{"id":728,"date":"2018-02-02T06:56:28","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T11:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=728"},"modified":"2018-02-02T08:38:09","modified_gmt":"2018-02-02T13:38:09","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-february-2-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=728","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; February 2, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><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<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Featured Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> reported last week that chef <strong>Mike Lee<\/strong>, who operates <strong>M Sushi<\/strong> and <strong>M Kokko<\/strong>, has plans for 5 more restaurants. Next up, <strong>M Kogi<\/strong> and <strong>M Taco<\/strong> which he hopes to open in the 4<sup>th<\/sup> quarter of this year. <strong>Lee<\/strong> likes the model of his restaurants opening adjacent to each other and sharing a kitchen. Once <strong>Kogi<\/strong> and <strong>Taco<\/strong> are up and running, <strong>Lee<\/strong> will shift to his next projects: one built around Buddhist cuisine and offering a vegan menu and another that\u2019s essentially a permanent pop-up spot, with the menu and chef changing often, but the space staying the same. And finally, <strong>Lee<\/strong> ultimately plans to launch a non-profit fast-casual concept. This is going to be fun to watch (and enjoy!). <a href=\"http:\/\/msushidurham.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check our M Sushi here<\/b><\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MkokkoDurham\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>M Kokko here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Wake County Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>In downtown Raleigh it was announced this week that <strong>O-Ku Sushi<\/strong>, an Asian restaurant with locations in Charleston, Atlanta and Charlotte, will open at <strong>The Dillon<\/strong> this summer. They were named \u201cTop 20 Best New Restaurant\u201d by Esquire in 2010 and \u201cBest Sushi Restaurant in the U.S.\u201d by Travel + Leisure in 2013. <a href=\"http:\/\/o-kusushi.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Go ahead and get familiar with them here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And rejoice&#8230;<strong>WRAL<\/strong> reported this week that <strong>Smashed Waffles<\/strong> (all waffles, all the time) opened this week at 2304 Hillsborough Street, directly across from NC State. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashedwaffles.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check out the Greenville-based concept here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Last week the folks over at <strong>Zen Fish<\/strong> on Durham\u2019s Ninth Street announced that they had officially started construction on their second location &#8211; this one in the <strong>Weston Corners Plaza<\/strong> on Chapel Hill Road in Cary\/Morrisville (next to <strong>Guasaca<\/strong> and <strong>Famous Toastery<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zenfishpokebar.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. Thanks to <strong>Jenny Bengen Albert<\/strong> for the tip.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Up in North Raleigh <strong>John Huisman<\/strong>, aka <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/triangleexplorer.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Triangle Explorer<\/span><\/a>,<\/strong> brought it to our attention that <strong>Kwench Juice Bar<\/strong> is opening soon in the <strong>Falls Point shopping center<\/strong>. They will be serving up Acai bowls, salads, juices and smoothies. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kwenchjuicecafe.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And I\u2019m happy to report that <strong>North Hill\u2019s Vivace Italian restaurant<\/strong> has reopened after taking on extensive damage due to a burst water pipe in early January. Get by and welcome them back! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivaceraleigh.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>This is going to be big! Monday, <strong>February 19<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> will be the grand opening of a new fast-casual restaurant called <strong>Sushi<\/strong><strong>\u014d<\/strong><strong>ki<\/strong> (\u201cOki\u201d means big in Japanese) at 4900 Highway 55 (near the intersection with Highway 54, next to Brigs restaurant). The concept features large, burrito-sized sushi rolls, both traditional (raw tuna, raw salmon, tempura shrimp) and non-traditional (double fried chicken, southern pork BBQ, Korean bulgogi, and veggie).\u00a0Can\u2019t wait to check this place out. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sushiokirtp.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Find them here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And this is exciting. A viewer on <strong>WRAL<\/strong> shared the news that a \u2018coming soon\u2019 sign appeared for <strong>Duck Donuts<\/strong> over at <strong>Patterson Place<\/strong> in Durham. No word on a timeline, but we will definitely keep an eye on this. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.duckdonuts.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check out Duck Donuts here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Considering my daughter\u2019s name and the fact I love cheesecake, I was excited to learn from <strong>Bites of Bull City\u2019s Amber Watson<\/strong> that <strong>Lily\u2019s Cheesecake Bakery &amp; Cafe<\/strong> held their grand opening this past week. They are located at 5504 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lilyscheesecake.