TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Up in North Raleigh Derek Wilkins shared with me that they have opened up their newest location of The Butcher’s Market. This location has all the delicious conveniences they are known for, now just off Falls of Neuse and Dunn Road at the entrance to Bedford at Falls River. They are open everyday 9am-7pm and also offer online ordering with curbside pick up. They are also excited to announce that construction has begun on their Wake Forest location near the Heritage community at Rogers Road and S. Franklin. Stay tuned for progress updates on that. They have three other convenient locations in North Raleigh, Cary and Holly Springs. Visit their newest location on Facebook here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Experience Raleigh shared the news that Idle Hour Coffee is coming to Oberlin Road, just around the corner from Mandolin. They plan to be open before the end of August. In addition to the extensive coffee and tea offerings, they’ll do chef-inspired sandwiches, like the house specialty Bahn-Mi, and eventually they will be offering craft beer and wine! Keep up with their progress and pending announcement on Instagram.

• Down in Wendell, reader Nicole Rowe let us know that the microbrewery Bearded Bee Brewing has opened in downtown! Their mission is to brew great beer using local ingredients, support the honeybee and local beekeepers, and create a place for the community to gather – the “hive” is what they are affectionately calling their renovated building! The brewery will have a large taproom and beer garden… a place where friends, family, and pets gather to enjoy great company and great beer! Visit their Facebook page to check them out.

• David McCreary shared with us that effective today, the latest location of Wisconsin-based fast-casual franchise Culver’s is open at 1860 Cinema Drive in Fuquay-Varina. People in the Quay can now get their fill of burgers, frozen custard and cheese curds. Visit Culver’s here.

• Taco Tuesday is great, but what if you could get $2 tacos every day of the week? Well, the folks at Chubby’s Tacos are doing just that. They just announced that they are introducing Taco Happy Hour – aka $2 Tacos Monday through Friday from 2-5 p.m. And who couldn’t use an extra taco or three to get us through 2020! Visit Chubby’s here.

• Looking for 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

• So today is the day! QueenBurger, the burger pop-up from the folks at KingFisher, opens for dinner tonight (Friday, August 14). They have taken over the back parking lot where you can now enjoy locally sourced smash burgers, veggie burgers, bottled cocktails, beer, and most of all – a good time! 15% of all profits will be donated to we are, a local organization working to extend anti-racist education. They are open Friday and Saturday from 6pm until they’re sold out! Check them out here. And check out we are here.

• Over in Chapel Hill, a return to campus for the students without He’s Not Here would be like a basketball season with no NCAA tourney. But fear not. The Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership notified us that He’s Not Here (Home of the Blue Cup) has reopened the courtyard where you can sit and sip and inside is a bottle shop. Social distancing and masks are required (this is enforced strictly) and there is no inside seating available. Instead, shop grab and go beer options upstairs or have a blue cup filled. Visit them on Facebook here.

Closings / Cancellations

• True Flavors has made the difficult decision to close its doors at Lakewood due to loses from the pandemic. The bit of good news is that they still plan to keep the Highway 55 location open.

• Also in Durham, WRAL reported that after 18 years, the Rudino’s in Durham decided to close their doors. However co-owner Eric Turner hinted that he is optimistic this isn’t the end for Rudino’s Bull City. Stay tuned…

• Got the update this week that the Fest in the West canceled their event this year which had been re-scheduled for Saturday, November 7.

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

• Ashley Christensen Restaurants is now doing Picnic Pop-up at the Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art. You order your picnic ahead of time and pick it up on Saturday and Sunday from noon til 7 pm. Order ahead here and get contactless pick-up at the Blue Ridge Patio at the East Building.

• Today, Friday, August 14th, Sassool, a great family-owned restaurant founded from Lebanese heritage, will support Lebanon Relief by donating a percentage of sales to UNICEF. Sassool has stores in Raleigh (two, North Raleigh and Morgan Street Food Hall) and in Cary. Check out Sassool here and check out the fundraising site here.

• I can’t think of a better cause – Keep NC Beer Alive! To that end, there is another Brewgaloo Drive Thru happening at the Lincoln Theater in downtown Raleigh this Saturday August 15 from 2-6 p.m. Keep North Carolina breweries going by purchasing a six pack of your favorite style of beer or grab a Taste of NC mix pack to try 24 different brews from around the state. Place your order today and they will have it packed and ready for curbside pickup. Place your order here.

• This is kind of fun. The Root Cellar announced on social media this week that chef Sera Cuni will make her national TV debut at 9 pm on August 19th on Guy’s Grocery Games on the Food Network. Visit The Root Cellar here.

• 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.

• Taste Carolina has partnered with five local food and drink artisans on a small group online class that will begin in mid-August. It meets once a week for live demonstrations by each artisan and a social and fun experience led by Lesley at Taste Carolina. The businesses represented are: Cookie Gurlie, The Mad Popper, Carrboro Coffee Company, Sweet Little Something, and Alley Twenty Six. All the artisan products are included in the price of the class! Taste Carolina wants to thank you for reading this, so the code, TFG, will get you $10 off when you sign up here.

