TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler. 

Featured Restaurant News

• Ok. Someone has been reading my diary again. Glenn Gillen brought it to my attention thanks to a feature he saw in Eaters Carolina that any day now, Durham will be home to an all-day cafe and beer bar – coffee in the morning and beer in the afternoon. The Daily Beer Bar will bring life back to the spot once occupied by Talk of the Town at 108 East Main Street. The concept is the dream of beer writer and bartender John Paradiso and his wife Rosa. As noted in Eaters, it will function as a coffee shop in the morning with hot and cold drinks served by Yonder Coffee in Raleigh and pastries from local bakeries. At lunchtime, things will switch to more of a deli vibe with “a simple sandwich and salad menu.” And the day will close out with an array of beer and wine. Read the feature in Eater here and visit them on Instagram for progress and announcements here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Cary’s Fenton development will see their first restaurant open today for dinner – Colletta. Chef Oscar Gnapi’s seasonal menu will feature house-made focaccia and pasta, antipastis, made-to-order wood-fired pizzas, and piatti. The chef curated dinner and dessert menus, pair with the well balanced wine and beverage program. The restaurant will feature 60 indoor dining seats, 60 seats outdoors on the semi-covered patio, and a 12-seat bar. Get to know them here.

• And this is fun, and great for a mid-week break. Tom Meyer is bringing a new concept to Cary in the form of a “weekday hideaway” of sorts. Prohibitive, housed in downtown Cary’s historic Matthews House (317 W. Chatham Street), will be a place where you can gather with friends and family for an after work drink (beer, wine and classic cocktails) and delectable small plates. They are opening next Thursday, September 8th. Follow along on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Chapelboro reported this week that the franchise location of Cook Out is aiming to open their doors at at 450 South Elliott Road on Friday, September 9th. They are located along 15-501 in the former Burger King location, across from Breadmen’s, Red Lotus and Alpaca Peruvian Chicken. This will be the 123rd locaiton of Cook Out, the first in Chapel Hill. Visit them here.

• Chapelboro also provided an update for everyone keeping their eye on the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets in downtown Chapel Hill, specifically the next location of Raising Canes. For those hoping the chicken finger joint would be open in time for school, or at least football season, we learned that they won’t open until the spring of 2023. The good news, more so for the students, is that when they do open, they will be open from 9 a.m. until 3:30 a.m. Additionally, the $2 million renovations will add outdoor dining to the corner. Start getting yourself familiar with Raising Cane here.

• Got word this week that The Hill Nutrition, which had previously announced they would be closing August 31, is staying open under new management. They are located at 50221 Governors Dr. in Chapel Hill (Chatham County) where they continue to serve up smoothies, juices, healthy shakes and energizing teas. Best to follow on Facebook for more upcoming announcements.

• And speaking of Chatham County, they will soon be home to another watering hole. They announced this week that Thirsty Skull Brewing would be returning with a taproom and biergarden to 684 West Street in Pittsboro, right next to The Phoenix Bakery. No word yet on an open date. Look for announcements on their Facebook page here.

Closing / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 will be on Sunday, September 25th. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• The next Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo is this Sunday, September 4th. Following that, the final one of the year will be held on October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here.

• Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.

Events

• The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival is taking place this weekend September 2-4 in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina where they will celebrate “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina – from Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato. The three-day event features a variety of activities culminating with a impressive list of pitmasters showing off their talents on day three. Get tickets and all the details on their site here.

• The Bull City BBQ Bash will take place this Saturday, September 3rd from 12-5 p.m. bringing a high energy BBQ event to Durham to cap the summer holiday season. Attendees will interact with BBQ competitors, taste and vote on delicious food while supporting Helps Education Fund, enjoy live music, shop at a small business marketplace, enjoy local food and beverages and most of all – experience an amazing atmosphere! Get all the details on their website here.

• Ruckus and Bond Brothers Beer have teamed up for a series of Beer Dinners at three different Ruckus locations. The dinners will be September 14th at the Morrisville location; September 22nd at the Apex location; and the final one on September 27th at the Cary location. The dinners will feature four courses of flavor matched up with acclaimed Bond Brothers beers. Seating each night is at 6:30 with the first plates served at 7. Get tickets and all the details here.