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>In downtown Durham, the owners of the popular restaurant <strong>Old Havana<\/strong> are in the process of transitioning into a new concept, <strong>Copa<\/strong> (a farm to table tapas and cocktails of old Cuba), in the old <strong>Revolution<\/strong>. They are looking to open the new venture in March. However, to complete that dream, they are asking for community support to make renovations\/furnishings possible. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1452884270\/copa-the-nations-first-farm-to-table-cuban-restaur\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>If you are inclined to help, click here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Amber Watson<\/strong> at <strong>Bites of Bull City<\/strong> tweeted this week that it looks like <strong>Khaja&#8217;s Curry<\/strong> on 9th Street is open, where <strong>Chubby&#8217;s<\/strong> used to be at 748 Ninth Street. We could not find an online presence for them. Will have to just go by and check it out!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Glen Gillen<\/strong> notified me that the <strong>Amante Pizza<\/strong> in the <strong>Hope Valley Shopping Center<\/strong> in Durham (3825 S. Roxboro Road) has closed and has been replaced by a <strong>Subway<\/strong>. He also pointed out that there is a new outparcel across the street with signage that says <strong>\u201cNew Tokyo\u201d<\/strong> but it appears to still be under construction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Over in Chapel Hill, things are starting to become a little clearer as to what is happening with the former <strong>One<\/strong> space in <strong>Meadowmont<\/strong>. It will become <strong>Fusion Fish<\/strong>, a global Asian fusion restaurant featuring sushi and spirits and cocktails. They won\u2019t commit to anything more definite than \u201copening soon\u201d so we will just have to keep peeking in the windows for now. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Fusion-Fish-1868843306760497\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Keep up with them on Facebook here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Also in Chapel Hill, we are not certain if this is a move or a second location, but we do know for sure that the Korean restaurant <strong>MinGa<\/strong> is moving into the former <strong>Captain Poncho<\/strong>\u00a0 (and before that, <strong>Mixed<\/strong>) space on Franklin Street, near the intersection with Estes Drive. Look for them to open the new space in March. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.min-ga.com\/wordpress\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. Thanks to <strong>Matthew<\/strong>, the <strong>Burgeoning Baker<\/strong>, for the tip.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Chapel Hill\u2019s Franklin Street will get another pizza joint soon. <strong>The Pizza Press<\/strong>, a create your own pizza concept, will be located just down from Target in <strong>Carolina Square<\/strong> (formerly <strong>University Square<\/strong>) at 123 W. Franklin Street. And snooping around their site, it looks like they will also open a location in Raleigh, just don\u2019t know where just yet (guessing Hillsborough Street??). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thepizzapress.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And while on the subject of <strong>Carolina Square<\/strong> on Franklin Street, signage went up recently for the next location of <strong>B.Good<\/strong>. They already have locations in Morrisville, downtown Raleigh and Raleigh\u2019s North Hills. No word on a timeline for the Chapel Hill location. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgood.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check out B.Good here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Closings<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>And this is a hard one to report, but <strong>Indy Week<\/strong> was the first to report that <strong>Scratch<\/strong> will be closing their 8-year-old location in downtown Durham to focus on their newest ventures &#8211; <strong>&#8220;Baby Scratch&#8221;<\/strong> and the <strong>Lakewood<\/strong> on Chapel Hill Street. They will close at the end of this month, so there is still time to get by!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Got word from reader <strong>Scott Eaton<\/strong> that <strong>SiP Bistro<\/strong> in Holly Springs (once featured on <strong>Restaurant Impossible<\/strong>)has closed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Food Trucks<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Art Sheppard, the <a href=\"https:\/\/wanderingsheppard.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Wandering Sheppard<\/b><\/span><\/a>, noted that the date has been set for the next edition of <strong>Rodeo on Rosemary<\/strong> over in Chapel Hill. This year it will take place on <strong>April 22<\/strong> at 12 noon featuring 15 of the best trucks in the Triangle. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/740822039458710\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get all the details on their Facebook event page here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>For those that live in and\/or frequent North Raleigh, you will be happy to know that <strong>Mr. Sticky\u2019s Sticky Buns<\/strong> food truck has opened and can be found at 9229 Capital Blvd. next to Pro Tire. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MrStickysNC\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check them out on Facebook here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. Congrats to <strong>Ed Hall<\/strong>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Two great sites to keep up with your favorite food trucks. <strong>Street Food Finder<\/strong> is one &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/streetfoodfinder.com\/c\/nc\/raleigh\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>find it here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. And another, aptly named, is <strong>Roaming Hunger<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/roaminghunger.