Friday Fun Food Facts – June 13, 2014

Triangle Restaurant News

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

 Featured Restaurant News

  • If you know me, you know of my love for the game of Futbol. So for the next 32 days I will be in heaven with the World Cup occupying a lot of my thoughts and time! With that in mind, here is a good list of Raleigh establishments that will be airing many of the games. On a somewhat related matter, my schedule next week will prevent me from publishing my weekly Friday Fun Food Facts. So we will miss you next Friday. In the meantime, happy father’s day to all the dads out there. Be sure to take your dad out to eat somewhere local this Sunday! See you in two weeks!

Wake County Restaurant News

  • Got word this week from Triangle Business Journal that Six Forks Cheese, a new gourmet cheese shop, is coming to Lafayette Village in north Raleigh. The company has launched Kickstarter campaign, and according to that website, has targeted a July 18 opening. Get more details here.
  • Also in Lafayette Village, Taqueria Americana will hold their grand opening this Saturday, June 14th from noon to 2 p.m. Lots of fun activities for the kids, including free ice cream and a new kids menu. Check them out here.
  • Read in the Triangle Business Journal this week that the five-star Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary has brought back a familiar face, Steven Devereaux Greene, as its new executive chef at the hotel and Herons restaurant. Greene had previously served as chef de cuisine, or head chef, at The Umstead from 2009 through 2012 until he was named executive chef at the nearby An New World Cuisine restaurant on Weston Parkway.
  • We told you about this back in April, but we now have an “open date” for Luciano’s Pizzeria, a pizza-by-the-slice joint that is coming to Raleigh’s Crabtree Valley Mall. According to various reports, it is slated to open on June 19th. It is in the space formerly occupied by Sbarro. Check them out here.
  • Tribute Pizza Place in MacGregor Village Shopping Center will hold their “official” ribbon cutting on June 17th at 10:30 a.m. But you don’t have to wait for that, as they are already open for business. Check them out here.
  • D’Andrea’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop & Grill, located at 114 Grand Hill Place in Holly Springs, is holding a grand opening/re-launch this weekend, June 13-15. Get all the details on their website here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

  • The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that the owners of Rise Biscuits and Donuts in Durham and Pazzo in Chapel Hill are teaming up on a new Italian eatery called The Rollout. It will be a quick-service pasta restaurant in the Durham-Chapel Hill area. While plans are being finalized, pop-up pasta dinners will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays at Rise.
  • Got word this week from my friends over at NinthStreetWatch that Oval Park Grille on Broad St. in Durham opened earlier this week. The restaurant is in the former site of the Broad Street Cafe and is owned by Greg de Marchi, the former bar manager at the French bistro Vin Rouge, and Todd Whitney, the former chef de cuisine at Vin Rouge Check them out here.

Closings 

  •  No closings to report! Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks 

  • Looking for a good movie and food trucks? Head over to downtown Raleigh tonight (June 13th) as they continue their Friday night movie series with the showing of Hunger Games, along with music, food trucks and a beer and wine tent. Get all the details here.
  • If you are looking for something to do for your father on Father’s Day, take him to Durham’s Central Park for the next Food Truck Rodeo. For those that have forgotten, Father’s Day is this Sunday – June 15th. Get all the details here.
  • On June 28th, Pittsboro is going to have a food truck rodeo in the parking lot across from Pittsboro Roadhouse & General Store from 6-9 p.m. featuring the following trucks: Tailgater Toby BBQ; The Greek Devil; Sol Tacos; Belgium Waffology; Pittsboro Food Guy Pete Da Heat; and Little Dippers Italian Ice. And there will be an after-party at the Pittsboro Roadhouse with fantastic live entertainment. Mark your calendars.

Events

  • There are three things you need to know about the upcoming (June 23-August 4) Fire in the Triangle chef competition to be held in Raleigh. One, the first round pairings have been announced. Second, the lineup of chefs is crazy good. And three, all the events WILL sell out (the final round has already sold out – told you!). Guaranteed. Mark my words. Trust me. Get all the details and tickets here.
  • If you missed last weekend’s NC Fresh Catch event in Raleigh, don’t fret as they will do it again, this time in Pittsboro (NC Fresh Catch Pittsboro) on June 21st from 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot across from the Pittsboro Roadhouse & General Store. Again, get all the details here.
  • If you like chicken, here is a really fun event to put on your calendar. A Whole Bird Dinner to be held at Latern Table in Chapel Hill on June 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Along with Justin and Katie Meddis of Rose’s Meat Market & Sweet Shop in Durham, they will hold a butchery demo (over cocktails and snacks) and a family-style Japanese dinner. Rose’s and the Lantern team will collaborate on a whole bird menu, featuring heritage Delaware chickens from Perry-winkle Farm in Chatham County and prime summer produce. Dinner is $90 a person, including cocktails and wine, but excluding tax and tip, and 100% of proceeds will benefit Kitchen Patrol, Lantern’s project to improve children’s access to local food through cooking and eating together. Call 919.969.8846 to make a reservation.

Food Bank Corner   

  • Go ahead and mark your calendar for the Food Bank’s Annual 24 Hour Telethon (#FoodBank24). This year it will be held on September 26-27, 2014. It will start at 12 noon on Friday and will air through Saturday at noon. The Food Bank and Gregory Ng of Freezer Burns are coming together once again to raise food, funds, and awareness as part of the national Hunger Action Month movement. Learn more here.

