May 6, 2016 · 8:23 am
Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- This isn’t exactly “restaurant” news – but it is part of the journey of what will eventually become a larger concept that will include dining. Just yesterday Oak & Dagger’s Research Library (i.e. bottle shop) opened where Tyler’s bottle shop used to be in downtown Raleigh’s Seaboard Station. Progress continues toward the rest of the project – Oak & Dagger Public House. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check them out on Facebook here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Over at North Hills we got word this week that Sam’s Pizza and Salads had closed suddenly last weekend. That was quickly followed by the news in the Triangle Business Journal that Pieology Pizzeria, which just opened on Hillsborough Street, would open their second Raleigh location in that space. Renovation has begun, targeting a July opening. Check out Pieology here.
- I get a lot of questions from readers. Probably one of the more frequent questions is regarding the restaurant space located directly behind Crabtree Valley Mall (former Crabtree Tavern, Tavola… among others). Back in December we told readers it would become the newest location of San Marcos Mexican Restaurant out of Danville, VA. Got word this week that they are about three weeks out from opening! If you haven’t been by recently, it looks amazing! Let’s hope the food is as good as the decor! Check them out on Facebook here.
- Got word from reader Steven Moore that Ledo’s Pizza in Cary has opened. They are located at 982 High House Road in the Lowe’s Shopping Center. This looks like the first North Carolina location (unless you count Rock Hill, SC as part of NC). Check them out here.
- Cary’s location of Sassool will hold its grand opening celebration on Mother’s Day, May 8th from 1-4 p.m. Sassool’s second location, which opened in December, is located at 1347 Kildaire Farm Road in the Shoppes of Kildaire (Trader Joe’s). Get all the details on their website here.
- Also in Cary, got an update on a Yelp message board that the Noodle Boulevard has opened at 919 N. Harrison Avenue. They took the place of the short-lived Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees and Smoothies, and Java Jive before that. Check them out here.
- Up in Wake Forest, got a note from a reader that there is some activity 1248 S. Main Street in the former Fig Wine Bar location for Italian Trattoria by Bruno, which we assume is associated with Bruno’s in Wakefield. Stay tuned.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Saw in the Herald Sun that the latest edition of City Barbecue will open tomorrow, May 7th, at their location in Durham at Southpoint Crossing between McDonald’s and Ruby Tuesday. Check them out here.
- May 24th is the date that Giorgios Bakatsias has pegged for the opening of his newest venture – Boheme according to the Triangle Business Journal. Boheme will open in the Straw Valley space near the intersection of Interstate 40 and 15-501 at the Durham / Chapel Hill border. It will be open for dinner and brunch on the weekend. Get all the details here.
Closings
- As noted above, Sam’s Pizza & Salads in North Hills has closed.
Food Trucks
- The RDU Mobile Food Association (RDUMFA) food truck members will be at The Salvation Army of Wake County’s Judy D. Zelnak Center of Hope location (1863 Capital Boulevard in Raleigh) on Monday, May 9th from 5 to 7 pm. The event will be a dinner food truck rodeo, where a percentage of sales and tips earned will be donated to Salvation Army program, Project CATCH (Community Action Targeting Children who are Homeless). Attendees are also encouraged to bring a canned good to donate. The food trucks that will be here are Baozi, Chick-N-Que, Cocoa Forte, Gussy’s, Philly’s, Sweet Traditions and Will & Pop’s.
- With the warm weather returning, it also means the return of the Food Truck Thursdays in Knightdale. Every Thursday from April through June, the town will host a new truck at Knightdale Station Park for lunch and dinner. Just look for it from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm near the amphitheater (rain or shine – shelters are covered). For all the details and the truck schedule, check them out here. Thanks to Mark Ginsberg for the heads up!
Events
- The Boot’s chef John May has teamed up with the folks over at Starpoint Brewing for a four course prix fixe dinner paired with a craft brew at each turn on Tuesday, May 17th. It is $50 per ticket. Get all the details here.
- I saw in the News & Observer that Vino!! Wine Shop and 458 West B&B are hosting Pittsboro’s first ever Wine Festival on May 21. The event will happen rain or shine from 1-4 p.m. at the bed and breakfast’s front lawn and porch. Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Only 100 tickets will be sold for the event. Attendees will get to taste wine from seven vendors, savor appetizers and cheese from Goat Lady Dairy and enjoy door prizes and live music. Tickets can be purchased online here.
