Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- Typically I feature restaurant news here, but this event is too big and too much fun not to highlight in this space – and it is one week from today! It is the FoodBank’s 24 Hour Telethon beginning at noon on Friday, September 26 with a goal of raising $60,000 (or 300,000 meals) for hunger relief as part of Hunger Action Month. There are lots of ways to participate (in addition to your donation), so check it out here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Downtown Raleigh’s newest addition, coffee and beer shop, Brew (in Seaboard Station), just “turned 21” and is now serving Crank Arm Brewing Company beer! Stop by for coffee, or beer, or both…I guess…why not? See it all here.
- Got word in the News & Observer this week that the 501 Building on Glenwood South is about to get hopping again with the addition of three new concepts opening between now and Thanksgiving. And all three establishments are being opened by three different groups that have a history of success in the Triangle – so that is very exciting. Here is the breakdown.
- Kevin and Amy Marksberry are targeting next week (Monday, if inspections go well) for the opening of Shuckers Oyster Bar & Grill in the old Bogart’s space at 501 Glenwood South. The couple also owns the perennially popular Shuckers in Wake Forest and a second location in Southern Pines. Check them out here.
- On the front of the building where Red Room used to be, chef/owner Vincent Barresi (owner of the popular Vincent’s in North Raleigh) is opening Big Boom by the end of October. The menu will reflect his Italian heritage.
- And finally, Quy Duong, owner/chef of Sushi Blues Café, will return to his native Vietnam for the menu at Pho Pho Pho Noodle Kitchen & Bar, which he hopes to open by Thanksgiving.
- The drive to Asheville for my Tupelo Honey Café fix is about to get a lot shorter with the mid-November opening of Tupelo in Raleigh at 401 Oberlin adjacent to Cameron Village. I had lunch with Tupelo’s Elizabeth Sims last week and it is exciting to hear about all the “local” features that will be part of the restaurant – they are doing it right. And if interested, they have a job fair coming up Oct. 1 & 2. Get a sneak peek look at them here.
- Over in Cary, I first got a tip from reader Robbie Gregory that Totopos in Cary had opened this past week. And the initial reports I am hearing is that it is absolutely fabulous, so plan a visit soon to see what all they hype is about. I can’t find a website for them, but they are across from the Trader Joe’s in the old Chili’s building.
- Also in Cary, the Triangle Business Journal is reporting that the Charlotte-based pizza chain Brixx Wood Fired Pizza is making plans to open two more locations in Cary in 2015. Brixx has signed leases to open in both the new Parkside Town Commons retail development (N.C. 55 and N.C. 540/Triangle Expressway) and at the new Bradford apartment and retail complex (Davis Drive and High House Road). If you are not familiar with Brixx, check them out here.
- And in Morrisville, thanks to the keen eyes of reader Jeff L. (sorry, I couldn’t find your last name), we learned that California’s Blaze Pizza is making its way to our area, and specifically Park West Village, sometime in 2015. Get a look at them here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News
- The Herald-Sun tipped us off to the fact that there is a new food truck rolling around the streets of Durham (and the Triangle). Bull City Street Food, a food truck specializing in international cuisine, has opened. If you’ve been around a while, you might recognize the truck’s owner Harry Monds, who in the late ’90s and early 2000s was behind The Blue Sage and Time Table. Check them out on Facebook here.
Closings
- Got the bad news this week from David McCreary that D’Andrea’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop & Grill at 114 Grand Hill Place in Holly Springs has closed its doors.
Food Trucks
- The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of the year will be held on Sunday, October 12th from 1 – 6 p.m. on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Think ½ mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 11 city blocks! Get all the details here.
- And if you like to run and you like food trucks (or if you run because you love food trucks) you won’t want to miss the 2nd Annual Bull City Race Fest and Food Truck Rodeo scheduled for Sunday, October 19th. Register for the race and get all the details here.
Events
- They are selling out! (I told you so!) Get this on your calendar and buy your tickets today! This is one of the Triangle’s annual “can’t miss” foodie events – Terra Vita 2014. It will be held October 9 – 11 and tickets are on sale now! Lots of great folks involved this year. Follow @terravitafoodie twitter and Instagram for more updates. The website is here.