• After a 2-year hiatus, Dinner in the Meadow will return as attendees will be gathering in the meadow again on Sunday, September 11th from 5:30-8:30 in the evening. The dinner sells out each year, so you are encouraged to get your tickets early. Get all the details here.

• This year’s Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let’s work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, on August 30, 2019. On April 12th of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Race goers will gather on September 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

• Also on September 17th, kick off autumn with a free Oktoberfest Celebration at Gizmo Brew Works from 12-10 p.m. where you will enjoy live music, food, and craft beer out of a commemorative half-liter boot glass ($20; first pour is free). Get all the details here.

• The 15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, September 18th at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1st, when prices increase Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event.

• Also on September 18th in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

• On Sunday, September 25th, The Beagle, a cocktail bar in downtown Pittsboro (53 Hillsboro Street), will hold an End of the Summer Luau that will combine food, cocktails, and live music with a fundraiser for The Boys & Girls Club of Pittsboro. The band El Mirage will provide surf rock and The Beagle will provide a tropical pig roast with island fare, craft beer, tiki cocktails and desserts. Tickets will include the meal, dessert and two drinks. Get tickets and all the details here.

• After a two year hiatus, the 30th annual A Tasteful Affair, the tasting event of the season and fundraising event for the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, returns. This year’s event will feature samples from some of the area’s very best from the food and beverage industry, exciting silent auction, incredible live entertainment, and more! The event will take place at at The Carolina Club from 5:30-8 pm on Sunday, October 23. Pro tip: Use code: SOCIAL for a discount on your tickets! Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will hold their first ever Volunteer Festival September 24th from 10am-2pm at the Raleigh branch location. This festival is free entry, open to the public and come and go as you please. If you are one of the first 120 people to make a $10 donation to the Food Bank, you will receive a FREE beer from Mordecai Beverage Company. They will have an inflatable slide and obstacle course for ALL ages, a balloon twister and face painter will be on site and a variety of food trucks on site for your convenience including a nonprofit the Food Bank often teams up with, Inter Faith Food Shuttle Food Truck! For all you potato sorting lovers, they will have their signature potato sorting outside to meet your volunteering needs! Bring your family, friends and your neighbors to the Food Bank for their day of fun on September 24th 10am-2pm!! Get all the details here.

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler. 

Featured Restaurant News

• The team behind downtown Raleigh’s Wye Hill opened Glasshouse Kitchen this week out in RTP (5 Laboratory Drive). Raleigh Magazine was the first to break the news of the new concept. The name comes from the gorgeous building boasting three sides of floor-to-ceiling windows which will feel like an extension of the outside world in the dining room — without the annoyances of being outside. The menu, which is crafted as approachable-casual, is a joint effort by WH Hospitality company chef Bobby McFarland and executive chef Savannah Miller, who, before joining the Glasshouse team, worked at M Tempura for almost four years. Pizza will be a huge draw of the menu along with a sandwich-heavy menu at lunch and a small plates-forward menu at dinner. And don’t forget brunch as well as their craft cocktail program. Congrats to co-owners Sara Abernethy and Chris Borreson. Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• WRAL shared the news this week that Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is opening a cowboy bar in Cary’s Fenton in the first half of 2023. PBR Cowboy Bars are currently located in 10 cities around the country, but this will be the first in NC. Most notably perhaps, the bar will feature the area’s only professionally endorsed mechanical riding bull. Maybe Cary is shaking that “relocating Yankee” reputation! Get familiar with them here.

• And speaking of Fenton, we are getting very close to the opening of the first restaurant at that development – Colletta (I just got invited to the pre-opening event). Date to be announced soon. Chef Oscar Gnapi’s seasonal menu will feature house-made focaccia and pasta, antipastis, made-to-order wood-fired pizzas, and piatti. The chef curated dinner and dessert menus, pair with the well balanced wine and beverage program. The restaurant will feature 60 indoor dining seats, 60 seats outdoors on the semi-covered patio, and a 12-seat bar. Get familiar with them here and sign up to receive the opening announcement.

