TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• The folks over at RalToday shared the news that Standard Beer + Food held their soft opening this past weekend at 205 E Franklin Street in downtown Raleigh. While their kitchen remains closed, they will instead be hosting food trucks each week while serving housemade beers, cider and wine. Their hours will be Monday through Thursday 2-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12-11 p.m., and Sunday 12-10 p.m. Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Downtown Raleigh’s A Place at the Table will re-open this Saturday (hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) for take-out only. People who are seeking free meals will now be required to “pay” with a token from Oak City Cares (they have an endless supply) since volunteer opportunities are no longer an option. An exception to the token rule is that families with children will be able to receive a full meal without tokens or questions asked. Additionally, chef Andrews Gravens has launched a new menu offering full breakfast options such as biscuits and gravy and sausage/bacon and soy sausage biscuit sandwiches. Barbecue chicken and grilled chicken are also new to the lunch menu. Check them out here.

• Triangle Business Journal also revealed that Torchy’s Tacos, an Austin, Texas based taco chain, is coming to Raleigh’s Creekside Crossing in Midtown (i.e. out in front of Wegman’s) in early 2021. TT has locations in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. This will be their first location on the East Coast. Get familiar with them here.

• The folks over at Raleigh Convergence shared the wonderful news this week that Players’ Retreat over on Oberlin Road (just off the intersection with Hillsborough Street) reopened this week. PR originally opened in 1951. Check them out here.

• And over in Cary, reader Vanessa Guirguis shared with us that Brüeprint Brewing Company is opening a second location, this one in the Millpond Village shopping center between the Dollar Store and Frida’s Patio in the early part of November. They already have a location on Perry Road in Apex. Follow updates on their site here.

• Looking for all the outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• The folks over at Bites of Bull City shared the news that Beer Study’s new expanded space, The Boot Room, is now open in Durham! They have socially distanced indoor and outdoor space. Check out the soccer (futbol) schedule and menu on their website here.

• Over in Chapel Hill, Melissa Skalos Turner shared with the Chapel Hill Carrboro Facebook foodies group that a BBQ smokehouse called Blue’s on Franklin has opened at 110 W. Franklin Street (former Moe’s and Carribou location). It is a family owned joint (3 generations of Tar Heels represented) serving up BBQ, wings, sammiches, burgers and dogs. Get to know them here.

• Also in Chapel Hill, Carrie Brogren posted to her Chapel Hill Carrboro Facebook foodies group that Southern Village’s Market & Moss, featuring new American cuisine, opened this week. They are initially open for dinner service on the patio and curbside pickup. Patio reservations can be made via phone (919) 929-8226 or through their online booking portal. Get familiar with their menu here.

• Saw on the Crook’s Corner Facebook page that they are back! They will be opening for dinner starting this Saturday (October 24), followed by Sunday brunch and dinner. They’ll pick things up again the following weekend. Please note, reservations are required. Get all the details here.

Closings / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks! Seriously, now more than ever our local restaurants need your support. Do so at whatever level you feel most comfortable – takeout, dining outside, dining inside – or purchasing gift cards as holiday gifts! But please, support our restaurants so we can be certain they will still be here once we get to the other side of this completely.

Food Trucks 

• Triangle on the Cheap shared the news that Food Truck Flix is a recurring event that combines drive-in movies with food trucks, for a safer entertainment experience just announced their schedule for the upcoming weekends (Friday and Saturday nights). The events will be taking place at Frontier RTP, 800 Park Offices, Durham, and at Focus Church, 7000 Destiny Drive, Raleigh. You can purchase tickets in advance for any of the drive-in movies. The price is $25 per car. Of course, you’ll also want to bring money for the food trucks. Get the movie schedule, purchase your pass and get all the details here.

• Here are a  couple of sites to find and stalk your favorite food trucks here and here.

Events

• This is the final weekend to get your NC State Fair “food fix” satisfied. Daily from 10 a.m. through 8:30 p.m., 22 food vendors will be on hand to satisfy your Fair cravings! Enter the Fairgrounds at Gate 9 off Trinity Road and park in the midway area. Walk up the hill towards Dorton Arena and you won’t be able to miss the collection of fair food vendors. Grab your favorites and head back home to enjoy your tasty treats! This event is take-out only. There will be no gathering allowed. Get all the details and a full list of vendors here. In addition, many local restaurants have added State Fair-inspired dishes. WRAL has an ongoing list here.

