{"id":761,"date":"2018-05-04T08:23:56","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T12:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=761"},"modified":"2018-05-04T08:23:56","modified_gmt":"2018-05-04T12:23:56","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-may-4-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=761","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; May 4, 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>Such great news! <strong>Al <\/strong>and<strong> Melody Bowers<\/strong> of <strong>Al&#8217;s Burger Shack<\/strong> and <strong>Mel&#8217;s Commissary &amp; Catering<\/strong> announced this week that they are opening a neighborhood pub in Chatham County&#8217;s <strong>Governors Village<\/strong> this summer. <strong>Al&#8217;s Pub Shack<\/strong> will feature its own spin on traditional pub fare with beer, wine and a full bar in a comfortable, family-friendly space. <strong>Al&#8217;s Pub Shack<\/strong> will open this summer at 50050 Governors Village in Chapel Hill. Keep up with their progress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alspubshack\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>on Facebook 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 appears as if the <strong>Wahlburger&#8217;s<\/strong>, located in the former <strong>Oxford<\/strong> space, is finally open. According to the <strong>N&amp;O<\/strong> they were holding a soft opening for a better part of this past week, with plans for a full opening by week&#8217;s end (i.e. now). Now that they are finally open, you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wahlburgersrestaurant.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>can get familiar with them here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>We now have a date for the opening of <strong>Hi-Poke<\/strong> in Morrisville thanks to a note we received from <strong>Yuling Wang<\/strong>. It will be the first Poke restaurant in Morrisville and they are committed to serving healthy, fresh, comfort foods. <strong>Hi-Poke<\/strong> will offer both poke-bowls and salads, along with fruit smoothies and milk tea. The restaurant is located in <strong>Park Place Shopping Center<\/strong> in Morrisville. <a href=\"https:\/\/hipokes.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get to know them here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Also in Morrisville, this Saturday, <strong>May 5th<\/strong> is the grand opening of the second location of <strong>ZenFish<\/strong> (original location is in Durham). They are located at 9924 Chapel Hill Road in Morrisville near the intersection with Weston Parkway. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/2114712782094214\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get the details on their Facebook events page here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The latest <strong>Buffalo Brothers Pizza &amp; Wing Co.<\/strong>, located in Cary&#8217;s <strong>Salt Box Village<\/strong>, is opening soon. But it is a moving target. It looks like (on their Facebook page) <strong>May 9<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> is the date. But could be a soft opening over the weekend. Best bet is to check into their Facebook page. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BuffaloBrothersNC\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Do so here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Also in Cary, thanks to the keen eyes of reader <strong>Chris Creighton<\/strong>, we learned that <strong>Cary Towne Kitchen and Bar<\/strong> on Kildaire Farm Rd. and Tryon Rd. has opened. They are located where <strong>TGI Fridays<\/strong> once was. <a href=\"http:\/\/carytownekitchen.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>See their menu and get all the details on their website here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Down in Fuquay-Varina, got word from <strong>David McCreary<\/strong> that a new BBQ restaurant is coming soon to 1526 Broad Street called <strong>Daddy D&#8217;s BBQ<\/strong>. It will serve slow-cooked beef, pork and chicken. They are looking at an opening sometime in June. For more information, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DaddyDsBBQNC\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>visit them on Facebook here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And if that is not enough yummy goodness coming to Fuquay-Varina, how about a place that serves ice cream and beer? Yep, looks like someone else has been reading my diary. <strong>David McCreary<\/strong> was the first to mention <strong>Pints Ice Cream &amp; Beer<\/strong>, and we confirmed it via their Facebook page. It is 100% true! They are located in the former Blanchard&#8217;s Plumbing building. Dreams do come true. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PintsIceCream\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Keep up with their progress here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>In Garner, reader <strong>Sam Ruby<\/strong> notified us that the <strong>Grill 57<\/strong> that closed now has a sign saying that it will be the new home of <strong>Steak &#8216;n Shake<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.steaknshake.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get familiar with them here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And over in Knightdale, this coming Monday (<strong>May 7<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong>) ground will be broken in a ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. for <strong>Prime Barbecue<\/strong> at 403 Knightdale Station Run. Champion pitmaster <strong>Christopher Prieto<\/strong> will be on hand. You can get all the details and start getting familiar with them <a href=\"http:\/\/www.prime-bbq.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>on their website 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>Saw on the <strong>Chapelboro<\/strong> website that we now know what is replacing Franklin Street&#8217;s legendary <strong>Spanky&#8217;s<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>Lula&#8217;s<\/strong>. It&#8217;s going to be a Southern restaurant &#8211; really good fried chicken and porkchops and short ribs and farm-to-table vegetables, freshly squeezed lemonade, homemade biscuits and mint juleps according to <strong>Greg Overbeck<\/strong>, one of the owners of <strong>Chapel Hill Restaurant Group<\/strong>. No word yet on a timeline. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chapelhillrestaurantgroup.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check out the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Don&#8217;t forget &#8211; this weekend is the grand opening of <strong>Vecino Brewing Company<\/strong> in Carrboro. Today is $4 <strong>Vecino<\/strong> pints and $1 off guest taps all day. Saturday brings us half-priced selected appetizers and small plates. And Sunday enjoy $5 sandwich specials. Get all the details <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/433230170449882\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>on their Facebook event page here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Closings<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>None to report. Keep eating local, folks!