{"id":77,"date":"2014-01-31T08:40:35","date_gmt":"2014-01-31T13:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=77"},"modified":"2014-01-31T08:40:35","modified_gmt":"2014-01-31T13:40:35","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-january-31-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=77","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; January 31, 2014"},"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<h3>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Featured Restaurant News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0He has done it again. The <strong>News &amp; Observer\u2019s<\/strong> dining guru, <strong>Greg Cox<\/strong>, has put together his much-anticipated annual <strong>\u201cBest Restaurants\u201d list<\/strong>, including the <strong>Restaurant of the Year<\/strong>. Wanna know who it is? Read about it <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/2014\/01\/30\/3577164\/2014-best-restaurants-in-the-triangle.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">here in three, two&#8230;<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Wake County Restaurant News\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>We are just weeks away from the re-opening of the <strong>Hibernian Pub<\/strong> at 311 Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. The new structure is absolutely gorgeous and looks to restore its position as the anchor of the <strong>Glenwood South district<\/strong>. Congrats to <strong>Niall Hanley<\/strong> and his team. Keep up with <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HibernianPub\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">them on Facebook here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong> and look there for the official open date, which should be in the middle of February.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Just a reminder that <strong>The OAKZ<\/strong> restaurant on <strong>Glenwood South<\/strong> in Raleigh, which features American cuisine and is family owned and operated by <strong>Ira Freedman<\/strong> and <strong>Jaclyn Starritt<\/strong>, will swing open their doors to the general public beginning tonight (January 31) at 5 p.m. (dinner) and Saturday, February 1 (lunch and dinner). <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theoakz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Check them out here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>This isn\u2019t exactly food (some would argue that it is), but the <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> reported this week that <strong>North Street Beer Station<\/strong> will open by March 1 at 521 W. North St. in the former Stitch space. They will focus on local and national craft beers, and plans to offer more than 700 types of bottled beer, 13 rotating taps, growler service and wine by the glass. They will not serve food but they are working with local restaurants to have menu items delivered. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/northstreetbeerstation\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>WRAL<\/strong> reported last week that <strong>Britino\u2019s<\/strong>, a full-service family sports restaurant, is now open in Wake Forest. It is located at 11200 Capital Boulevard. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/britinos\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">You can check them out here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>WRAL<\/strong> and the <strong>News and Observer<\/strong> are reporting that Apex has a new Mexican restaurant. <strong>Ole Olea Tapas and Wine<\/strong> has opened in the Scotts Mill residential community. It is sharing a space with <strong>Town Side Caf\u00e9<\/strong>. The cafe operates during the day and <strong>Tapas<\/strong> takes over for lunch Tuesday through Friday. They offer dinner Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday brunch 10 a.m. &#8211; 2 p.m. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Town-Side-Cafe\/499014493488958\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Check them out here<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Kudos to <strong>Arthur Gordon<\/strong> and his continued commitment to constantly improving <strong>Irregardless Caf\u00e9<\/strong> (they celebrate their 40th anniversary next year). <strong>Gordon<\/strong> and his team just completed a renovation of the restaurant\u2019s dining room. Be sure to stop by and check it out. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irregardless.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Find out more here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And out in Holly Springs, the <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> reported this week that <strong>Zaxby\u2019s<\/strong>, a chain that offers chicken sandwiches, wings and chicken fingers, has opened at 101 Grand Hill Place, next to Target. The restaurant is owned by San Diego Chargers strong safety <strong>Marcus Gilchrist<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham County Restaurant News\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Triangle Business Journal<\/strong> was the first to report this week that Chef-owner <strong>Charlie Deal<\/strong> will be opening his newest restaurant concept <strong>Juju<\/strong> at Durham\u2019s new <strong>Shops at Erwin Mill<\/strong> on Ninth Street. They are looking at a July opening for the Asian fusion-style restaurant. <strong>Deal<\/strong> also owns <strong>Dos Perros<\/strong> in Durham and <strong>Jujube<\/strong> in Chapel Hill. In the meantime, check out <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/jujuberestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Jujube here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong> and <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dosperrosrestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Dos Perros here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Over in Durham there is a new place to get coffee (by day) and cocktails (by night) according to the <strong>Herald Sun<\/strong>. <strong>Intrepid Life Coffee &amp; Spirits<\/strong> opened this past Saturday in downtown Durham at 106 W. Parrish St. Best of luck to owner <strong>Matt Victoriano<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intrepidlifecoffeeandspirits.com\/cocktails\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Check them out here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And speaking of coffee, the <strong>Herald Sun<\/strong> also reported this week that Pittsboro is now home to two new coffee shops. <strong>Blue Dot Coffee<\/strong> opened at 53 Hillsboro Street and another called <strong>Caf\u00e9 Diem<\/strong> opened at 18 E. Salisbury St. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bluedotcoffee\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Check Blue Dot out here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong> on Facebook and <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/davenportscafediem\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Cafe Diem here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Closings\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<strong>Spize Caf\u00e9<\/strong> posted on their Facebook page this week that they had closed their doors in downtown Raleigh after a four year run. Sorry to see them go, but best to them in their next chapter. It will be interesting to see who fills that spot. We\u2019ll keep an eye on it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>We learned last week that <strong>Unaabi Afghan Grill<\/strong> in Cary has closed their doors. But according to <strong>Sadiye Ersoy<\/strong>, <strong>Atlas Mediterranean Cuisine<\/strong> will be opening soon in that same spot. Thanks <strong>Sadiye<\/strong> for the update and for your very kind words about this blog!