• At a series of Saturday events called Whole Hog Saturdays, St. Roch chef/owner Sunny Gerhart will welcome pitmaster Wyatt Dickson and co-owner and pig farmer Ryan Butler to serve their Eastern North Carolina Whole Hog pig pickin’ style barbecue from Picnic at St. Roch. The remaining dates are (this) Saturday, October 24th and the final one on the 31st from noon to 4 p.m. (or until the pig runs out). Proceeds from the $9 BBQ sandwiches and plates will support downtown Raleigh’s A Place at the Table. Reservations for Whole Hog Saturdays at St. Roch can be made by calling 919-322-0359 or by reserving via RESY. Walk-in’s are also welcome, and orders may be called in for curbside pickup as well. Visit St. Roch’s here, Picnic here and Wyatt’s here.

• Harvest Dinner, Raleigh City Farm’s annual fundraising event to celebrate a successful growing season, has a new format this year! Harvest Dinner “At-Home Edition” is a four-week series of take-home Sunday dinners featuring amazing local chefs.Remaining dates include: Caroline Morrison of Fiction Kitchen on October 25; and Andrew Gravens of A Place at the Table on November 1. The event series helps support the farm and local agriculture as well as the local restaurant community. For more information, visit here.

• TABLE, an organization that provides emergency hunger relief to children in Orange County, announces its 8th Empty Bowls annual fundraising dinner will take place on Sunday, October 25, with a “carry out” format from 4:00 – 7:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase here.

• Like most things in 2020, this year’s Sip+Savor wine and food event is coming at us with a cool little twist – you’ll get to select an at-home food and wine experience for contactless pickup on Nov. 7 at Johnson Lexus of Durham! Each of the four adventure options (Latin, Roots, European and World) includes dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the Triangle and a handpicked wine flight. Your adventure includes: 5 dishes for two, 4 split bottles of wine, coffee and a swag bag. In addition,chef-tells-all video and virtual wine class by Ryan Vet, Sommelier at the Oak House. Cost is $145. See the offerings and get all the details here.

• On Saturday, November 14h from 2-9 p.m., Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro will hold their Third Annual Oyster Roast with live music by Tommy Edwards and Carolina Lightning. Visit Carolina Brewery here.

• Ashley Christensen Restaurants are now doing Picnic Pop-up at the Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art. You order your picnic (take-out breakfast, picnic boxes, snacks, and beverages) ahead of time and pick it up on Thursday and Friday 8 am til 2 pm and/or Saturday and Sunday from 9 am til 6 pm. Order ahead here and get contactless pick-up located along the walking path on the south side of the brick East Building at NCMA, behind the amphitheater, facing the sculpture park.

• Alley Twenty Six, one of Downtown Durham’s staple businesses, announced a weekly outdoor pop-up event titled “Alley Freezes Over” happening every Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting) from 12 pm to 8 pm. It continues throughout the summer and early fall. The pop-up includes new frozen cocktails and the choice of “boozy” or alcohol-free snow cones using their local, all-natural Alley Twenty Six syrups, plus a revamped food menu from chef Carrie Schleiffer. Seating will be available outside, in the namesake alley (26 Alley) located directly adjacent to the cocktail bar and will be following safety guidelines, including mask wearing, practicing social distancing, and sanitizing surfaces between guests. Visit them here.

Food Bank Corner

• It is nice to find good news it what has been an extremely difficult year for so many. But I am excited to share the news that the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina was named Feeding America’s Food Bank Member of the Year!

