{"id":897,"date":"2019-03-15T07:22:27","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T11:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=897"},"modified":"2019-03-18T06:03:23","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T10:03:23","slug":"friday-fun-food-facts-march-15-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=897","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun Food Facts &#8211; March 15, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Triangle Restaurant News<\/strong><br>\nTriangle restaurant news&#8230;that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.<\/p>\n\n\n\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>In the heart of downtown Raleigh at <strong>Moore Square park<\/strong>, the folks over at <strong>ITB Insider<\/strong> shared that the $12 million renovation of the park is nearing completion and &nbsp;is set to reopen late this summer, following nearly two years of construction. The bulk of the remaining work  is now focusing on the <strong>cafe<\/strong>, the trellis, and the play and fountain areas of the project. <strong>Empire Eats<\/strong>, the group behind <strong>The Pit<\/strong> (Raleigh &amp; Durham), <strong>Raleigh Times<\/strong>, <strong>Morning Times<\/strong>, <strong>Gravy<\/strong>, <strong>Sitti<\/strong>, &nbsp;and <strong>The Mecca<\/strong>, will be leasing the cafe on the property. No word yet on what kind of fare they will be bringing to the park. Will we watching this one closely. <a href=\"http:\/\/empireeats.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Visit Empire Eats 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>Got word from the folks over at <strong>NC Triangle Dining<\/strong> that the upcoming <strong>Calavera Empanadas and Tequila<\/strong> restaurant will not be opening in the former<strong> Tasty 8\u2019s<\/strong> hot dog restaurant space on Fayetteville Street, but will instead take over the old <strong>Moonlight Pizza<\/strong> location on Morgan Street, according to owner <strong>Ken Yowell<\/strong>. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/calavelaraleigh\/\" target=\"_blank\">Visit Calavera on Facebook here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>And speaking of <strong>Ken Yowell<\/strong>, not sure if we officially shared this, but his <strong>Acorn at Oak City<\/strong> is now open next to his <strong>Oak City Meatball Shoppe<\/strong> on East Davie Street. It replaced <strong>Kaiju<\/strong>, a ramen and bao bar, which he closed Feb. 8. They serve breakfast and brunch daily and then switch to small plates accompanied by wine and spirits &nbsp;in the evenings. Thanks to <strong>Drew Jackson<\/strong> and the <strong>News &amp; Observer<\/strong> for the update. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theacornatoakcity\/\" target=\"_blank\">Visit them on Instagram here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Got word from <strong>Michael DePersia<\/strong> of<strong> National Restaurant Properties<\/strong> that he sold the <strong>Five Bro\u2019s Pizza<\/strong> (former <strong>Toppers Pizza<\/strong>) off Wake Forest Rd on Ronald Dr. (just behind <strong>Hooters<\/strong>) to <strong>John Molite<\/strong> who plans on opening up his second Triangle location of <strong>Manhattan Pizza<\/strong> in the next few weeks. Their original location is &nbsp;in the former Greek Fiesta spot in the Falls Point shopping center at Durant and Falls of Neuse. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanpizza.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Visit Manhattan Pizza here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In Morrisville, got word from reader <strong>Joe McGarry<\/strong> a while ago, and just confirmed, that <strong>Hickory Tavern<\/strong> is bringing a location to <strong>Park West Village<\/strong> in the former <strong>BlackFinn Ameripub<\/strong> space. Actual address is 3201 Village Market Place. No word on a timeline. They already have Triangle-area locations in Cary and Carrboro. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehickorytavern.com\/locations\/30\/morrisville-nc\" target=\"_blank\">Check them out here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In Apex got word from <strong>Jennifer Willis<\/strong> that the <strong>Chick-fil-A<\/strong> at <strong>Beaver Creek<\/strong> is closed for renovations. Their Facebook page notes they will be closed through April 15th. So, every day is a Sunday from now until Tax Day for those in Apex. Sorry! Keep up with their progress on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/apexcfa\/\" target=\"_blank\">their Facebook page here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Over in the <strong>Brier Creek<\/strong> area, got word from from reader <strong>Jennifer Buchholz<\/strong> that the <strong>Mellow Mushroom<\/strong> is targeting <strong>March 25<\/strong> for their opening. It is located at 9600 Brier Creek Parkway. Follow their social media to confirm their opening. Visit them <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mellowmushroom.com\/location\/nc-raleigh-9600-brier-creek-parkway-27617\/\" target=\"_blank\">on their website here<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MellowMushroomBrierCreek\/\" target=\"_blank\">on Facebook here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Well, not exactly Triangle-area restaurant news, but certainly something that impacts anyone in the Triangle that has planned their trips to the coast around a stop at Goldsboro\u2019s <strong>Wilber\u2019s Barbecue<\/strong>. Got word from <strong>Mike DePersia<\/strong> that the N.C. Dept. of Revenue has shut it down. Will keep an eye on it in the event the situation is rectified.