{"id":885,"date":"2019-02-15T06:05:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T11:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=885"},"modified":"2019-02-15T06:07:30","modified_gmt":"2019-02-15T11:07:30","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-february-15-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=885","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; February 15, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Featured Restaurant News<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, shared the news this week that <strong>Gonza Tacos y Tequila<\/strong> founders, <strong>Gonza Salamanca<\/strong> and <strong>Carlos Rodriguez<\/strong>, have announced their newest venture, <strong>Macondo Latin Cuisine<\/strong>, which will open in <strong>Sojourn Glenwood Place Apartments<\/strong> in Raleigh (near the intersection of 440 and Glenwood Avenue). <strong>Macondo<\/strong> will feature small tastes of traditional Latin flavors that will rotate seasonally. Look for them to open this fall. In the meantime, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MacondoNC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">keep up with their progress on Facebook here<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Wake County Restaurant News<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>High school classmate <strong>Kevin Stavredes<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Saints &amp; Scholars<\/strong> had finished their remodel and had re-opened (February 2) at 909 Spring Forest Road. Kevin noted that they are back open with many of the same great made-from-scratch menu items that made them famous&#8230;great burgers, wraps, unbelievable fresh salads (the Mediterranean is my favorite), great appetizers, and great Main Plates including a nice fresh Salmon entree, homemade Jambalaya, pot roast and shepherd&#8217;s pie &#8211; plus great bar drinks. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saintsandscholarspub.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Reader <strong>Jennifer Buchholz<\/strong> shared that<strong> Poke Bros.<\/strong> at 780 Alexander Place, Suite 110 in <strong>Brier Creek<\/strong> has opened (did so on Feb. 2). They offer fast, fresh, fit. high-quality, sushi-grade fish and farm-fresh veggies in an authentic Hawaiian pok\u00e9 bowl. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/eatpokebros.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get familiar with them here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The folks over at <strong>ITB Insider<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>McNeill Pointe<\/strong> along Wake Forest Road will soon be adding yet another new restaurant to their growing list of offerings: <strong>Chido Taco<\/strong>. <strong>Chido<\/strong>, a Spanish language equivalent to the American slang word \u201ccool,\u201d does not appear to be a chain of any kind. However, we can\u2019t find an online presence for them. Stay tuned.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>John Huisman<\/strong> also shared the news that <strong>Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Center<\/strong> is bringing their bowling alley\/restaurant concept to 4020 Capital Blvd. in Raleigh (<strong>Ashton Square<\/strong> shopping center). No word yet on an opening date. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Stars-and-Strikes-Family-Entertainment-Centers-375283659979726\/\" target=\"_blank\">Keep up with any announcements on their Facebook page here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Also in Raleigh, <strong>WRAL<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Burney\u2019s Sweets &amp; More<\/strong> has opened a location at 4500 Falls of Neuse Road. They are known for their original recipe glazed and filled croissants, 15-Layer cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, pastries, ice cream, and coffee (they had me at glazed and filled croissants!). <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BurneysofRaleigh\/\" target=\"_blank\">You can get to know them here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Up in Wake Forest, <strong>WRAL\u2019s Kathy Hanrahan<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Rosati&#8217;s<\/strong> is just temporarily closed and will reopen soon under new ownership and new management. They are located at 2101 S. Main Street. We will keep our eyes open for their re-open date. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rosatisofwakeforest\/\" target=\"_blank\">Keep up with them on Facebook here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Down in Fuquay Varina friend <strong>David McCreary<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Tsuru Sweets &amp; Coffee<\/strong> opened its doors for business yesterday at 411 Broad Street in Fuquay-Varina. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tsurusweets.com\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>David<\/strong> also shared that <strong>Fera&#8217;Wyn&#8217;s Artisan Chocolates<\/strong> has opened at 652 Holly Springs Road at Holly Springs Crossings shopping center in Holly Springs. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ferawyns.com\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Durham, Orange &amp; Chatham Restaurant News<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Over in Chapel Hill, reader <strong>Tom Viemont<\/strong> shared with us that he noticed that <strong>Swasdee Thai Restaurant<\/strong> on Columbia Street (near the intersection with Franklin Street) was closed for renovations. A little snooping on my part revealed that it is being converted to a<strong> Cajun Crab House<\/strong> just like what was done with the former <strong>Swasdee<\/strong> location in Raleigh. Both establishments are owned by the <strong>Oriental Hospitality Group<\/strong> (also own <strong>Tamarind Asian Fusion Bistro<\/strong>). No word on a timeline. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/cajuncrabhousenc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get familiar with them here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Over in Durham, <strong>Amber Watson<\/strong> of <strong>Bites of Bull City<\/strong> shared that <strong>Soul Cocina<\/strong> will be the featured \u201cpop-up\u201d at the <strong>American Tobacco Campus<\/strong> (359 Blackwell Street)through February 22nd. They are accompanied by <strong>Chocolatay Confections<\/strong>. If you can\u2019t make it there, you can also find <strong>Soul Cocina<\/strong> at Chapel Hill\u2019s <strong>Blue Dogwood Public Market<\/strong> at 306 W. Franklin Street. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/soulcocinatriangle\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Closings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> broke the news that after less than a year in business, the weekly food truck rodeo <strong>County Fare<\/strong> has closed indefinitely. <strong>County Fare<\/strong> closed at the end of last year for winter break, and its four-person ownership group says the project is now for sale.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Blogger <strong>Eat Raleigh<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>Kaiju Bowl and Bao<\/strong> closed this past weekend for a few weeks while they reconcept.