• If there is any good to be found in the pandemic (there really isn’t!) it might be the resurgence of drive-in and outdoor movies! Some are your traditional drive-in/car venues, while others are outdoor spaces in the grass with market off “spaces” maintaining safe physical distancing and some even involve watching a movie with babygoats! (I’m serious) Our friends over at Triangle On The Cheap have a great list of drive-in and outdoor movie options for you and your family. Of course, bringing food or ordering food on site makes it that much better! Check out their complete listing of options here.

Food Bank Corner

• Covid 19 and the impact will be with us for a long time and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina stands ready for the challenge – but they need your help! Here’s how you can help:

• DONATE FUNDS. As we shift our inventory and operations to meet the ever-changing need as well as prepare ourselves for Hurricane Season, funds are the resource we need most. Financial donations allow us to stay nimble, to change our operation as needed, and to reach new people with our efforts. 

• INVOLVE FRIENDS. Want to mobilize your neighborhood, church group, or other circle of friends? Holding a Virtual Food Drive is a great way to help – while practicing social distancing. We even re-launched our Virtual Food Drive platform. Visit foodbankcenc.org/vfd to set yours up today.

• USE YOUR VOICE. Research the policies that impact hunger and speak out! Contact your state, local, and federal representatives to let them know policies like SNAP, TEFAP, and WIC need to be strengthened in order to break the cycle of hunger and help relieve families of the burden of hunger. Visit foodbankcenc.org/advocacy to learn more.

• DONATE TIME. The Food Bank greatly relies on our volunteers, especially in times of crisis.If you are a healthy adult and want to volunteer, you can self-schedule a shift here. #noonegoeshungry

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

Featured Restaurant News

• The Giorgios Hospitality Group announced this week that Kipos Greek Taverna (which was up on W. Franklin Street) is relocating to the East end of Franklin Street into Eastgate Crossing Shopping Center in Chapel Hill at 1800 East Franklin Street, in the former Babalu space. No word yet on an open date. Stay tuned. See them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Reader Brad Young shared the great news that Bowstring Pizza & Brewyard will be open today (August 7) in for a “Sneak Peak” from 4pm to 11pm, and Sat/Sun from 11am to 11pm. The space has two patios, wood fired pizza from a catering trailer they converted into an outdoor kitchen of sorts, and beers on tap with lots of TVs. It is a very cool space in an a 100 year-old garage/bar on Wake Forest Rd – 1930 Wake Forest Rd. (Across from Snoopy’s). Follow them on Instagram here.

• Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille has officially tapped Raleigh as its first location in the Carolinas. The fine dining, Texas-based restaurant will celebrate a grand opening on August 27th in Crabtree Terrace. The actual address is 4509 Creedmoor Road in the new building across from the old Sears. Get familiar with them here.

• Over in Morrisville, got word that Carmen’s Cuban Café — which for 15 years has serving up authentic Cuban food and Salsa dancing — has been diligently preparing their staff and the space for the new safety procedures and requirements under Covid 19. They just announced that they will re-open Monday, August 10th (open 11-8 weekdays; 4-8 on Saturday (and soon on Sunday!). Visit them here.

• In Cary, David McCreary shared the news that Brecotea Baking Studio is now open at 1144 Kildaire Farm Road. This modern Asian-style bakery, tea and coffee shop serves up unique offerings like matcha sweet potato buns, chicken curry donuts and avocado cream tea along with abundant highly approachable sweet and savory items. Check them out here.

• Also in Cary, got word from reader Holly Bodner that the current owners (Paige and Tom) of the Great Harvest Bread Company (1240 NW Maynard) are ‘retiring.’ The good news is that they have found new owners and will be around for another week or so helping train them before handing over the keys. Keep up with the transition on their Facebook page here.

• Looking for 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 good folks over at Bites of Bull City shared the news that last Friday night, M Sushi and M Kokko reopened for dinner service. They also shared that M Tempura and Pocha will follow in the coming weeks. Check out their announcement and future announcements on their Facebook page here.

• Also out of Durham, friend Glenn Gillen shared the news that there is a new watering hole coming to Ninth Street (752 Ninth Street) in the not-to-distant future called Flying Bull Brewery. Not much on their website but you can follow their progress and the pending announcement on their Facebook page here.

• And if that isn’t enough new beer news for Durham, Glenn Gillen also shared (perhaps he should be Triangle Beer Guy!) that he saw a sign in the Homestead Market shopping center in the space directly next to the new Milk Lab for Beer Tooth Taproom. Could not find an online presence for them. Stay tuned. Hopefully Glenn our “beer guy” can provide an update soon! 🙂

• The Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership recently reported that Goodness Cooks is now open at Blue Dogwood Public Market on Franklin Street. You can order from a weekly menu (next posting is Thurs. Aug. 6) and pickup fresh, sustainable, local bulk meals from Lizzie and Cordon. Get to know them here.

• The Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership also shared more great news that two Chapel Hill institutions have re-opened just in time for the return of students to campus. Both Crossroads at the Carolina Inn and Top of the Hill Restaurant have reopened! Follow both on Instagram – Crossroads here and Top of the Hill here.

