TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

•  It is quite possible this is too late, but perhaps not. Still looking to make plans for Valentine’s Day? Check out the list the News & Observer’s Andrea Weigl has put together. But if none of those pan out, my friends over at Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours have numerous options in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill for today and tomorrow. So there is still time for you to look like a hero! But hurry. Check on what is available here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Cary is on fire this week. The News & Observer’s Greg Cox is reporting that the owners of Kabab & Grill are targeting this weekend for the opening of their restaurant in the old Pizza Hut building that most recently was home to Atlas Mediterranean Cuisine, and before that, Unaabi Grill. It is located at 914 Kildaire Farm Road. Check them out here.

• The Triangle Business Journal reported that Cary’s new downtown tavern, the Crosstown Pub & Grill, opened last Friday. It is located at 140 E. Chatham St. next to the Cary Theater and features a pub-style atmosphere. Check them out here.

• And my newly ordained Cary “Triangle Food Gal” Mendy Iler (who told us about the opening of Guacamaya Fresh Mex last week) has now given me the heads up that Tijuana Flats is opening next week at the intersection of High House Road and Davis Drive in the same shopping center as Publix (isn’t there a TF just down Davis?). Check them out here.

• Over in Raleigh, the News & Observer reported yesterday that Level Up Restaurant + Barcadium is now serving drinks and plans to start offering food next Thursday. The place, at the corner of Salisbury and Hargett in downtown Raleigh, will eventually open the first floor and add a rooftop patio, but all that will come later. Keep up with them on Facebook here.

• And we are perhaps getting closer to the opening of Pho Pho Pho Noodle Kitchen and Bar at 510 Glenwood South (brought to us by the owners of Sushi Blues). It was noted this week that they are advertising for staff on Craigslist. Can’t be long now…

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Saw on Johanna Kramer’s twitter feed that East Coast Asian Bistro has a new space in Durham at 5410 Highway 55. Check them out here.

• Also in Durham, got word this week that newly opened Bar Virgile will expand their offerings next week (Monday to be exact) when they open for lunch service. Check them out here.

Closings 

• Got word from reader Allison Hubble that Christie’s Restaurant in Cary has closed. It was located at 748 E. Chatham Street.

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• Our friends over at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina are encouraging folks to show their heart for hunger relief by making a gift in honor of a loved one as part of their Hearts for Hunger Valentine’s Day Honor Drive. Get all the details here.

•  Dashi, a new ramen shop and Japanese pub, has opened in downtown Durham at 415 E. Chapel Hill St, just down from Rue Cler. The concept is the creation of Billy and Kelli Cotter of Toast and Nick Hawthorne-Johnson and Rochelle Johnson of The Cookery. Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

•  Just a week after Rise Biscuits and Donuts, which opened in 2012 near the Streets of Southpoint in Durham, announced their first franchise location in Morrisville’s Park West Village, we saw on their Facebook page that they have just inked a deal for mid-town Raleigh (could it be North Hills???). We’ll keep an eye on this one. In the meantime, check out Rise here.

• It is time for you to get twisted! The Twisted Mango has opened in the same space (and owners) that was La Volta in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street. The new bar and grill carries a Caribbean theme. Check them out here on Facebook.

• My buddy Mend Iler tipped me off to the fact that Guacamaya (the restaurant formerly known as Chubby’s Tacos…and still is) at 101 Ledgestone Way (corner of High House and Davis) has a “Now Hiring” sign up. Getting close! We will keep you posted. Thanks Mendy! Check them out here.

• The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Rolesville is about to get its first tavern – Main Street Tavern. It is a sports bar with a light food menu, and geared toward creating a family friendly gathering spot in Rolesville. It is scheduled to open later this month on Main St. in the Food Lion shopping center. Check out their Facebook page here.

• Got word from several folks on Yelp confirming that Ashee Ethiopian in Cary will be replaced by Awaz’e Ethiopian/Eritrean Cuisine. The store is located at 904 Northeast Maynard Road in Cary.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• This past week, Gonza Tacos y Tequilla opened their third Triangle location in downtown Durham at 604 Fernway Avenue, in the West Village Complex. Check them out here.

• We told you about this back in December, but got word this week that Ninth Street Coffee House will be opening in mid-February at 714 Ninth Street. It will be serving up all fresh fruit and veggie juices and smoothies, food and coffee. It is going in where Market Street Coffee recently closed.

• Also on Ninth Street, we got word this week from our friends over at Ninth Street Watch that a new burger joint and gastropub called Burger Bach is looking at a March opening at 737 Ninth Street in Durham. Check out their Facebook page here.

Closings 

• Just after we released our issue last week, social media “blew up” with the news that Crowley’s, a Raleigh institution for decades, had closed. They were located over off Dixie Trail on Medlin Drive. As a Raleigh native, I’m sorry to see them go.

• Also, got word from my buddy Tim Moore that the Golden Corral over on Walnut Street in Cary has closed.

Food Trucks 

Food Bank Corner   

• Our friends over at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina are encouraging folks to show their heart for hunger relief by making a gift in honor of a loved one as part of their Hearts for Hunger Valentine’s Day Honor Drive. Get all the details here.