TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Unfortunately, this week’s “big news” are a couple of big-time closings. But the hope is we will see each “soon” in some way, shape or fashion. First came the news out of Durham that Matt Kelly’s St. James Seafood Seafood would not have their lease renewed and their last day of operation will be in early October. Looks like there are plans for a new mixed-use development on that piece of real estate. Within hours, came news out of downtown Raleigh that Cheetie Kumar and husband Paul Siler would be closing Garland. Their last day of operation is August 27. The good news is that both will have a reincarnation of sorts. Kumar and Siler and working on a project with the folks at Annisette Sweet Shop on Bickett Boulevard in Raleigh, which should be unveiled in the very near future. And it sounds like Kelly is eager to find a new home for St. James. Follow announcements on Instagram from Annisette here, Garland here and St. James here. Look for pop-ups from all three.

Wake County Restaurant News

• The newest location of 321 Coffee (and first official storefront) is having their grand opening and ribbon cutting this Saturday (August 20) at 9:30 a.m. The new store is located at 615 Hillsborough Street in the Bloc[83] development. Get to know them and their story here. Make plans to stop by Saturday morning and celebrate this great addition to our community.

• Got word from reader Ashley Mukoyama that The Pickled Onion is opening a third location in Forestville Shoping Center heading out 401/Louisburg Road on the way to Rolesville, where the old Buried Hachet was. Look for them to open that location by end of the year. In the meantime, visit one of their other two locations in Raleigh. Get familiar with them here.

• The News & Observer shared this week that Little Blue Bakehouse, the Triangle’s first dessert food hall, opened last week next to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. The sweet shop, located on New Bern Avenue, is a collection of micro-desserteries including Little Blue Macaron, Bites of Sam, Bold Batch Creamery, Boozie Bakes, and Medicine Mama’s Farmacy. Check them out here.

• Holly Springs continues to flourish with new dining options. David McCreary pointed out the latest one to open, Lovegrass Kitchen. They are a gluten-free cafe featuring crepes, waffles, salads, smoothies, espresso drinks and more, located at 300 S. Main St., Suite 108. Discover more here.

• Fuqua-Varina moms and dads rejoice. Got word this week that Chick-fil-A of Fuquay Varina has re-opened. They did so yesterday, Thursday.

• Down in Selma in Johnston County, got the announcement this week that the much-anticipated Old North State Food Hall will open its doors on Friday, August 26. The hall is located at 67 JR Road in Selma and will offer ten diverse cuisines all under one roof. Opening tenants include FUKU, Barley and Burger, Luna Pizza, Curry in a Hurry, Aroma de Cuba, The Mac House, My Cielo Taqueria, Cock a Doodle Moo, Bean and Bubble and Butter Cream. Longleaf Tavern, housed in what was once a humidor in the historic JR Cigars building, will serve as the “heart of the food hall,” offering full bar service. Get updates and announcements here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Raleigh Magazine shared some huge news out of Boxyard RTP this week with the announcement that Lawrence Barbecue’s Jake Wood will be opening a new taco spot early next year! Leroy’s Tacos n Beer will specialize in the smoked brisket birria tacos that he served as a special at Lawrence (sold out in a couple of hours), along with rotating dishes. They are aiming for a January, 2023 opening, and will be situated just two doors down from Lawrence, and underneath his other Lawrence Food Co. Hospitality Group concept, Lagoon Bar. Keep up with announcements on Leroy’s Instagram page here.

• Other news out of RTP, reader Jennifer Buchholz notified me that the latest location of Tony Roma’s opened this week at 151 Tatum Drive in Durham. For those not familiar, they are a full service, casual dining family restaurant featuring ribs and steaks. They have been around since 1972. Get details on this newest location here.

• And in Pittsboro, reader Jay Beaton pointed out new signage at the former Michoacan / Bella Donna / Pizza Hut spot for a new restaurant called Los Charros Mexican Grill Restaurant. It is at 440 East Street near downtown Pittsboro. We believe it will open soon, and one online posting suggested August 20. But best to follow them on social media here.

Closing / Cancellations

• The Hardee’s location in front of Wegman’s in Chapel Hill, closed their doors on August 8th. The new developments in that area really made access a challenge. And the soon-to-open locations of Cookout and Shake Shack probably didn’t help either.

Food Trucks

• The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 will be on Sunday, September 25th. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• The remaining Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here.

• Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.

