{"id":2803,"date":"2024-02-23T07:47:45","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T12:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=2803"},"modified":"2024-02-23T07:47:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T12:47:45","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-february-23-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=2803","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; February 23, 2024"},"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>Chef<strong> David Ellis<\/strong> (former chef de cuisine at <strong>Ashley Christensen&#8217;s Poole&#8217;s Diner<\/strong>) has opened his pasta-centric restaurant <strong>Figulina <\/strong>in downtown Raleigh&#8217;s warehouse district at 317 S. Harrington St. in the space that was home to <strong>Humble Pie<\/strong> for 33 years. The menu features several small plates and pasta dishes, including one or two classic pasta options and a handful of custom creations on a rotating basis. Dashes of Southern, English and French influences can be seen on the menu according to the <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong>. One of the highlights of the space is a corner room with glass walls allowing you to watch the pasta making in action. Open Tuesday through Saturday, they will soon open the outdoor space, add a brunch service and open a retail section where you can purchase the pasta to take home. Best to check them out <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/figulina.raleigh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">on Instagram here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> (which has the link to Resy for making your reservations&#8230;do so now!). <\/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>Over in Cary, the ice-cream joint <strong>Two Roosters<\/strong> is soon to open their sixth location &#8211; in the <strong>Waverly Place shopping center<\/strong> next to <strong>Enrigo Italian Bistro<\/strong>. They have three locations in Raleigh, one in Durham and another in Wake Forest. Look for this location to open this summer. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tworoosters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Visit Two Roosters here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also in Cary, readers <strong>Chris Creighton<\/strong> and <strong>Kristina Shuford<\/strong> noticed signage up at 101 Asheville Ave. (just off Tryon) at the former <strong>O&#8217;Charley&#8217;s Restaurant &amp; Bar<\/strong> for the newest location of <strong>Mamacita&#8217;s Mexican Restaurant<\/strong>. This will make their fourth location in the Triangle. They already have locations in Morrisville, Apex and Raleigh. No word on an open date. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mamacitanc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get to know them here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And one last Cary announcement that we first told you about back in November. This week <strong>Ken Jarvis <\/strong>shared the news that that <strong>Bocteco Do Brazil<\/strong> has opened in the former <strong>Catalan Tapas Bar<\/strong> space at 4214 NW Cary Parkway near <strong>La Farm Bakery<\/strong>. They pride themselves on bringing authentic Brazilian cuisine to the area. Congrats to the husband and wife team of <strong>Beth Andrade<\/strong> and <strong>Daniel Siman<\/strong>. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/botecodobrazil.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><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><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In downtown Raleigh, got word last Friday that <strong>The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar<\/strong>, a Florida-based restaurant and craft beer bar chain, will be opening a location at <strong>400H<\/strong>, a recently opened mixed-use tower located at 400 Hillsborough Street. Their fifty+ other locations offer an extensive beer menu, handmade cocktails and popular wines, as well as a food menu and weekly events that range from live music to trivia to sports nights. Look for them to open this Fall. In the meantime, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brasstapbeerbar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" 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><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Our friends over at one of Raleigh&#8217;s newest dining options, <strong>Gussie&#8217;s<\/strong>, are tapping into everyone&#8217;s inner Irish <strong>February 28th through March 17th<\/strong>. <strong>O\u2019Gussie\u2019s <\/strong>springs up inside <strong>Gussie\u2019s<\/strong> where you can expect some delicious versions of your favorite dishes \u2013 Bangers &amp; Mash, Shepherd\u2019s Pie, Corned Beef &amp; Cabbage, with some fun twists (house made corned beef sausages and Irish nachos anyone?). For when you\u2019re thirsty, come for the Irish Coffee (with Left Hook Coffee, Irish Whiskey and Fresh Whipped Cream), cocktails fit for the season, Guinness, and a selection of Irish whiskies to enjoy on their own or in one of our housemade sodas. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gussiesraleigh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><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>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Out in Morrisville, <strong>321 Coffee<\/strong> shop, a Raleigh-based caf\u00e9 that promotes inclusion through its employment of individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), has opened a location inside <strong>Relias<\/strong> (1010 Sync St.). The caf\u00e9 is on the third floor. Construction begins this May with an anticipated summer opening. Get familiar with <strong>321<\/strong> (and their other locations) <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/321coffee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Back in downtown Raleigh, <strong>RALtoday<\/strong> shared that downtown bar <strong>Kings<\/strong>, owned by <strong>Cheetie Kumar<\/strong> and <strong>Paul Siler<\/strong>, will be open every night of the week (starting <strong>February 26th<\/strong>), even when there are no shows. They\u2019ll have a packed calendar of events (movie nights, game nights, open mics, community talks, markets, team-ups with local pals like Nice Price Books and much more. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kingsraleigh\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Keep up on Instagram 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>My Twitter buddy (sounds too weird to say X buddy), <strong>BurgeoningBaker<\/strong> let me know that <strong>Big Bad Breakfast<\/strong>, the brainchild of James Beard award-winning chef <strong>John Currence<\/strong>, is bringing a location to Durham next to <strong>Smash Burger<\/strong> on Erwin Road (I&#8217;m assuming in the former <strong>Another Broken Egg Cafe<\/strong> spot). No word on a timeline. Mostly located throughout the Southeast, this looks to be their first North Carolina location.  <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bigbadbreakfast.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get to know BBB here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A slight correction from last week. I shared that <strong>Del Taco<\/strong>, the second-largest Mexican fast food chain, is coming to North Carolina starting with the first in Durham. But this isn&#8217;t their &#8220;first&#8221; location in Durham nor North Carolina thanks to a note from reader <strong>Kenny Levine<\/strong>. He pointed out that they are returning to North Carolina and Durham as they had a location on Hillsborough Road in the 80s and into the early 90s. Thanks <strong>Kenny<\/strong>!  <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/deltaco.com\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Re-familiarize yourself with 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><strong>Michael DePersia<\/strong> of <strong>DePersia &amp; Associates<\/strong> passed along the news that all of the Triangle-area locations of <strong>PDQ Chicken<\/strong> closed this week &#8211; that includes Cary, Durham, Raleigh and Wake Forest locations. <\/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>Rocky Top Catering&#8217;s<\/strong> sixth annual <strong>Cooking for the Kids<\/strong> kicks off next week! And here&#8217;s a plus &#8211; anyone using the code\u00a0<strong>TriFoodBlog<\/strong>\u00a0will enjoy a $25 discount on their ticket price for Rounds 1 and 2. This cooking competition brings together eight of the Triangle\u2019s premier chefs. All proceeds benefit <strong>Overflowing Hands<\/strong> and <strong>A Place at the Table<\/strong>. Participating chefs include: <strong>Alejandro Uribe<\/strong> of <strong>University Club<\/strong>; <strong>Jaime Adams<\/strong> of <strong>The Ugly Mug Bean and Brew<\/strong>; <strong>Blake Gotliffe<\/strong> of <strong>Under the Oak<\/strong>; <strong>Bobby McFarland<\/strong> of <strong>Wye Hill<\/strong>; <strong>Preeti Waas<\/strong> of <strong>Cheeni<\/strong>; <strong>Harry Monds<\/strong> of <strong>Lula and Sadie\u2019s<\/strong>; <strong>David Mitchell<\/strong> of <strong>Plates Kitchen<\/strong>; and <strong>Kevin Ruiz<\/strong> of <strong>Oro<\/strong>. The first round begins the week of February 26, with the second round March 6 &amp; 7, and the Finale on Thursday, March 14th. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.overflowinghands.org\/c4k-indexhome\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get tickets and all the details here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>. Use <strong>code TriFoodBlog<\/strong> for $25 off the first two rounds!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CORA\u2019s 12th&nbsp;Empty&nbsp;Bowls<\/strong> charitable fundraiser will be held on <strong>Saturday, March 2nd<\/strong>, at its new venue, Pittsboro United Methodist Church, from 5 to 8 pm. The evening will feature amazing soups from favorite local restaurants, live music from the Popcorn Blue Band, local pottery, and homemade bread and desserts. 100% of the proceeds go to helping neighbors facing food insecurity in Chatham County! <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.corafoodpantry.org\"><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>My buddy <strong>Neha Shah<\/strong>, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention &amp; Visitors Bureau, shared that the annual <strong>Farm to Fork Picnic<\/strong>, celebrating local food and local farms, will take place <strong>Sunday, June 2<\/strong> from 4pm \u2013 7pm, again at <strong>Fearrington Village<\/strong>. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cefs.ncsu.edu\/farmtofork\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get details and tickets here<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tickets are on sale now for the<strong> 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow<\/strong> which will take place on <strong>September 15, 2024<\/strong> on a grassy knoll at<strong> Meadow Lane Farm<\/strong>, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region\u2019s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the <strong>Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund<\/strong>, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dinnerinthemeadow.org\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Get tickets and all 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>No doubt we live in a wonderful corner of the world. But here are some things to remember and not forget. Right now, one in five people in central and eastern North Carolina don\u2019t have enough to eat. <strong>The Food Bank<\/strong> provided over 88 million meals to families and individuals last year. <strong>The Food Bank\u2019s <\/strong>partner agency network has reported up to a 60% increase in neighbors visiting for food assistance. The need is real and right here in our backyard. Consider helping in 2024. <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\">See how here<\/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-2803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803","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=2803"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2807,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803\/revisions\/2807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}