• Down in Selma in Johnston County the much-anticipated Old North State Food Hall will open its doors today, Friday, August 26. The hall is located at 67 JR Road in Selma and will offer ten diverse cuisines all under one roof. Opening tenants include FUKU, Barley and Burger, Luna Pizza, Curry in a Hurry, Aroma de Cuba, The Mac House, My Cielo Taqueria, Cock a Doodle Moo, Bean and Bubble and Butter Cream. Longleaf Tavern, housed in what was once a humidor in the historic JR Cigars building, will serve as the “heart of the food hall,” offering full bar service. Get updates and announcements here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Carrie Brogren, founder of the Chapel Hill Carrboro Facebook foodies group, shared the news that NoDa Brewing Company out of Charlotte will be opening NoDa Brewing Company Tapas in the current Old East spot in Chapel Hill’s East 54 on September 16th. Old East will continue to operate as a bar with a limited menu until then. The new concept will offer small plates and a full-service bar. This will be NoDa Brewing Company’s fourth location and the first outside the Charlotte area. Visit NoDa here.

Closing / Cancellations

• Sad to share the news that Big Mike’s BBQ location in Apex was forced to close due to an inability to renegotiate their lease. Two good things: they still have their Cary location as well as their catering/food truck; and two, they hinted at announcing a new location soon. Stay tuned. Visit them here.

• And multiple media outlets shared the news this week that jazz club and cocktail lounge C. Grace closed for good after over a decade in business on Glenwood Avenue.

• And got word this week from Michael DePersia of DePersia & Associates that Burger 21 in Bradford Shops in Cary (corner of High House and Davis) has closed. However, if you have interest in taking over the franchise or opening your own restaurant there please contact DePersia & Associates.

Food Trucks

• The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 will be on Sunday, September 25th. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• The remaining Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here.

• Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.

Events

• This weekend is the 46th Annual Lazy Daze street festival over in Cary. The event features two days of fun bringing together nearly 300 artists from 16 states across the U.S. Featuring a beer garden, numerous interactive art activities, a kid’s world area, demonstrations from professional craftsmen and food and drink vendors. Admission is free. The event is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 27 and 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 28. Get all the details here.

• Indy Week reminded us that the Sixth Annual TVF Vegan Mac & Cheese Cook Off is taking place this Sunday, August 28 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Durham Armory. This event benefits Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge and Triangle Vegfest. Attendance will be capped at 300 people. Get all the details here.

• The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival is taking place September 2-4 in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina where they will celebrate “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina – from Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato. The three-day event features a variety of activities culminating with a impressive list of pitmasters showing off their talents on day three. Get tickets and all the details on their site here.

• The Bull City BBQ Bash will take place on Saturday, September 3rd from 12-5 p.m. bringing a high energy BBQ event to Durham to cap the summer holiday season. Attendees will interact with BBQ competitors, taste and vote on delicious food while supporting Helps Education Fund, enjoy live music, shop at a small business marketplace, enjoy local food and beverages and most of all – experience an amazing atmosphere! Get all the details on their website here.

• After a 2-year hiatus, Dinner in the Meadow will return as attendees will be gathering in the meadow again on Sunday, September 11th from 5:30-8:30 in the evening. The dinner sells out each year, so you are encouraged to get your tickets early. Get all the details here.

• This year’s Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let’s work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, on August 30, 2019. On April 12th of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Race goers will gather on September 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

• Also on September 17th, kick off autumn with a free Oktoberfest Celebration at Gizmo Brew Works from 12-10 p.m. where you will enjoy live music, food, and craft beer out of a commemorative half-liter boot glass ($20; first pour is free). Get all the details here.

• The 15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, September 18th at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1st, when prices increase Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event.

• Also on September 18th in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• You only have until midnight, July 31 to double the value of your gift to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina — dollar for dollar — up to $55,000. So, if you haven’t yet given, or want to make an even bigger impact on hunger this summer, please rush your gift today. Every $10 you give today can double to provide 100 meals! Our goal is to raise 10 million meals this summer and come to the aid of our friends and neighbors stretched thin by the rapidly rising cost of living. And if we can max out this matching gift offer, that’ll provide enough food for 550,000 meals across central and eastern North Carolina.