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Friday Fun Food Facts – June 6, 2014

Triangle Restaurant News

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

 Featured Restaurant News

  •   It is time to celebrate one of the nation’s largest foodie holidays – National Donut Day! Lots to choose from, but may we suggest the good folks over at Rise in Durham where they will be selling all donuts today for 95 cents. They aren’t giving them away like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts, but the ones at Rise are made by hand and sometimes you get what you pay for! Check them out here.

Wake County Restaurant News

  • Just got word this morning that Giorgios Hospitality Group has announced that they are bringing the farm-to-table concept to Wake Forest with a new restaurant called Farm Table. Farm Table is taking the place of Girasole Trattoria at 960 Gateway Commons Circle in Wake Forest, NC, and will start taking reservations now for its June opening. See all of their restaurant concepts here.
  • In this week’s rumor bin, we are getting indications that the guys from Isaac Hunter’s Oak City Tavern, which closed it’s doors at 112 Fayetteville Street back at the end of March, are coming back. Movement has been made on a concept called Common 414 that will be in the recently renovated building at 414 Fayetteville Street (next to the Sheraton) and will feature roaring 20s cocktails. Sign up here to be the first to know.
  • The News & Observer is reporting today that veteran restaurateur Dharmender “Raj” Rai has opened Delhi Darbar in Morrisville, in a building hidden behind a Mobil gas station on Airport Road. Rai is not new to the Triangle restaurant scene, he was a co-owner of Saffron in Morrisville, before he sold his interest a few years ago. Check them out here.
  • Got word from the folks over at Tribute Pizza Place in MacGregor Village Shopping Center that they are now open and will hold their “official” ribbon cutting on June 17th at 10:30 a.m. But you don’t have to wait for that, stop by now! Check them out here.
  • D’Andrea’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop & Grill, located at 114 Grand Hill Place in Holly Springs, is holding a grand opening/re-launch the weekend of June 13-15. Get all the details on their website here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

  • Sup Dogs makes their debut in Chapel Hill this coming Monday (June 9) on Franklin Street in the former Pepper’s Pizza location. Wildly popular in their original location near ECU, owner Bret Oliverio says to expect the same here in his newest location adjacent to UNC. Look for every imaginable variation on a hot dog, reasonably priced and served into the early hours. Get all the details here.
  • Triangle Business Journal reported this week that the first North Carolina location of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers restaurant will open this fall in Durham at the intersection of 15-501 and Interstate 40. But their plans in North Carolina don’t end there. Plans are now underway to begin construction on a second location in Cary in the Searstone Retail Village at the corner of Davis Drive and High House Road. Get a sneak peek at them here.

Closings 

  •  Last week WRAL reported that Blue Fins Bistro off of Rogers Road next to Harris Teeter in Wake Forest has closed.
  • It was noted on both Chowhound and Yelp that both Los Comales locations have closed.

Food Trucks 

  •  The Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo series returns this Sunday, June 8th from 1-6 p.m. with part two of their 2014 series. Be sure to get this on your calendar to check out a ½ mile of food trucks and great restaurants spread out over 11 city blocks in downtown Raleigh. Get all the details here.
  • If you are looking for something to do for your father on Father’s Day, take him to Durham’s Central Park for the next Food Truck Rodeo. For those that haven’t marked this on their calendar, Father’s Day is June 15th. Get all the details here.
  • On June 28th, Pittsboro is going to have a food truck rodeo in the parking lot across from Pittsboro Roadhouse & General Store featuring the following trucks: Tailgater Toby BBQ; The Greek Devil; Sol Tacos; Belgium Waffology; Pittsboro Food Guy Pete Da Heat; and Little Dippers Italian Ice. Mark your calendars.

Events 

  • Triangle Restaurant Week comes to an end this Sunday, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to sample the culinary fares of restaurants in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. Participating restaurants are offering three-course menu options and fixed pricing.The cost is $15 for a three-course lunch and $20 or $30 for a three-course dinner, per person and not including beverages, tax or gratuity. Check out a complete list of participating restaurants here.
  • There are three things you need to know about the upcoming (June 23-August 4) Fire in the Triangle chef competition to be held in Raleigh. One, the first round pairings were announced yesterday. Second, the lineup of chefs is crazy good. And three, all the events WILL sell out (the final round has already sold out – told you!). Guaranteed. Mark my words. Trust me. Get all the details and tickets here.
  • Kick off the summer right with a clambake, cold craft beer, live music, local art, and a Caribbean-style seafood feast. NC Fresh Catch Raleigh returns to Moore Square Saturday, June 7th from 1-7pm, packing the park with day-long entertainment and authentic island flair. Get all the details here.
  • But if you miss it there, don’t fret as they will do it again, this time in Pittsboro (NC Fresh Catch Pittsboro) on June 21st from 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot across from the Pittsboro Roadhouse & General Store. Again, get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner   

  • Go ahead and mark your calendar for the Food Bank’s Annual 24 Hour Telethon (#FoodBank24). This year it will be held on September 26-27, 2014. It will start at 12 noon on Friday and will air through Saturday at noon. The Food Bank and Gregory Ng of Freezer Burns are coming together once again to raise food, funds, and awareness as part of the national Hunger Action Month movement. Learn more here.

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