{"id":2645,"date":"2023-12-01T07:03:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T12:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=2645"},"modified":"2023-12-01T07:04:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T12:04:21","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-december-1-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=2645","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; December 1, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Triangle Restaurant News<\/mark><\/strong><br>Triangle restaurant news\u2026that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Featured Restaurant News<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Looking for a unique holiday shopping experience along with fine dining? Well, head on over to <strong>North Hills<\/strong> where <strong>Bal Harbour Shops<\/strong> has brought a 17,000-square-foot pop-up retail experience in the form of 30 individually designed shipping containers, featuring a selection of iconic luxury brands. And lest we forget we are a food blog, it features a 150-seat restaurant called <strong>The Whitman<\/strong> with a full bar and lounge, an indoor-outdoor space and a Latin-inspired menu. It draws inspiration from <strong>The Whitman by The Sea<\/strong> \u2013 a luxury Miami Beach hotel owned by the <strong>Whitman<\/strong> family in the 1940s. This is the first time <strong>Bal Harbour<\/strong>, known for its luxury retail tenants, has taken its retail experience on the road. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.balharbourshopspopup.com\/dining\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit The Whitman here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. And <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.balharbourshopspopup.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Bal Harbour Shops here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Wake County Restaurant News<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Estampa Gaucha<\/strong>, a traditional Brazilian steakhouse, is opening soon in the bottom floor retail space inside Raleigh\u2019s new Westin hotel in <strong>Brier Creek<\/strong>. The new restaurant is slated to open in January, about a year-and-a-half after the closure of <strong>Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse<\/strong>, which was also in <strong>Brier Creek<\/strong>. This will be the third location for owner <strong>Ezequiel Manfrin<\/strong>. His other two locations are in Melbourne, Florida and Charlotte. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/estampagaucha.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" 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>Over on Raleigh&#8217;s Hillsborough Street, blogger Eat Raleigh shared that signage is up that indicates that <strong>Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken<\/strong> will open their newest location in the former <strong>IHOP<\/strong> building at 1313 Hillsborough Street. Great to see it looks like they will keep much of the original structure. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alpacachicken.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit Alpaca here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>RalToday<\/strong> reminded us this week that <strong>Fiction Kitchen<\/strong> will open its new space at <strong>Gateway Plaza<\/strong> in early December. In case you missed it, the last service at the 428 S. Dawson St. downtown location was last Saturday. Probably best to <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thefictionkitchen\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">follow along on Instagram<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> as this point for updates and announcements. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over off Wade Avenue in the <strong>Ridgewood Shopping Center<\/strong> next to the now-closed <strong>Bruegger&#8217;s<\/strong> is a sign up for a <strong>Jersey Mike&#8217;s<\/strong>. No word yet on an open date as it looks as if the build-out hasn&#8217;t begun yet. Thanks to reader <strong>Tom Hailey<\/strong> for passing this along. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over in Cary, reader <strong>Lori Rice<\/strong> tipped us off to the fact that the new Korean fried chicken concept called <strong>bb.q chicken<\/strong> in the <strong>Bradford Shopping Center<\/strong> (corner of High House and Davis) has opened. This is their first location in North Carolina. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/bbqchicken.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" 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 in Cary, <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> reported that Downtown Cary has attracted yet another new restaurant. <strong>Zest<\/strong>, a sushi, small plates and seafood restaurant (with a location in Roswell, Georgia), is planning to open next spring and will be the newest offering of the hospitality group <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cleanplaterestaurants.com\/restaurants.html\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Clean Plate Restaurants<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. It will be located at 175 E. Chatham St. on the ground floor of the <strong>The Rogers Building<\/strong>. Construction is expected to begin this month with an opening planned for April. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/zestoncantonstreet.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit their Roswell location here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And kudos to <strong>Cheetie Kumar<\/strong> and <strong>Paul Siler<\/strong> as their newest restaurant received national acclaim this week. The fashion magazine<strong> Esquire<\/strong> named <strong>Ajja<\/strong> as one of the 50 best new restaurants in America. <strong>Ajja<\/strong> is the only North Carolina spot included on the list. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ajjaeats.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham Restaurant News<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> shared the news this week that <strong>Honeygirl Meadery<\/strong>, a local mead maker, is moving its operations to the <strong>American Tobacco Campus<\/strong> and will operate as <strong>Ment Beverage Co.<\/strong> <strong>Honeygirl Meadery<\/strong> will be leaving its current Durham space at 105 Hood St. near the <strong>Golden Belt<\/strong>. The <strong>American Tobacco<\/strong> location off Blackwell Street will house both production and a tasting room. Follow along with their progress <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/honeygirlmeadery\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">on their Instagram page here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over on Ninth Street in Durham, my Twitter buddy <strong>Burgeoning Baker<\/strong> shared that signage is up for <strong>Kiichi Ramen Izakaya <\/strong>right next to Durham Pack and Ship at 730 Ninth Street. No word yet on an open date. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kiichiramenonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">You can visit their online ordering site here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Chapel Hill, <strong>Boro Bodega<\/strong> announced their opening this week in their new location &#8211; it is now located at 422 W Franklin St. They will be offering a curated nonalcoholic bottle shop selection, fun grab-and-go snacks, baked goods, hot coffee, cold brew, booch (ofc) and lots of other little treats to make your day just a little brighter. They are having a <strong>Grand Opening<\/strong> celebration tonight <strong>(Dec. 1) from 5-8 p.m.<\/strong> at their new location. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/borobeverage.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Closings<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was announced this week that <strong>Ashley Christensen<\/strong> will close her <strong>Poole\u2019side Pies<\/strong> concept in downtown Raleigh (428 S. McDowell St.) on December 24th. But don&#8217;t fret, she is working up another mouth-watering concept to fill that space. Can&#8217;t wait! <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over in Durham, <strong>WRAL&#8217;s Sarah Krueger<\/strong> was the first to share that <strong>Pompieri Pizza<\/strong> will close on December 10th. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Had several people share with me that the <strong>Bruegger&#8217;s Bagels<\/strong> in the<strong> Ridgewood Shopping Center <\/strong>off of Wade Ave has closed. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And reader <strong>Burke Williams <\/strong>shared that <strong>Papa Murphy\u2019s i<\/strong>n North Raleigh has closed, but did note that the Wake Forest location will remain open. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Food Trucks<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\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 style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Street Food Finder here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Events<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WRAL<\/strong> shared that <strong>December 2nd<\/strong> is <strong>Brunch with Santa<\/strong>, where kids of old and young can meet Santa at the <strong>Durham Food Hall<\/strong> from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Take photos with Santa, play reindeer games, enjoy festive face painting, and grab some brunch and lunch from the vendors throughout the hall. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/durhamfoodhall.com\/event\/brunch-photos-with-santa\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" 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>Nothing kicks off the holiday spirit like <strong>Beer, Bourbon and Bacon<\/strong>. Amiright? Head on down to Fuquay-Varina this <strong>Sunday, December 3rd<\/strong> to <strong>Oaklyn Springs Brewery<\/strong> (2912 N. Main Street) from 3 &#8211; 6 p.m. to partake in the activities. Free bacon while supplies last. <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventvesta.com\/events\/42061-beer-bacon-and-bluegrass\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.eventvesta.com\/events\/42061-beer-bacon-and-bluegrass\" target=\"_blank\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get the details here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Food Bank Corner<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Think you can\u2019t make a difference in someone\u2019s life? Think you don\u2019t have enough money to make a difference? Would you believe me if I told you that as little as <strong>$1 equates to 5 meals<\/strong> through the <strong>Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina<\/strong>!?! It is true. Nearly 510,000 people face hunger across our 34-county service area. And thanks to your generosity, the <strong>Food Bank<\/strong> provided over 81 million meals to families and individuals last year! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/secure.foodbankcenc.org\/site\/Donation2\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Make a donation today<\/mark><\/a><\/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. 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-2645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645","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=2645"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2657,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645\/revisions\/2657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}