• Some great news coming out of Chapel Hill…After numerous pop-ups and their announcement that they were moving into the space at 505 W. Rosemary Street, Brandwein’s Bagels is now open. Get by and check them out! Follow them on Instagram.

Closings / Cancellations

• Got the sad news this week from Barbara Weeks that with the recent passing of their patriarch Robert “Anvil” Thompson, and the unfortunate reality of COVID-19, their family decided to close Anvil’s Cheesesteaks permanently after 10 years in business. Their small restaurant made more than a quarter million cheesesteaks over the years! Gonna be missed.

• My buddy Julia Rummage passed along the news that Som’s Cafe (3700 Glenwood Avenue in the Regions Bank building) is closing. Their last day will be August 15th. The good news is that you can still get their coffee and tea as a subscription service and bulk delivery. They also have plans to open an event service for coffee, wine and tea events. Stay tuned here.

• Reader Ivan Royster shared that Viva Chicken in North Hills has close permanently. Looks like the closest one is in Greensboro.

• And WRAL reported that Lady Luck, which opened on Glenwood South in March, has closed and deleted all social media profiles.

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

• Taste Carolina has partnered with five local food and drink artisans on a small group online class that will begin in mid-August. It meets once a week for live demonstrations by each artisan and a social and fun experience led by Lesley at Taste Carolina. The businesses represented are: Cookie Gurlie, The Mad Popper, Carrboro Coffee Company, Sweet Little Something, and Alley Twenty Six. All the artisan products are included in the price of the class! Taste Carolina wants to thank you for reading this, so the code, TFG, will get you $10 off when you sign up here.

• If there is any good to be found in the pandemic (there really isn’t!) it might be the resurgence of drive-in and outdoor movies! Some are your traditional drive-in/car venues, while others are outdoor spaces in the grass with market off “spaces” maintaining safe physical distancing and some even involve watching a movie with babygoats! (I’m serious) Our friends over at Triangle On The Cheap have a great list of drive-in and outdoor movie options for you and your family. Of course, bringing food or ordering food on site makes it that much better! Check out their complete listing of options here.

• Raleigh’s Angus Barn continues the celebration of their 60th Anniversary with their Wine Cellar Dinner Part II August 7th-9th in their Wine Cellar. The five-course offering allows you to feast on the cuisine that made the Angus Barn legendary featuring the most iconic dishes from the Eures, Chef Walter, Ms. Betty and wines specially selected by their sommelier, Henk. The cost is $150 plus tax (inclusive of wine pairings and gratuity) and seating is limited. To purchase tickets call Nicole at 919-987-1270 or Tiffany at 919-987-1260.

• Congrats to the good folks over at Union Special in Raleigh as they celebrate their One Year Anniversary on Monday, August 10th from 4-7 p.m. with a special dinner where they will be giving 100% of the proceeds to Safechild NC. Check out the amazing menu here! Happy Birthday Union Special!

• I can’t think of a better cause – Keep NC Beer Alive! To that end, there is another Brewgaloo Drive Thru happening at the Lincoln Theater in downtown Raleigh on August 15 from 2-6 p.m. Keep North Carolina breweries going by purchasing a six pack of your favorite style of beer or grab a Taste of NC mix pack to try 24 different brews from around the state. Place your order today and they will have it packed and ready for curbside pickup. Place your order here.

• Restaurant Week is happening August 14-23 (two weekends!) for Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Holly Springs, Morrisville and Wake Forest. Simply go to “city name”restaurantweek.com (here is the link for Apex as an example) to find a list of participanting restaurants where you can enjoy special prix-fixe meals.  Also find them on Facebook. Join the restaurant week event in your town to win $25 gift cards to participating restaurants!

• The Fest in the West is back for its fifth year on Saturday, November 7 from 11 am- 5 pm at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. The event features food & beer, music, arts & crafts, a KidZone, contests and a petting zoo. A great way to spend time with 7,000 of your closest friends. Admission is free! Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• Covid 19 and the impact will be with us for a long time and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina stands ready for the challenge – but they need your help! Here’s how you can help:

• DONATE FUNDS. As we shift our inventory and operations to meet the ever-changing need as well as prepare ourselves for Hurricane Season, funds are the resource we need most. Financial donations allow us to stay nimble, to change our operation as needed, and to reach new people with our efforts. 

• INVOLVE FRIENDS. Want to mobilize your neighborhood, church group, or other circle of friends? Holding a Virtual Food Drive is a great way to help – while practicing social distancing. We even re-launched our Virtual Food Drive platform. Visit foodbankcenc.org/vfd to set yours up today.

• USE YOUR VOICE. Research the policies that impact hunger and speak out! Contact your state, local, and federal representatives to let them know policies like SNAP, TEFAP, and WIC need to be strengthened in order to break the cycle of hunger and help relieve families of the burden of hunger. Visit foodbankcenc.org/advocacy to learn more.

• DONATE TIME. The Food Bank greatly relies on our volunteers, especially in times of crisis. If you are a healthy adult and want to volunteer, you can self-schedule a shift here. #noonegoeshungry