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>find it here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Events<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0The 2018 version of the <strong>Lucy Daniels Center Cooking for a Classic<\/strong> is coming to a conclusion as chef <strong>Matt Hannon<\/strong> of <strong>Ironwood Cafe<\/strong> goes up against chef <strong>Dean Thompson<\/strong> of <strong>Raleigh Renaissance Hotel<\/strong> on <strong>February 7<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/strong> Tickets are still available. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lucydanielscenter.org\/special-events\/cooking-for-a-classic\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get a peek at the truck and tickets here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Cary Rotary Club<\/strong> is hosting its <strong>15<sup>th<\/sup> annual Chili Dinner<\/strong> fund-raiser to <strong>Stop Hunger<\/strong> on <strong>Friday, January 26<\/strong> at <strong>Kirk of Kildare Presbyterian Church<\/strong> (200 High Meadow Drive in Cary) between the hours of <strong>12 and 2 p.m.<\/strong> and <strong>5 and 7 p.m.<\/strong> This year they are working toward providing 94,000+ meals internationally and generating $11,000+ to support local hunger relief efforts. Each $8 ticket purchased will send ~19 meals internationally and $2.40 to relieve hunger in our own neighborhoods.\u00a0 International meals are typically served in schools. Doing so encourages attendance and supports education\/literacy. Delicious meals prepared by <strong>Whole Foods Market<\/strong> will be served at lunch and dinner. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/1774303596206318\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get details on their Facebook event page here<\/b><\/span><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tyler&#8217;s Restaurant &amp; Taproom<\/strong> and <strong>Sam&#8217;s Quik Shop<\/strong> will host the <strong>6th Annual Bull City Food and Beer Experience<\/strong> on Sunday, <strong>February 25<\/strong>. The event features 30 restaurants paired with 30 breweries spread throughout all three <strong>DPAC<\/strong> floors featuring unlimited samplings and the Harris On Stage Experience showcasing local food trucks with the help of <strong>County Fare<\/strong>, a daily food truck rodeo opening soon. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bullcityexperience.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get all the details and tickets here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>March 17<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> is the date for the second annual <strong>Food Shuttle Garden Gallop 5K<\/strong> to benefit the <strong>Inter-Faith Food Shuttle&#8217;s Growing School Gardens program<\/strong> (better known as the <strong>Sean is Faster Than Gordon race<\/strong>). Put it this way, if I can do it, you can do it! Come on out and support a great cause. <a href=\"https:\/\/app.racereach.com\/event\/food-shuttle-garden-gallop-5k-run-walk\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Register and get all the details here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Durham Magazine<\/strong>, <strong>Chapel Hill Magazine<\/strong> and <strong>Chatham Magazine<\/strong> return with their popular culinary event, <strong>Taste<\/strong> to take place <strong>April 18-22<\/strong> highlighting the culinary talents along the Durham\/Chapel Hill corridor. The event will feature over 30 of the area&#8217;s top chefs at four unique events throughout the week. <a href=\"http:\/\/tastetheevent.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Keep up with the latest and get tickets here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And looking ahead a bit, it was announced this week that <strong>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina<\/strong> will host a culinary event called <strong>Thrive NC<\/strong> set to take place at downtown Raleigh&#8217;s <strong>City Market<\/strong> on <strong>May 10-11<\/strong>. The two-day event will highlight the fact that 1.5 million people in the state struggle to buy affordable and fresh foods. A highlight of the event will be a <strong>two-day food festival<\/strong> featuring top chefs from 50 North Carolina restaurants serving food and drink samples against a backdrop of live music each night. Tickets will go on sale in February. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gothrivenc.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Keep up with the details as they unfold here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Food Bank Corner<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0Go ahead and mark your calendars and get your tickets for the <strong>Food Bank&#8217;s Chef&#8217;s Feast at Fearrington Village<\/strong> coming up on <strong>March 22<\/strong>. Four renowned chefs will prepare, and serve favorite recipes through four courses in an intimate environment. Guests will enjoy beverage pairings, an opportunity to bid on unique auction items, and learn more about what the <strong>Food Bank<\/strong> and its partner agencies are doing in the community for those facing food insecurity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/chefs-feast-at-fearrington-village-tickets-41884046310\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get more information and tickets here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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. Featured Restaurant News The News &amp; Observer reported last week that chef Mike Lee, who operates M Sushi and M Kokko, has plans for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=728\">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-728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728","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=728"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":731,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions\/731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}