• From the Food Bank: At this difficult time, we are humbled and honored to receive this distinguished award, out of our 200 peers across the nation. Our mission is to nourish people, build solutions, and empower communities, which we could never do without your support. Receiving this award affirms the work we are proud to do, and your investment in our community. Of course, we could not do what we do without the support of our: Partner agencies who help us serve the front lines of hunger; Programs that help us target our most food insecure neighbors; Volunteers that help keep our operation lean; and Donors like you! You have invested in our mission and you make this work possible. Thank you for helping us become Member of the Year! Visit this page to learn a little more about their 40 year history. #noonegoeshungry

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

Featured Restaurant News

• The Triangle Business Journal broke the news this week that Cape Fear Seafood Company will open its second Triangle location in Cameron Village next spring in the former Cameron Bar & Grill space. The revamped space will include 20 to 30 outdoor seats. The concept, founded in Wilmington, currently has four locations, including the one in North Raleigh at 832 Spring Forest Road (former Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen and Kamado Grille spot). If you haven’t already, get familiar with them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• North Hills officially announced this week that The BBQ Lab, an offshoot from the original, award-winning Redneck BBQ Lab in Benson, is coming to North Hills’ Main District and is projected to open sometime in the Spring of 2021 in the former Q Shack location. The BBQ Lab is a locally owned and operated multi-unit concept conceived by Jerry Stephenson and Todd Breed. Raleigh, familiarize yourself with their award winning BBQ here.

• And speaking of barbecue, the News & Observer shared that Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue, an 82-year-old institution located on Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh, reopened this week for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Check them out here.

• Kenneth Jarvis shared with us that Peno Mediterranean Grill opened this week in Raleigh at Olive Park in the former Chronic Tacos location at 9424 Falls of Neuse Rd. You’ll recognize the founder, Jamal Haddad, who also founded Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro and Papa’s Subs & Pizza restaurants. Check them out here.

• Over in Cary, David McCreary shared with us the announcement of a new restaurant in downtown – Hank’s Downtown Dive, self-described as a neighborhood bohemian dive. The full-service restaurant will feature Evan Cordes in the kitchen where you can expect a full menu of elevated neighborhood fare. It will be located directly across the street from Pharmacy Bottle & Beverage on E. Chatham Street. An open date has not been announced, but they plan to be open seven days a week, throughout the day and into the evening. Looks like they will be doing lots of “pop-up” events, including their first one tomorrow (10/17) at Sidebar at 4 p.m. Keep an eye out for upcoming pop-up events and updates on the process. Keep up with their progress on Facebook here.

• Looking for all the outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Down in Chatham County we are getting a little more information on Greg Lewis’ next concept. You’ll remember he closed Pittsboro Roadhouse after 8 years and quickly announced he would soon be opening a new concept just down the way in Chatham Mills. And just this week it was unveiled that that the new steakhouse concept will be called The Sycamore at Chatham Mills. Pictures from inside look amazing! Still no word as of yet on an open date. Stay tuned. In the meantime, keep up with their progress on Facebook here.

Closings / Cancellations

• David McCreary shared the sad news this week that Fresca Cafe and Gelato at 302 Colonades Way at Waverly Place in Cary has closed.

Food Trucks 

• Triangle on the Cheap shared the news that Food Truck Flix is a recurring event that combines drive-in movies with food trucks, for a safer entertainment experience just announced their schedule for the upcoming weekends (Friday and Saturday nights). The events will be taking place at Frontier RTP, 800 Park Offices, Durham, and at Focus Church, 7000 Destiny Drive, Raleigh. You can purchase tickets in advance for any of the drive-in movies. The price is $25 per car. Of course, you’ll also want to bring money for the food trucks. Get the movie schedule, purchase your pass and get all the details here.

• Here are a  couple of sites to find and stalk your favorite food trucks here and here.

Events

• Accepting that there will be no NC State Fair this year just got a lot easier to stomach. That’s right, from now through October 25 (daily, 10 a.m. through 8:30 p.m.) 22 food vendors will be on hand to satisfy your Fair cravings! Enter the Fairgrounds at Gate 9 off Trinity Road and park in the midway area. Walk up the hill towards Dorton Arena and you won’t be able to miss the collection of fair food vendors. Grab your favorites and head back home to enjoy your tasty treats! This event is take-out only. There will be no gathering allowed. Get all the details and a full list of vendors here. In addition, many local restaurants have added State Fair-inspired dishes. WRAL has an ongoing list here.