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>And in Cary, friend <strong>Suzanne Smith<\/strong> shared the news that <strong>LaShish Mediterranean Cuisine<\/strong> has closed their doors.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Food Trucks&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Go ahead and mark down the dates for 2019 for the <strong>Durham Food Truck rodeos<\/strong> &#8211; they are: March 24, June 16, September 1 and November 3! <a href=\"https:\/\/durhamcentralpark.org\/events\/food-truck-rodeo-info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get all the dates here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Events<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Chatham OutReach Alliance (CORA)<\/strong> invites the public to the <strong>9th Annual Chatham Empty Bowls Fundraiser<\/strong> on <strong>Sunday, February 24<\/strong><sup><strong>th<\/strong><\/sup> at <strong>Galloway Ridge at Fearrington<\/strong> in Pittsboro. <strong>Empty Bowls<\/strong> is an event designed to raise awareness and funds for our battle to end hunger in Chatham County. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/corafoodpantry.org\/eventscalendar\/emptybowls\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a>. Purchase <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/secure.qgiv.com\/for\/evfo\/event\/795720\/\" target=\"_blank\">tickets here<\/a> or at the door.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>An annual favorite &#8211; <strong>Cooking for a Classic 2019<\/strong> &#8211; is just around the corner. The prize for 2019 \u00a0is restored 1982 JEEP Scrambler. The First Round is Monday-Thursday, <strong>Feb. 25-28<\/strong>; Second Round is <strong>March 4 and 5<\/strong>; and the Finale is <strong>March 11<\/strong>. Tickets start at $75 for the First Round, $100 for the Second Round and $125 for the Finale.Venue is 1705 East in Raleigh. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lucydanielscenter.org\/special-events\/cooking-for-a-classic\/\" target=\"_blank\">You can get all the details here<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/o\/cooking-for-a-classiclucy-daniels-center-14963877006\" target=\"_blank\">tickets here<\/a>. Each evening features six plated courses. Round One features<strong> Teddy Diggs<\/strong> from <strong>Coronado<\/strong> vs. <strong>Ryan Grimm<\/strong> from <strong>Watersview<\/strong>; <strong>Matt Hannon<\/strong> from <strong>Ashton&#8217;s<\/strong> vs. <strong>Bo Peterson<\/strong> from <strong>Primal Food &amp; Spirits<\/strong>; <strong>Jake Wood<\/strong> from <strong>Plates<\/strong> vs. <strong>Jonathan Blackley<\/strong> form <strong>Vidrio<\/strong>; and <strong>Andrew Smith<\/strong> from <strong>buku<\/strong> vs. <strong>Orlando Jinzo<\/strong> from<strong> The Leadmine<\/strong>. All proceeds benefit the <strong>Lucy Daniels Center&#8217;s mental-health programs<\/strong> for children in the Triangle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>On <strong>Tuesday, March 5<\/strong>, participating restaurants are donating a percentage of sales to the <strong>Ronald McDonald House of Durham and Wake<\/strong> as part annual gala week. The proceeds from this evening will help to support children and their families who are facing a critical illness. View a (growing) <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rmhdinnerwithfriends.org\/participating-restaurants\" target=\"_blank\">list of participating restaurants here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>BBQ lovers should put <strong>March 9th<\/strong> on their calendar. That is the day of <strong>Jimbo&#8217;s Annual Backyard BBQ Competition<\/strong> up in Youngsville. Basically it is a 36 team BBQ competition run under a KCBS backyard style. For $20 attendees get to sample all entries and award a &#8220;People&#8217;s Choice&#8221; award to the best cue. In addition to the competition BBQ, they will have a couple food trucks, beer, wine, sodas, and water. All proceeds this year will go to <strong>The Carolina Cavalry<\/strong>, a civilian disaster response organization. Find out more about <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carolinacavalry.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Carolina Cavalry here<\/a>. Get all <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JimbosBackyardBBQ\/\" target=\"_blank\">the event details here<\/a>, including registering your BBQ team.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Shop Local Raleigh&#8217;s<\/strong> annual craft beer festival, <strong>Brewgaloo<\/strong>, will take place <strong>April 26-27, 2019<\/strong> Brewgaloo features craft breweries from North Carolina and partners with local food trucks, local vendors and local bands. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/shoplocalraleigh.org\/brewgaloo\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get tickets now and all the details on their website here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The return of <strong>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina&#8217;s Thrive NC<\/strong> is scheduled for <strong>May 9 -10<\/strong> at <strong>City Market<\/strong> in downtown Raleigh. The inaugural event attracted thousands of members of the community to celebrate North Carolina&#8217;s culinary roots, while also initiating critical conversations about food insecurity in our state. The highlight of the two-day event is the festival which will feature more than 60 of the area&#8217;s best restaurants serving food and drink samples as well as live entertainment, including chef demonstrations and music. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gothrivenc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details, including when tickets will go on sale (February 28), here.<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Food Bank Corner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start a <strong>virtual food drive<\/strong> at your office! Forget the hassle of a trip to the grocery store for your next food drive&#8230; &#8220;Shop&#8221; with the <strong>Food Bank<\/strong> through our Virtual Food Drive and maximize your donation times ten! For every dollar donated, the <strong>Food Bank<\/strong> can provide $10.00 worth of food or five meals. Starting a food drive is easy! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foodbankcenc.org\/site\/TR?fr_id=1142&amp;pg=entry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get all the details here<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Featured Restaurant News &nbsp;John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, shared the news this week that Gonza Tacos y Tequila founders, Gonza Salamanca and Carlos Rodriguez, have announced their newest venture, Macondo Latin Cuisine, which will open in Sojourn Glenwood Place Apartments &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=885\">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-885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885","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=885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":886,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885\/revisions\/886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}