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Food Trucks<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays<\/strong> went back into full swing this month. Trucks will be on hand for lunch and dinner each Thursday at the <strong>Knightdale Station Park<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.knightdalenc.gov\/departments\/parks-recreation-and-cultural-programs\/festivals-and-events\/food-truck-thursdays\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get a full schedule and truck listing on their website here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. Thanks to <strong>Mark Ginsberg<\/strong> for the heads up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The dates have been set for the <strong>Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo<\/strong> and <strong>Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos<\/strong>. Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/durhamcentralpark.org\/events\/food-truck-rodeo-info\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Durham here<\/b><\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Raleigh here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. The first Raleigh rodeo is <strong>THIS<\/strong> weekend on <strong>Sunday, May 6th<\/strong> from 12-6 p.m.<\/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><strong>May 5<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> is the date for West Cary&#8217;s very own <strong>Fest in the West<\/strong>, a festival featuring food, beer, crafts, music and a kids&#8217; zone. It will take place from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the <strong>USA Baseball Training Complex<\/strong> at 7445 Green Hope School Road. <a href=\"http:\/\/festinthewest.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get all the details here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Get your tickets now for<strong> Thrive NC<\/strong>, set to take place at downtown Raleigh&#8217;s <strong>City Market<\/strong> on <strong>May 10-11<\/strong>. All ticket sale proceeds will be donated to North Carolina nonprofits that address issues related to food insecurity. Attendees will help determine which nonprofits receive funding from ticket sales. 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 two-day food festival featuring top chefs from 50 North Carolina restaurants serving food and drink samples against a backdrop of live music each night. <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<ul>\n<li><strong>Beer and Bacon Fest<\/strong>. <strong>May 19<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong>. Cary. Not much else needs to be said. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/522026324813158\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Check it out here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Also on <strong>May 19<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> is the <strong>Durham Blues &amp; Brews Festival<\/strong>. What started as a rockin&#8217; good time has become a Durham tradition, filled with music, food, and outstanding craft beer! This isn&#8217;t a Beer Fest with music, or a Blues Fest with beer. It&#8217;s a\u00a0<em>new<\/em>\u00a0type of event offering great Blues music and\u00a0<em>only\u00a0<\/em>North Carolina craft beers. The brewers will be on site to tell you about their breweries and beers. Serving\u00a0full 12 oz. pours for you to enjoy while learning about their beers, and listening to great blues bands. Proceeds from the festival benefit local Durham charities and programs, including the <strong>Exchange Family Center<\/strong>, a Durham-based non-profit agency dedicated to preventing child abuse. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.durhambluesandbrewsfestival.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get all the details and tickets here<\/b><\/span><\/a>. Use code<strong> &#8220;TFB5&#8221; to get $5 off<\/strong>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And the 2018 version of <strong>Farm to Fork<\/strong> expanded to three events over several seasons and tickets to all three just went on sale. The fun begins with the first event on <strong>June 3<\/strong>, the perennial favorite <strong>Farm to Fork Picnic<\/strong>, where the area&#8217;s best farmers and chefs are paired. Then on <strong>September 16<\/strong> they&#8217;ll host a pop-up dinner featuring <strong>Jacob Boehm<\/strong> of <strong>Snap Pea Underground &amp; Catering<\/strong>. And the series will conclude on <strong>December 6th<\/strong> with <strong>John T. Edge<\/strong> and a celebration of Southern food on Chapel Hill&#8217;s <strong>Lavender Oak Farm<\/strong>. You can buy ticket to each individual event, or all three. <a href=\"http:\/\/farmtoforknc.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get tickets and all the details on their site here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The 2018 version of <strong>Chefs for Change<\/strong>, a fundraising dinner series that pairs the burgeoning Durham food scene with the needs of families experiencing homelessness, is well underway. The first two events (featuring <strong>Charlie Deal<\/strong> on March 12 and <strong>Scott Howell<\/strong> on May 14) have <em>sold out<\/em>. And if last year is any indication, the next two dinners will sell out quickly. The <strong>July 9th<\/strong> event features <strong>Phoebe Lawless<\/strong> (<strong>The Lakewood<\/strong> and <strong>Scratch<\/strong>) and the <strong>September 10<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> event features <strong>Gocciolina&#8217;s Aaron Benjamin<\/strong>. Each night the chef will serve three or more courses at a ticketed dinner with the proceeds benefiting <strong>Families Moving Forward<\/strong>. The dinners are held at the <strong>Rickhouse<\/strong> and limited to 125 people. <a href=\"https:\/\/fmfnc.org\/chefsforchange\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get all the details and tickets here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And finally, listen up chefs! The <strong>NCRLA Chef Showdown<\/strong> is an annual statewide culinary competition sponsored by the <strong>NC Department of Ag<\/strong>. It&#8217;s a culinary competition open to chefs (savory and pastry) across the state. There are three regional semi-finalist rounds (New Bern May 22, Hickory June 4 and Raleigh, June 25) that will result in a final competition on <strong>Monday, Aug 27<\/strong> in Charlotte.\u00a0The final event is in conjunction with the first night of the industry&#8217;s Restaurant &amp; Hotel Expo. Chefs can apply to compete now &#8211; May 9. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncrla.org\/chefshowdown\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get all the information you need here<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Food Bank Corner<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Next Saturday, <strong>May 12th<\/strong>, is <strong>&#8220;Stamp Out Hunger&#8221;<\/strong> where you can place nonperishable food donations in a bag by your mailbox and your letter carrier will take care of the rest. <b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foodbankcenc.org\/site\/PageServer?pagename=LetterCarriers\">Get all the details here<\/a><\/b>. Don&#8217;t want to leave food out? You can still help the cause by donating via our <strong>Virtual Food Drive<\/strong>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foodbankcenc.org\/site\/TR?px=1389860&amp;fr_id=1122&amp;pg=personal\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Get details on that 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 Such great news! Al and Melody Bowers of Al&#8217;s Burger Shack and Mel&#8217;s Commissary &amp; Catering announced this week that they &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=761\">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-761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761","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=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}