• At a series of Saturday events called Whole Hog Saturdays, St. Roch chef/owner Sunny Gerhart will welcome pitmaster Wyatt Dickson and co-owner and pig farmer Ryan Butler to serve their Eastern North Carolina Whole Hog pig pickin’ style barbecue from Picnic at St. Roch. The dates begin this Saturday, October 17th; and continue on the 24th and 31st from noon to 4 p.m. (or until the pig runs out). Proceeds from the $9 BBQ sandwiches and plates will support downtown Raleigh’s A Place at the Table. Reservations for Whole Hog Saturdays at St. Roch can be made by calling 919-322-0359 or by reserving via RESY. Walk-in’s are also welcome, and orders may be called in for curbside pickup as well. Visit St. Roch’s here, Picnic here and Wyatt’s here.

• This Saturday, October 17th Catering Works in Raleigh is blending two events (The State Fair and Halloween) into a covid-friendly, drive-thru experience called Carn-o-ween. Dress up (highly encouraged), drive-thru and pick up your deep-fried goodness cravings – all done with a Halloween flare. They have al la carte, family packs, and fun for two (including gluten-free options!). So, sign-up for a drive-thru time, get dressed up…and enjoy! Sign up for a pick-up time and get all the details here. A portion of proceeds will benefit The Judy Zelnak Center for Hope.

• Harvest Dinner, Raleigh City Farm’s annual fundraising event to celebrate a successful growing season, has a new format this year! Harvest Dinner “At-Home Edition” is a four-week series of take-home Sunday dinners featuring amazing local chefs. Remaining dates include: Coleen Speaks of Hummingbird on October 18; Caroline Morrison of Fiction Kitchen on October 25; and Andrew Gravens of A Place at the Table on November 1. The event series helps support the farm and local agriculture as well as the local restaurant community. For more information, visit here.

• TABLE, an organization that provides emergency hunger relief to children in Orange County, announces its 8th Empty Bowls annual fundraising dinner will take place on Sunday, October 25, with a “carry out” format from 4:00 – 7:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase here.

• Like most things in 2020, this year’s Sip+Savor wine and food event is coming at us with a cool little twist – you’ll get to select an at-home food and wine experience for contactless pickup on Nov. 7 at Johnson Lexus of Durham! Each of the four adventure options (Latin, Roots, European and World) includes dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the Triangle and a handpicked wine flight. Your adventure includes: 5 dishes for two, 4 split bottles of wine, coffee and a swag bag. In addition,chef-tells-all video and virtual wine class by Ryan Vet, Sommelier at the Oak House. Cost is $145. See the offerings and get all the details here.

• Ashley Christensen Restaurants are now doing Picnic Pop-up at the Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art. You order your picnic (take-out breakfast, picnic boxes, snacks, and beverages) ahead of time and pick it up on Thursday and Friday 8 am til 2 pm and/or Saturday and Sunday from 9 am til 6 pm. Order ahead here and get contactless pick-up located along the walking path on the south side of the brick East Building at NCMA, behind the amphitheater, facing the sculpture park.

• Alley Twenty Six, one of Downtown Durham’s staple businesses, announced a weekly outdoor pop-up event titled “Alley Freezes Over” happening every Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting) from 12 pm to 8 pm. It continues throughout the summer and early fall. The pop-up includes new frozen cocktails and the choice of “boozy” or alcohol-free snow cones using their local, all-natural Alley Twenty Six syrups, plus a revamped food menu from chef Carrie Schleiffer. Seating will be available outside, in the namesake alley (26 Alley) located directly adjacent to the cocktail bar and will be following safety guidelines, including mask wearing, practicing social distancing, and sanitizing surfaces between guests. Visit them here.

Food Bank Corner

• It is nice to find good news it what has been an extremely difficult year for so many. But I am excited to share the news that the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina was named Feeding America’s Food Bank Member of the Year!

• From the Food Bank: At this difficult time, we are humbled and honored to receive this distinguished award, out of our 200 peers across the nation. Our mission is to nourish people, build solutions, and empower communities, which we could never do without your support. Receiving this award affirms the work we are proud to do, and your investment in our community. Of course, we could not do what we do without the support of our: Partner agencies who help us serve the front lines of hunger; Programs that help us target our most food insecure neighbors; Volunteers that help keep our operation lean; and Donors like you! You have invested in our mission and you make this work possible. Thank you for helping us become Member of the Year! Visit this page to learn a little more about their 40 year history. #noonegoeshungry