Events

• Sounds like Durham was just looking for a reason to drink beer. And they came up with two reasons (as if one is not enough)! Tonight from 4-7 p.m. Durham’s Sister City program will hold their “Two Durhams Beer Festival” at Durham Central Park celebrating the beers of Durham, UK and Durham, NC. Durham NC breweries: Glass Jug, Ponysaurus, Fullsteam, and Bull City Burger and Brewery; and Durham UK Breweries: Caps Off, Hops and Dots, Steam Machine, and Durham Brewery. Visit their event page on Facebook here.

• The Willard Wine Dinner: Italy’s Piemonte will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25. Chef James Cundiff will prepare a four-course menu that will be paired with six Italian wines, including Bianco, Barbera D’Alba, Barbaresco, Barolo and finishing with a Brachetto. Tickets are limited to 40 people. Wine will be available for purchase at a discounted rate. Cost is $90 per person (not including gratuity or tax). Get all the details here.

• Also on Wednesday, August 25th, Leli’s Italian Eatery, Market & Bakery up in Wake Forest is holding their popular “One For The Ages,” a true farm and sea to table dinner with guest chef Jeff Saudo. The $85 dinner begins at 7 p.m. and reservations can be made by calling 919-263-1377. Get a peek at the menu and all the details here.

• The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival is taking place September 2-4 in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina where they will celebrate “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina – from Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato. The three-day event features a variety of activities culminating with a impressive list of pitmasters showing off their talents on day three. Get tickets and all the details on their site here.

• The Bull City BBQ Bash will take place on Saturday, September 3rd from 12-5 p.m. bringing a high energy BBQ event to Durham to cap the summer holiday season. Attendees will interact with BBQ competitors, taste and vote on delicious food while supporting Helps Education Fund, enjoy live music, shop at a small business marketplace, enjoy local food and beverages and most of all – experience an amazing atmosphere! Get all the details on their website here.

• After a 2-year hiatus, Dinner in the Meadow will return as attendees will be gathering in the meadow again on Sunday, September 11th from 5:30-8:30 in the evening. The dinner sells out each year, so you are encouraged to get your tickets early. Get all the details here.

• This year’s Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let’s work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, on August 30, 2019. On April 12th of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Race goers will gather on September 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

• The 15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, September 18th at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1st, when prices increase Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event.

• Also on September 18th in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• You only have until midnight, July 31 to double the value of your gift to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina — dollar for dollar — up to $55,000. So, if you haven’t yet given, or want to make an even bigger impact on hunger this summer, please rush your gift today. Every $10 you give today can double to provide 100 meals! Our goal is to raise 10 million meals this summer and come to the aid of our friends and neighbors stretched thin by the rapidly rising cost of living. And if we can max out this matching gift offer, that’ll provide enough food for 550,000 meals across central and eastern North Carolina. #NoOneGoesHungry

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

Featured Restaurant News

• RalToday shared the news this week that an opening dates has been set for the newest location of 321 Coffee (and first official storefront). Located at 615 Hillsborough Street in the Bloc[83] development, they will officially open on Saturday, Aug. 20. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 9:30 a.m. and then you will be able to experience the best customer service and hand-crafted beverages. Get to know them and their story here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• WRAL shared the news this week that Big Boss Brewing, the oldest craft brewery in Raleigh, will be closing its taproom at the end of the month, with eyes toward a 2023 relaunch at a new location. Their last day at the current location is August 28th. But don’t worry, you will still be able to get Big Boss (they released 5 new beers in the last month) in the marketplace. And they hope to make an announcement soon about their new location. Stay tuned. Keep up with them here. A special thanks to reader Steve Abbott for the assist on this news.

• It appears Cary is all grown-up and has definitely turned twenty-one with the news this week in the Triangle Business Journal that they are getting a champagne bar to join their growing list of breweries and their first cidery. RBF Champagne Bar is set to open at 210 E. Chatham Street this fall (October/November). Located just across from Bond Brothers Beer Company, the bar will be on the bottom floor of the restored Williams House, underneath Bull City Ciderworks. The bar will offer 12 to 15 options of champagne and sparkling wines, with about 10 to 12 white wine varieties and 10 to 12 red wines. RBF will also have a food menu, with bruschetta, charcuterie and dessert items. Get familiar with them now.

• Also in Cary, buddy Sachin Patel tipped me off to the news that Acme Pizza Co. officially opened this week in Morrisville at the Grace Park mixed-use development at the corner of Morrisville-Carpenter and Davis Drive. Acme moved into the former location of Thai’s Noodles, who moved earlier this year into the former Buffalo Wings and Rings spot, a larger space. This is Acme’s second location, with another one in Holly Springs. Start getting familiar with Acme Pizza Co. here.