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Food Trucks\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>I got nothing. \ud83d\ude41<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Events<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Feeling a little cabin fever with the snow and ice that won\u2019t go away and the schools that will never seem to reopen!?! Well, the folks over at <strong>Carolina Ale House<\/strong> feel your pain and will be waiting for you tonight with their <strong>$3 pint special<\/strong>. Get out of the house and <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carolinaalehouse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">find a Carolina Ale House near you<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>We got word this week that beginning tomorrow (<strong>February 1<\/strong>) <strong>Piedmont Restaurant<\/strong> over in Durham will introduce <strong>Saturday and Sunday brunch service<\/strong> from10:30 to 2:30. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.piedmontrestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">View the complete menu here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>This is kind of cool. <strong>Kimbap<\/strong>, a Korean restaurant in <strong>Seaboard Station<\/strong> and owned by chef <strong>Kim Hunter<\/strong>, is now offering a <strong>\u201cChef\u2019s Tasting Menu\u201d<\/strong> on the first Monday of each month. Starting next <strong>Monday (Feb. 3)<\/strong>, the event features a prix-fixe menu of seven courses, with seasonal North Carolina food from seven area farmers. Reservations are required for the dinner and will be accepted for times between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. The cost is $60 per person, tax and gratuity not included. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/kimbapcafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get more details here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Looking for something to do next <strong>Thursday (February 6th)<\/strong> night? Head on over to <strong>Tasty Beverage<\/strong> in Raleigh where <strong>Ponysaurus<\/strong>, Durham\u2019s newest nano-brewery, will be from 5:30 to 7:30 with kegs of Fig Saison, IPA, Biere de Garde, Videri Chocolate Stout and Reserve. <strong>Ponysaurus<\/strong> bottles will also be available. This is the first time the public will be able to try multiple <strong>Ponysaurus<\/strong> brews at one time. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tastybeverageco.com\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get all the details here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The 3rd annual chef competition in Durham called the <strong>Bull City Vegan Challenge<\/strong> is back for the month of February. Six restaurants are competing to see who can dish up the most creative vegan entree and dessert for the entire month of February. Participating restaurants (one more to be announced) are <strong>Beyu Caf\u00e9, Dos Perros, Hummingbird Bakery, Parts &amp; Labor (Motorco) <\/strong>and<strong> The Refectory Caf\u00e9<\/strong>. And you get to vote. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/trianglemm.com\/love\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get all the details here<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Looking for a unique and special way to spend Valentine&#8217;s this year? We&#8217;ve got the perfect idea for you. Well, really the folks over at <strong>Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours<\/strong> do. They are offering special <strong>Valentine&#8217;s Day tours in Raleigh<\/strong>. There are many different options and times available. Participating restaurants include: <strong>Sitti, Gravy, Centro, Calavera, Green Light, Chuck&#8217;s, Busy Bee, C Grace, 18 Seaboard, Escazu, Piebird, Tyler&#8217;s Taproom, Raleigh Wine Shop, Roast Grill, <\/strong>and<strong> Cold off the Press<\/strong>. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tastecarolina.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get all the details here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Bull City Food &amp; Beer Experience<\/strong> is back for its second year. This year&#8217;s event will be held at the <strong>Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC)<\/strong> on <strong>March 9th<\/strong> at 4 p.m. The event pairs food from 30 Durham restaurants and unbelievable beer from 30 premier craft \/ import breweries. Tickets are $85.50. A limited number of exclusive VIP tickets are also available. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bullcityexperience.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get all the details here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Here is an event you are definitely going to want to get on your calendar for 2014. Two words: Beer. Bacon. That&#8217;s right, a <strong>Beer and Bacon Festival<\/strong> is coming to Cary&#8217;s <strong>Booth Amphitheater<\/strong> featuring at least 75 craft beers and 10 varieties of bacon (did you know there were 10 varieties?). The event will be held on <strong>March 29 from noon until 6 p.m. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.beerandbacon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get all the details and ticket information here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Food, exercise and a good cause &#8211; that is a good thing, right? I guess. At any rate, registration is now open for the <strong>10th Annual Krispy Kreme Challenge<\/strong> &#8211; run 2.5 miles, eat a dozen donuts, and run back. 8,000 people do it every year. <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.krispykremechallenge.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Register here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong> for the <strong>February 8th<\/strong> event (it is 80% full).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>And finally, the <strong>N&amp;O\u2019s Andrea Weigl<\/strong> tweeted this week that tickets are now on sale for the <strong>2014 World Beer Festival<\/strong> event that will be held in Raleigh on <strong>Saturday, April 5th<\/strong> (the Durham 2014 date hasn\u2019t been announced yet). <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/allaboutbeer.com\/craft-beer-events\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Get all the details here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Food Bank Corner<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>During the week of <strong>April 23-27<\/strong>, <strong>Durham Magazine<\/strong> and <strong>Chapel Hill Magazine<\/strong> will put on a festival of food and beverage events called <strong>TASTE<\/strong>, which will celebrate the vibrant Durham-Chapel Hill culinary scene. A portion of ticket sale proceeds from the signature event, the <strong>Grand TASTE Experience at DPAC<\/strong> on <strong>Thursday, April 24<\/strong>, will be donated to the <strong>Durham Branch of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina<\/strong>. For more information, <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tastetheevent.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">visit them here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/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 \u00a0He has done it again. The News &amp; Observer\u2019s dining guru, Greg Cox, has put together his much-anticipated annual \u201cBest Restaurants\u201d &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=77\">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-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","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=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions\/78"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}