- The Piedmont Dinner Series continues on May 25th as Piedmont’s Greg Gettles and The Boot’s John May will host a late spring bbq in partnership with Locals Seafood. The multi-course dinner is $65, plus $20 for wine pairings. Get all the details and the menu on the events page here.
- Ok, this is a bit of a stretch to include, but it’s too fun/funny not to include. It is the 2016 Doughman event being held in Durham on May 28. What is it? It is a “foodie” event that combines the elements of a triathlon with competitive eating. 4-member teams basically down a delicious treat from a Durham establishment which is then followed by a bike, run or “water activity” challenge of varying distances. Sign up and get all the details here.
- Andrea Weigl at the News & Observer noted on her Twitter account recently that tickets to one of my favorite annual events, Farm to Fork have gone on sale. The event this year will be held on the weekend of June 3rd through June 5th. Get all the details and tickets here.
- Arguably the area’s biggest “foodie” event, TerraVita, recently announced the dates for this year’s festival – September 28th through October 1st. The Chapel Hill-based festival, now in its seventh year, offers exceptional dinners, tasting events, after parties, chef demos as well as the “Sustainable Classroom” – educational experiences featuring renowned chefs, authors & national media. TerraVita concludes with a Grand Tasting on the Green featuring over 65 chefs, artisans and beverage producers for tastings, live chef demonstrations and cookbook signings. TerraVita’s ticket launch and full schedule will be released in mid-June. More details here.
Food Bank Corner
- The Letter Carriers Food Drive is back for its 24th year – and will be on Saturday, May 14th. It’s easy! Pack a bag of food and set it by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will do the rest! Check out the list of most needed items here!
April 29, 2016 · 8:07 am
Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- Kudos to Kinston chef Vivian Howard on winning the James Beard Award for Outstanding Television Personality for her role in “A Chef’s Life” on PBS which documents her and her husband’s life running two restaurants (Chef & The Farmer and Boiler Room Oyster Bar) in Kinston. Next week we find out if Raleigh’s Ashley Christensen will win Best New Restaurant for Death & Taxes. Check out Vivian’s restaurants here and here and Ashley’s here.
Wake County Restaurant News
-
It is official. It was announced this week that Raleigh’s newest non-profit restaurant,
Carroll’s Kitchen, will take over the former
Square Rabbit space in downtown Raleigh at some point this summer.
Carroll’s Kitchen is a 501c3 restaurant dedicated to ending homelessness for women in Raleigh. They held a launch party this past week with over 250 people in attendance. Check out their new website and get all the details on this exciting, and meaningful venture
here.
-
Also in downtown Raleigh,
G. Patel’s Eschelon Experiences restaurant group announced that the former
Zinda location will become
Bare Bones, a new ribs, burger and beer restaurant on Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street. They hope to be open by this summer. According to the
News & Observer,
Bare Bones chef will be
Taion McElveen, who previously worked at
Cameron Bar & Grill and
The Oxford. His menu will feature smoked pork, beef ribs, brisket and house-ground burgers.
Learn more here.
-
Over in downtown Raleigh, saw on
Ashton Mae Smith’s weekly blog (which you
should subscribe to by the way) that
Sushi O owner’s are replacing their short-lived
International Burger and Breakfast Restaurant concept with an authentic Szechuan / Chinese restaurant and bar called
China O Bistro and Bar. No information on a website or Facebook page yet.
-
Up in Wake Forest, the
Triangle Business Journal reported last week that
Buku owner
Sean Degnan has confirmed that he and business partner
Tony Hopkins will be opening a second, smaller, location on Rogers Road near the
Heritage development in Wake Forest. The goal for opening is set for Fall 2016. In the meantime,
check them out here.
-
Over in Cary,
Hickory Tavern opened its second Triangle location this past Wednesday in the new
Parkside Town Commons Center. The original Triangle-area location is in downtown Carrboro. Check out the Cary location
on Facebook here.
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Also in Cary, those familiar with
Johnny’s Pizza on Holly Springs Road in Apex, will be excited to learn that they will open a second location in the former
Z Pizza location in the
Stone Creek shopping center at the corner of High House and Davis. Look for them to open this location in August or September. Get all the details
on their Facebook page here.
-
And Cary’s location of
Sassool will hold their grand opening celebration on Mother’s Day,
May 8th from 1-4 p.m.
Sassool’s second location, which opened in December, is located at 1347 Kildaire Farm Road in the
Shoppes of Kildaire (Trader Joe’s). Get all the details
on their website here.
-
Finally, in Garner reader
Hugh Autry (actually, his wife), brought it to my attention that
Panera Bread has opened in Garner’s
White Oak shopping center.
