strong>Acme Restaurant<\/strong> in downtown Carrboro as they celebrate 17 years of foodie bliss. The will host a wine dinner next week &#8211; <strong>February 26th<\/strong> &#8211; featuring <strong>Josh DeLoach of Hook &amp; Ladder Vineyards<\/strong> in Sonoma County. The wine dinner will start at 6:30 and is $60 per person. Reservations are required by phone at 919.929.2263. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/acmecarrboro.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Closings<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0This came as a surprise to many, but renowned pitmaster <strong>Ed Mitchell<\/strong> has closed his restaurant, <strong>Ed Mitchell&#8217;s Que<\/strong>, at Durham&#8217;s <strong>American Tobacco Campus<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I also learned this week from my friend <strong>Denise Metzger<\/strong> that <strong>Gigi&#8217;s Cupcakes<\/strong> on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill has closed. A thanks to <strong>The Daily Tar Heel<\/strong> for that information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Food Trucks<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Here&#8217;s a little something to get us through the dreary cold winter months&#8230;the schedule for the 2015 <strong>Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo Series<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">Check it out here and mark your calendars<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And we are just a few weeks away from the <strong>Spring Food Truck Rodeo<\/strong> at <strong>Durham&#8217;s Central Park<\/strong>. Get <strong>March 8th<\/strong> on your calendar. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/durhamcentralpark.org\/event\/spring-food-truck-rodeo\/\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">Here are all the details<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And not to be outdone by the bigger cities, Cary is jumping on the food truck rodeo bandwagon with their very own <strong>Chatham Street Chowdowns<\/strong> (they win hands down on the name!) scheduled for 2015. The first one is scheduled for <strong>April 19th<\/strong>. Feeling left out Chapel Hill? <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.townofcary.org\/Departments\/Parks__Recreation___Cultural_Resources\/events\/special\/Chatham_Street_Chowdown.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details and the full schedule here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Events<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>This is pretty cool. <strong>The Carolina Inn<\/strong> over in Chapel Hill is celebrating their 90th anniversary on Saturday, <strong>February 28th<\/strong>. They will host a <strong>Commemorative Chefs&#8217; Event<\/strong> beginning at 6:30 with a four-course wine-pairing dinner celebrating the cuisine of their executive chefs through the years including <strong>Brian Stapleton<\/strong>, <strong>Jimmy Reale<\/strong> and current executive chef <strong>James Clark<\/strong>. Cost is $90 per person. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/carolinainn.esitetoolbox.com\/product\/birthday?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=chmag&amp;utm_campaign=90DINNER\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\">Get tickets and all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Thanks to a tip from <strong>Kitty Kinnin<\/strong>, I learned that <strong>Locals Seafood<\/strong> is holding their inaugural <strong>Winter Seafood Jubilee<\/strong> which is a series of NC winter seafood-centric events. The final two are coming up next week at <strong>Oakleaf<\/strong> and <strong>Carolina Crossroads at The Carolina Inn<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/winterseafoodjubilee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The next <strong>Taste<\/strong> event put on by <strong>Durham Magazine &amp; Chapel Hill Magazine<\/strong> is Saturday, <strong>March 7th<\/strong> from noon until 3 and will be a <strong>BBQ &amp; Beer Tour<\/strong>&#8230;by bus! The 3-hour tour takes you to three barbecue spots, each paired with local brews. Tickets are $65 per person. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/tastetheevent.com\/home\/events\/bbq-beer-bus-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details and tickets here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Mark your calendar for the third annual <strong>Bull City Food &amp; Beer Experience<\/strong>, an indoor food and beer festival at the <strong>Durham Performing Arts Center<\/strong> in Durham on Sunday, <strong>March 8<\/strong> from 4 &#8211; 8 p.m. The event pairs local food showcasing 30 Durham restaurants with unbelievable beer from 30 premier craft \/ import breweries. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bullcityexperience.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details and your tickets here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Food Bank Corner\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>March Madness is almost upon us and the UNC v. Duke rivalry is hotter than ever. So how does food tie into this? Good question. <strong>Tom Meyer<\/strong>, owner of <strong>The Q Shack at North Hills<\/strong> is a Duke grad. And yours truly is a UNC grad (but I grew up in Raleigh and have a soft spot in my heart for the Wolfpack). Anyway, <strong>Tom<\/strong> and I have come up with a friendly wager on the next UNC v. Duke basketball game (March 7th). The winner will have a &#8220;special&#8221; sandwich featured at <strong>The Q Shack<\/strong> for the month of March. And the loser will have to don the other team&#8217;s colors and say nice things about the other team&#8217;s coach! And even better than that, the wager will benefit the <strong>Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina<\/strong>. Get all the details on the inaugural <strong>Hoop Cheese Challenge <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theqshack.com\/special_events.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">right here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. And may the best &#8220;blue&#8221; team win!<\/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 \u00a0If you need another reminder of what a great culinary mecca we live in, look no further than the latest list &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=238\">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-238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238","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=238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":239,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions\/239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}