• And a quick update on Papi’s Cuban Cafe, a mobile unit located at 3300 Ten Ten Rd. that closed temporarily due to an accident. Apparently they had already been building a second unit and it arrived this week. They expect to have the “new” unit up and running (pending inspections) next weekend. Keep up with their updates here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Twitter buddy Burgeoning Baker brought it to our attention that Durham will soon be home to the 19th location of Sabor Latin Street Grill. They are known for their authentic street food from El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia. They are moving into the Homestead Market shopping center off Highway 54 near the intersection with Fayetteville Road (just down from Shiki Sushi). A recent Facebook posted indicated they would be open in August. So soon. Go ahead and get yourself familiar with them here.

• About 30 minutes north of Durham in Oxford, entrepreneur Paul Shelton shared his plans this week to open Oxford Oaks Distillery at 127 College Street in late October or early November along with a restaurant occupying a smaller portion of the space. He shared the news via Triangle Business Journal. The distillery will make several different spirits including vodka, gin, rum and whiskey. While the high-end restaurant will feature scollops, filets and lobster. Verdigris, the word for the patina that forms on copper, could possibly become the name of the restaurant. Keep up with their progress here.

Closing / Cancellations

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

Food Trucks

• Blogger Eat Raleigh shared that there is a new food truck over on Six Forks at the Valero gas station. Apparently Mr. Burro has been operational for a few weeks now and has garnered quite a following. Customers noted that they serve up breakfast tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and sandwiches as well as crispy potatoes (home fries), coffee, lattes, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Get additional information here.

• Saw on some of my social media feeds this week that Morrisville will soon be home to a new food truck serving up Indian street food. At this point, all I know is a name – Chaat Mandi. I was not able to determine their timeline nor menu. You will have to stay tuned here.

• The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 will be on Sunday, September 25th. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• The remaining Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here.

• Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.

Events

• The Taste of Soul NC “Seafood Edition” will take place this Saturday, August 13th from 3 to 8 p.m. at Durham Central Park (501 Foster Street). The event features dining options from some of the best food trucks in the area, local merchants, kid games and a DJ along with live performances. Get a list of vendors and all the details here.

• This Sunday, (August 14th) and every Sunday through the end of September, Al Strong, the Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter, composer and recording artist, will bring a rotating lineup of musicians to perform during Sunday brunch at Durham’s Alley Twenty Six. Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sundays; the music will be from noon-2 p.m. Make your reservation here.

• The Willard Wine Dinner: Italy’s Piemonte will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25. Chef James Cundiff will prepare a four-course menu that will be paired with six Italian wines, including Bianco, Barbera D’Alba, Barbaresco, Barolo and finishing with a Brachetto. Tickets are limited to 40 people. Wine will be available for purchase at a discounted rate. Cost is $90 per person (not including gratuity or tax). Get all the details here.

• The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival is taking place September 2-4 in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina where they will celebrate “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina – from Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato. The three-day event features a variety of activities culminating with a impressive list of pitmasters showing off their talents on day three. Get tickets and all the details on their site here.

• The Bull City BBQ Bash will take place on Saturday, September 3rd from 12-5 p.m. bringing a high energy BBQ event to Durham to cap the summer holiday season. Attendees will interact with BBQ competitors, taste and vote on delicious food while supporting Helps Education Fund, enjoy live music, shop at a small business marketplace, enjoy local food and beverages and most of all – experience an amazing atmosphere! Get all the details on their website here.

• After a 2-year hiatus, Dinner in the Meadow will return as attendees will be gathering in the meadow again on Sunday, September 11th from 5:30-8:30 in the evening. The dinner sells out each year, so you are encouraged to get your tickets early. Get all the details here.

• This year’s Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let’s work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, on August 30, 2019. On April 12th of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Race goers will gather on September 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

• The 15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, September 18th at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1st, when prices increase Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event.

• Also on September 18th in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• You only have until midnight, July 31 to double the value of your gift to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina — dollar for dollar — up to $55,000. So, if you haven’t yet given, or want to make an even bigger impact on hunger this summer, please rush your gift today. Every $10 you give today can double to provide 100 meals! Our goal is to raise 10 million meals this summer and come to the aid of our friends and neighbors stretched thin by the rapidly rising cost of living. And if we can max out this matching gift offer, that’ll provide enough food for 550,000 meals across central and eastern North Carolina. #NoOneGoesHungry