Check them out here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
-
Happy + Hale has successfully opened their second location, which is in Durham at 703 Ninth Street, and will hold their grand opening, tomorrow,
April 30th, from 11-4 p.m. Get all the details
on their Facebook page here.
-
While you are downtown, might as well also pop into
Counter Culture Coffee at 812 Mallard Avenue as they celebrate their grand opening event on Saturday,
April 30th beginning at 10 a.m. Take a tour, taste (both coffee and tasty treats provided by local chefs) and visit their pop-up store.
Get all the details here.
-
Beyu Caffe, located in the heart of downtown Durham, will be closing for one week to move to its larger quarters at 341 W. Main Street, just two doors down!
Check them out here.
Closings
- None to report. Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
-
TABLE will hold its
4th Annual Food Truck Rodeo tomorrow (
April 30) from 3-7 p.m. at Chapel Hill’s
Orange United Methodist Church on MLK Blvd. The event is to benefit one of
TABLE’s program, called the
Weekend Backpack Program, a year-round hunger relief program that provides food to hungry kids when school is not in session. Get all the details on the trucks, kids events, entertainment, etc.
here.
-
The
Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo’s first event of the year is this
Sunday, May 1st from 1-6 p.m. Organizers tout the event as a 1/2 mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 11 city blocks. There will be a total of 54 trucks, with nine of those being new to the event! The site now has the complete food truck list as well as site map. The remaining three rodeos will be held on
June 12, Aug. 7 and
Oct. 9.
Get all the details here.
-
With the warm weather returning, it also means the return of the
Food Truck Thursdays in Knightdale. Every Thursday from
April through June, the town will host a new truck at
Knightdale Station Park for lunch and dinner. Just look for it from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm near the amphitheater (rain or shine – shelters are covered). For all the details and the truck schedule,
check them out here. Thanks to
Mark Ginsberg for the heads up!
Events
-
The Carolina Inn begins the
14th season of its popular end-of-the-workweek celebration called
“Fridays on the Front Porch” this
Friday, April 29 (today) from 5-8 p.m. This Friday afternoon ritual will continue through early October.
Get more details on food and entertainment here.
-
Felicia Perry-Trujillo reminded me that the next
Snap Pea Underground pop-up dinners will be held
May 20th & 21st at a secret location in Durham, and tickets go on sale
TODAY (
Friday, April 29th) at
12 noon. If you are interested, set a reminder as these dinner
will literally sell out within minutes. Trust me. Seriously.
Go here at 11:55 and start hitting your refresh button.
-
If you like wings, you’ll want to get down to the
Raleigh Beer Garden tomorrow (
Saturday, April 30) from noon to 6 p.m. (tix are $10 in advance) for the
Glenwood South Wing Fling featuring 10 different restaurants showcasing their skills.
Get all the details here.
-
The
Piedmont Dinner Series continues on
May 25th as
Piedmont’s Greg Gettles and
The Boot’s John May will host a
late spring bbq in partnership with
Locals Seafood. The multi-course dinner is $65, plus $20 for wine pairings. Get all the details and the menu on the events page
here.
-
Ok, this is a bit of a stretch to include, but it’s too fun/funny not to include. It is the
2016 Doughman event being held in Durham on
May 28. What is it? It is a “foodie” event that combines the elements of a triathlon with competitive eating. 4-member teams basically down a delicious treat from a Durham establishment which is then followed by a bike, run or “water activity” challenge of varying distances.
Sign up and get all the details here.
-
Andrea Weigl at the
News & Observer noted on her Twitter account recently that tickets to one of my favorite annual events,
Farm to Fork have gone on sale. The event this year will be held on the weekend of
June 3rd through June 5th.
Get all the details and tickets here.
-
Arguably the area’s biggest “foodie” event,
TerraVita, recently announced the dates for this year’s festival –
September 28th through October 1st. The Chapel Hill-based festival, now in its seventh year, offers exceptional dinners, tasting events, after parties, chef demos as well as the “Sustainable Classroom” – educational experiences featuring renowned chefs, authors & national media.
TerraVita concludes with a
Grand Tasting on the Green featuring over 65 chefs, artisans and beverage producers for tastings, live chef demonstrations and cookbook signings. TerraVita’s ticket launch and full schedule will be released in mid-June.
More details here.
Food Bank Corner
- Ever wondered how your company can make a difference in the local community and do your part to help end hunger? Host a Food Drive!!! The great folks over at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina make is SO SIMPLE! Check it out here and be your office hero!
