Friday Fun Food Facts - July 29, 2011

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• North Raleigh seems to be the "hot" restaurant location this week. First up is the news that Simply Crepes has opened in LaFayette Village complex of shops and eateries. This is the third location for Simply Crepes and marks the first location outside of New York. Visit them on Facebook here. 

• Just across the way over on Creedmoor Road, al Dente, an Italian restaurant, has opened in the Stonehenge Shopping Center at 7456 Creedmoor Road. Visit them online here.   

• Also in North Raleigh, in the Brier Creek shopping complex, there is a new Indian option with the opening of Chakras Fine Indian Cuisine. It is located on the "Wal-Mart" side and you can visit them online here. 

• A quick update on a couple of announcements we have made in recent weeks/months. It now appears that Nanataco has set an official date of August 16th for their opening. Nanatacos will be in Durham on University Drive in the former Fish Shack location and is owned by Nana's Scott Howell.

• And we have a new time frame for another Durham restaurant to be opened by Revolution's Jim Anile. We originally reported that L'Uva, an Italian restaurant and bar, would be open just after the 4th of July. We are now looking at a middle to end of August open date. It will be located on the American Tobacco Campus in the former Café Zen space. Not much going on with their website, but you can keep up with their updates on Facebook here.  

• Over in Raleigh, The Diner on Glenwood South is set to get a new neighbor in the next month or so. Joel Lane's Public House is working toward a mid- to late-August opening. Located in the Creamery building, and sharing a patio with The Diner, they will serve "tavern classics" and will be open seven days a week.

• If you are as big a fan of Cary's Food Factory as I am, you better get over there today or tomorrow (before 3 pm)! Jimmy & Lisa are closing the doors to the downtown institution. That's the bad news. The good news is two-fold. One, they will move over to Durham to open The Food Factory at Devil's Bistro on Duke's campus around the middle to end of August (before the students return). The second bit of good news is that a family member, Ray Dorry, will reopen the Cary location in a matter of weeks as Dorry's Downtown. Expect a very similar menu.

• And in a bit of shocking news, the N&O's Andrea Weigl reported this week that Chapel Hill's Cypress on the Hill has closed their doors.

• Looking for a good deal? You better move fast! Today and today only you can get a $40 gift card at The Twisted Fork Grill, Market & Bar for just $20. The gift card is for dine-in only. The Twisted Fork is located at Triangle Town Center or visit them here.    

• Here's a little bit of interesting news that shook my southern foundation a little last week. Our beloved Bojangles concept (founded in Charlotte) has been sold to an interest in Boston. But apparently, we're told, we won't see much change. They better not mess with the fries and the sweet tea!

• Where can you find 60 beers, 40 bourbons and tons of barbecue? At the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival being held at Koka Booth Amphitheatre on August 5th and 6th, of course. The event features events on both Friday and Saturday (and some of them have already sold out). Visit their website for additional information and tickets.    

• And finally, I'll be on vacation next week so there will be no Friday Fun Food Facts Friday, August 5th (unless I get really tired of laying round in the sun, sipping beer and relaxing!).