- Today kicks off the annual International Festival of Raleigh in downtown Raleigh at the Raleigh Convention Center bringing together 23 countries from all over the globe. And did I mention the food? The “food court” is absolutely amazing and well worth the price of admission. The cost to get in is $6-$8 and goes from today through Sunday. Get all the details here.
- Picture this. Downtown Apex. 6 food trucks. 7 restaurants. A giant wine and beer garden. And wall to wall Jazz music. Does that “peak” your interest? (I know it is pique, but Apex is known as the Peak of Good Living!) Tomorrow is the day (September 20th) for the 4th Annual Apex Jazz and Music Festival. Get all the details here.
- My buddy Chris Duke (owner of Anna’s Gourmet Goodies) turned me onto an event this Sunday (September 21) called Dinner in the Meadow. Held on a farm just outside of Louisburg, the dinner will feature 8 amazing chefs with locally and naturally raised ingredients and locally sourced wines, beers and cheeses. Get tickets and all the details here.
- Derrick Minor turned me onto an event in September that you’ll want to get on your calendar. Mark your calendars now for September 27 for Beericana. What is Beericana? 50 breweries + 10 food trucks + 4 Americana bands + Awesome People = Beericana! The event will be held at Sugg Farm Park in Holly Springs. More details to follow. Keep up with details here.
- If you, or someone you know, requires a gluten free diet, you’ll want to get this event on your calendar. The North Carolina Triangle Gluten Intolerance Fair will be held on September 27 from 1-6 p.m. Get all the details and ticket information here.
- Put this one on your calendar as well – the 7th Annual Pepper Festival hosted by Briar Chapel community in Chapel Hill on October 5, 3-7 p.m. The event celebrates local food, beer and North Carolina culture in a spicy new way. Top chefs across North Carolina compete to create dishes–from beer to chocolate–using the locally bred and grown N.C. pepper. Get all the details here.
- Saw in the Beltline Buzz this week that Big Boss Brewery has partnered with Nofo Café for a five course Beer Dinner beginning with a tour and the first course at 5:30 at Big Boss on October 6th. Courses two through five will take place at Nofo. To enjoy this fabulous evening, you must make reservations. Call now before spaces are filled. 919-821-1240. Visit Nofo here.
- Raleigh City Farm’s Annual Harvest Dinner will be held this year on Sunday, October 5 and will feature Chef Scott Crawford of Standard Foods. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. Raleigh City Farm is located at Person Street Plaza at 800 North Blount Street. Tickets can be purchased here beginning next month.
- For the 19th year in a row, The World Beer Festival will be held in Durham on Oct. 11 in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The festival, produced by All About Beer Magazine, has reduced tickets available by 35 percent and raised the price to relieve crowding. General admission tickets are $55 and include a tasting glass to sample from over 200 international beers. VIP tickets are $70 and offer a private air-conditioned hospitality area with private bathrooms and a bonus selection of beers. Get all the details here.
- And hold the date for an annual event held by The Ronald McDonald House over in Chapel Hill that features over two dozen of the triangle’s finest restaurants – A Tasteful Affair will be held on Sunday, October 26th in The Blue Zone at UNC’s Kenan Stadium. Get all the details here. The idea of embedding a magnetic stripe into a scannable New York fake id was first introduced by the notorious fake id vendor; IDTop. They are popular among the US teenagers for providing College students novelty ids.
- And got word that the 3rd Annual Red & White Food and Beverage Festival will be held on Tuesday November 4th at The State Club from 6-9pm. And for our readers, receive $5 off admission by entering promo code “foodguy” when you purchase tickets here.
Food Bank Corner
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The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is proud to announce that they will hold their 3rd Annual FoodBank24 New Media Telethon on September 26-27, 2014. The 24-hour event begins at noon on September 26th and continues for 24 straight hours of entertaining and enlightening activities as part of Hunger Action Month. Put it on your calendar and get all the details here. There are lots of ways to participate.