<\/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>In Durham near the intersection of Mt. Moriah Road and 15\/501, the<strong> Shiki Sushi<\/strong> Facebook page indicated that they are very close to opening another location of their sister restaurant, <strong>Tasu Asian Bistro<\/strong> (was referred to as <strong>Tasu Express<\/strong>). They currently have <strong>Tasu<\/strong> locations in Raleigh\u2019s <strong>Brier Creek<\/strong> and Cary\u2019s <strong>Waverly Place<\/strong>. No word on a timeline. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/shikitasu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Keep up with them here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>On a recent visit out to RTP, I noticed a sign for <strong>Daily Taco<\/strong> at the corner of Hwy. 54\/Chapel Hill Road and Carrington Mill Blvd. That is at the same intersection as <strong>Daily Grind Coffeehouse<\/strong>. Hmmm. Not sure if there is a relationship there, but one has to speculate. Stay tuned.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A quick update in Chapel Hill. A few weeks ago we shared that a <strong>Japan Express<\/strong> was going into the former <strong>Pizza Hut<\/strong> location on Estes Drive. Well, reader <strong>Davene Mainwaring<\/strong> shared the news that they actually leveled the old <strong>Pizza Hut<\/strong> location. Kinda sad, but looking forward to the new development for <strong>Japan Express<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Over in Carrboro we have solved the \u201cmusical chairs\u201d surrounding a couple of restaurants thanks to readers <strong>Tom Viemont<\/strong> and <strong>Ari Bowers<\/strong>. We now know that <strong>Esperanza Empanadas &amp; Tequila<\/strong> has permanently closed. With that closure, <strong>One Fish Two Fish Poke<\/strong> has closed their current location <strong>BUT<\/strong> will move into and reopen in the <strong>Esperanza<\/strong> space. No word on a timeline for the reopening of <strong>One Fish Two Fish<\/strong>. Also, no word as of yet what will go into their (now) former space. Keep up with their progress <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OneFishTwoFishPoke\/\" target=\"_blank\">on their Facebook page<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>And down in Chatham County, saw on the Town of Pittsboro Facebook page that <strong>Cafe Diem<\/strong> coffee shop (I think it is officially <strong>Davenport\u2019s Cafe Diem<\/strong>) &nbsp;has opened at 439 Hillsboro Street. Filtered brewed coffee, Caf\u00e9 au lait, Caf\u00e9 &amp; cocoa, Espresso, Cappuccino, Macchiato, Caf\u00e9 Latte, Caf\u00e9 Mocha, Caf\u00e9 Americano and frozen drinks are on the menu. Check <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/davenports-cafediem.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">their website out here<\/a> and their <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CafeDiemPBO\/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook page 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>Gluten-free restaurant <strong>Primal Food &amp; Spirits<\/strong> in Durham posted on their Facebook page this past weekend that they were closed effective immediately. Thanks to reader <strong>Sammi Van Hoy<\/strong> for alerting us to this.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>And got word from several readers that the <strong>Fiesta Mexicana<\/strong> at the corner of High House and Cary Parkway has closed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>And in Chapel Hill, <strong>The Daily Tar Heel<\/strong> reported that <strong>Roots Bistro &amp; Bar<\/strong> closed last month. They still have their location in Durham.<\/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 rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/durhamcentralpark.org\/events\/food-truck-rodeo-info\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the dates here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>And the dates for the 2019 edition of the <strong>Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo<\/strong> have been released &#8211; they are Sunday May 5th &#8211; 12-6pm (Cinco de mayo ); Sunday June 9th &#8211; 12-6pm; Sunday August 4th &#8211; 3pm-9pm ( Evening Rodeo ); and Sunday Oct 6th &#8211; 12-6pm. All are held along Fayetteville Street. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>On <strong>March 31st<\/strong> food trucks will gather in Chapel Hill for the <strong>Food Truck Rodeo on Rosemary<\/strong> from 1-4 p.m. More than a dozen trucks will be on hand. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/251471582457690\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details on their Facebook page here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Thanks to a note from <strong>Mark Ginsberg<\/strong>, I learned that the<strong> Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays<\/strong> is getting ready to kick back up for the season. The event is held the third Thursday of the month from April through October at <strong>Knightdale Station Park<\/strong> for lunch AND dinner. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.knightdalenc.gov\/departments\/parks-recreation-and-cultural-programs\/festivals-and-events\/food-truck-thursdays\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details, truck schedule and more 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>On Sunday, <strong>March 24th Tyler\u2019s Restaurant &amp; Taproom<\/strong> and <strong>Sam\u2019s Quik Shop<\/strong> present the <strong>7th annual Bull City Food &amp; Beer Experience<\/strong> where 30 of Durham\u2019s finest restaurants are paired with 30 refreshing beers. Unlimited food and beer samplings will be spread throughout all three <strong>DPAC<\/strong> floors, plus the On Stage Experience will showcase local food and live music on the<strong> DPAC<\/strong> stage. This event is a fundraising event to benefit the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ellerbecreek.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association<\/a>. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bullcityexperience.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Also on <strong>Sunday, March 24<\/strong>, <strong>Postal Fish Company<\/strong>, <strong>Sanctuary Vineyards<\/strong>, and <strong>Vino Wine Shop<\/strong> are joining forces to bring you a truly local seafood and wine dinner, <strong>Sanctuary Vineyards Wine Dinner<\/strong>, that will change your mind about North Carolina wines. Tickets are $65. All the details and ticket information can be found <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/476073489591389\/\" target=\"_blank\">on their Facebook event page here<\/a>.<\/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>Recently <strong>Brewgaloo<\/strong> was nominated as one of the top beer festivals in the country! That&#8217;s right, in the country! Right now <strong>we sit atop the leaderboard<\/strong>, but we need your vote to stay there. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.10best.com\/awards\/travel\/best-beer-festival-2019\/brewgaloo-raleigh-n-c\/\" target=\"_blank\">Please click through here<\/a> and keep us there! Thanks to <strong>Jennifer Martin<\/strong> for bringing this to my attention.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Cary&#8217;s 4th annual <strong>Fest in the West<\/strong> festival returns on <strong>Saturday, May 4th<\/strong> from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. The event features old-fashioned contests (like pie eating!), artists, beer, food trucks (10) and live bands on multiple stages. (Rain date is May 5). <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/festinthewest.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Tickets are on sale now for <strong>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina&#8217;s Thrive NC<\/strong>, 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. Get all the details here. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gothrivenc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get all the details here.<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>Food Bank Corner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Our first <strong>Fork + Bottle Dinner<\/strong> of 2019 is Thursday, <strong>March 21<\/strong>. Join award-winning chef <strong>Thomas Card<\/strong> as he welcomes local favorites <strong>The Kast Brothers<\/strong> to <strong>Counting House<\/strong> and <strong>21c Museum Hotel Durham<\/strong>. <strong>Alex Kast<\/strong> is the director of Chapel Hill Creamery and brother <strong>Max Kast<\/strong> of <strong>Broadbent Selections, Inc.<\/strong> is the only Master Sommelier in North Carolina. The night will start with a tour of our current exhibition, Portraying Power and Identity: A Global Perspective, followed by cocktail hour and dinner. <strong>Chef Card<\/strong> has designed a menu to pair with <strong>Chapel Hill Creamery<\/strong> selections and wine will be poured to accompany the meal. Tickets are $75 a person and a portion of every ticket sold will benefit the Food Bank of Central &amp; Eastern North Carolina. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/570122993506599\/\" target=\"_blank\">Visit their Facebook event page here for all the details<\/a>. <\/li><\/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 In the heart of downtown Raleigh at Moore Square park, the folks over at ITB Insider shared that the $12 million &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/?p=897\">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-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897","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=897"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":899,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions\/899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trianglefoodblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}