Friday, August 31, 2012

Friday Fun Food Facts - August 31, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news...that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler. 
  •  The much-anticipated newest member of the Eschelon Hospitality Group, Zinda, opens tonight in downtown Raleigh. The restaurant will also be open tomorrow night, before closing for the holiday weekend. It quickly returns opening for lunch and dinner on Tuesday, September 4th. Get all the details here  
  • And up in North Raleigh on Falls of the Neuse Road (same shopping center as Chipotle and Tribeca Tavern), the TBJ is reporting that the combo concept of Starbucks and Jersey Mike’s opened this week. The Starbucks moved from across the street and now offers drive-thru service. The Jersey Mike’s location is the chain’s 23rd location here in the Triangle. 
  • Biggest food truck rodeo ever...enough said! This Sunday, September 2nd. Durham Central Park. 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. Nearly 50 trucks, carts, bikes and whatever else people are using these days. Lots to see and do...and eat! Get all the details on their Facebook page here.  
  • And one of the Triangle’s newest food trucks is now on the road and will be there this Sunday. Gus Megaloudis, known to Duke's students as The Greek Devil, is now mobile with a truck called Gussy’s which will feature Greek street food. Get all the details here.  
  • We’ve learned a little more this week about J&J’s Deli in Chapel Hill’s Timberlyne Shopping Center. Thanks to Kevin Trapani (who himself runs an awesome company called The Redwoods Group) we now know that a husband and wife team has purchased J&J’s Deli bringing with them over 20 years of running delis and restaurants in both NYC and Key West. Great to have a top-notch deli option back in North Chapel Hill!  
  • Thanks to a tip from reader Barbara Leutner we learned that The Yard House at North Hills is shooting for an October 14th opening. In addition to some very tasty grub, the restaurant will feature over 140 types of beer, featuring both imports as well as some of the best local breweries, and everything in between. This will mark North Carolina’s first location of Yard House. Get more details here.  
  • We heard this week that the South Durham Farmers' Market is celebrating its grand opening from 8-noon next Saturday, Sept. 8. The festivities include face painting for the children, a chance to get a photo on a tractor, an opportunity to win prizes and live music. The market is located at the Greenwood Commons Shopping Plaza at 5410 NC Hwy 55 in Durham. Get more information here.  
  • Duke’s campus paper, The Chronicle, reported this week that a campus fixture for the past 15 years, Pauly Dogs, will not return. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it has re-opened under the name JB’s Gourmet Dogs & More and will be operated by Dennis Lane and Eric Burchfield, the owners of Duke’s Loop Pizza Grill in the West Union Building.
  • The News & Observer is reporting this morning that the Hope Cafe, the coffee and sandwich shop, on Tryon Road in Raleigh, is closing on Sept. 3. The cafe, which had given bluegrass musicians and other entertainers a regular spot to entertain, was an outreach effort by the Hope Fellowship Church.
  • We also learned this week that Apex has lost another restaurant with the closing of Le Mussels Sports Bar & Grill. It was located on Creekside Landing Drive.
  • Tomorrow, September 1st, is the day for the NC Hops and Roots Fest. The event is a festival celebrating local craft breweries, vineyards, food, farms and music - all very worthy of celebrating! Check out all the details here. The event takes place at Shakori Hills in Chatham County.  
  • Also this Saturday, Neomonde Market & Café up on Strickland Road in North Raleigh will be hosting another of their live music nights from 6-9 p.m. featuring great music as well as dinner and drink specials. Get all the details on their Facebook page here.  
  • The Cookery will host the grand opening of their new event space - the Front Room - on Saturday, September 15th from noon until 3 p.m. The opening will serve as a fundraiser benefiting the DCRC’s emergency shelter and will feature cuisine from Rue Cler’s Aaron Benjamin as well as many of the food trucks that utilize The Cookery’s shared kitchen space (think Chirba Chirba Dumplings, Monuts Donuts, The Parlour, Pie Pushers, Sympathy for the Deli, and Triangle Raw Foods). There will also be wine and beer tastings featuring The Clever Vine, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Fullsteam, Lonerider Brewing Company, and Triangle Brewing Company. Congrats to Rochelle Johnson and Nick Hawthorne-Johnson.
  • Go ahead and mark your calendars for the 7th annual Eastern Triangle Farm Tour which will be held on September 15 and 16. The public can visit 23 farms from Moncure to Lewisburg between 1-5 p.m. each day. The event happens rain or shine. The farm tour costs $25 per car in advance. Tickets can be purchased online here or at Harmony Farms store in Raleigh or Whole Foods stores throughout the Triangle. 
  • Once a year Raleigh goes to Greece for the weekend! Mark you calendars for September 14-16 and head on over to the NC State Fairgrounds Exposition Center for the 31st Annual Greek Festival of Raleigh. Enjoy food, pastries, live music, dancing and the marketplace. The event runs 5-10 on Friday, 11 until 10 pm on Saturday and 11 until 6 on Sunday. Get more details here.  
  • Make plans now for Bull City Burger & Brewery’s 2nd annual Octoberfest Street Party on Saturday, September 22nd from 4-11 pm. They are closing down Parrish Street in downtown Durham to host live music, food, beverages and family fun. Get all the details here
  • The Western Wake Farmers Market is again hosting their annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 6th. Anyone interested in entering can do so by simply showing up with your concoction by 9 am. The Western Wake Farmers Market is located at 1225 Morrisville Carpenter Road in Cary. Get more details here.

2 comments:

  1. for the red and white food & beverage festival, promotional code trifoodguy will knock $5 off your ticket!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Friday with these fun will surely bring the best of the weekend.

    ReplyDelete