Friday Fun Food Facts - July 27, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

•  BurgerFi opened its first location outside of Florida in Cary this past Tuesday. And this isn’t the last you’ll see. They have plans for 20 locations in North & South Carolina with the next one set to open in September in Raleigh in the Trader Joe’s shopping center on Wake Forest Road. The Cary store is located in the Arboretum at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Weston Parkway. Check it out here.

• The newest Another Broken Egg Café opened a week or so ago at Park West Village at the intersection of Chapel Hill Road (Hwy. 54) and Cary Parkway in Morrisville. This marks the second Triangle area location, with the other being on Erwin Road in Durham. Get more information here. 

• Got word this week from reader Ashley Mills that the former location of The Loop at 2734 Hwy. 55 in Cary is now home to West Park Tavern. West Park opened at the end of last month. Get more details on their Facebook page here.  

• So we have an open date set for the Pittsboro Road House and General Store in Pittsboro. If they get all of their approvals and inspections, they’ll open on Friday, August 19th. Keep up with the details here.

• We told you about this back on June 15th, but now we know the name of the concept taking over the former Mint location on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street. It will be called Bolt Bistro & Bar. We also know now that they are looking at a late August / early September opening. Bolt is owned by David Sadeghi and Adalius Thomas.

• And speaking of Sadeghi, we learned this week that earlier this year he took over ownership of Chapel Hill’s Town Hall Grill, located in Southern Village. Welcome to the Triangle David!

• Thanks to the Triangle Business Journal we learned this week that the very popular Refectory Café on Duke’s campus (at the divinity school) has closed. However, the good news is that they will continue to operate their location at Duke’s Law School and will open another location in September at 2726 Chapel Hill Boulevard in Durham. Keep up with it all here on their Facebook page.  

• The News & Observer is reporting this morning that the Port City Java location at the intersection of Fayetteville and Martin streets in downtown Raleigh will close their doors this coming Saturday. We have heard rumors of what is going into that location, but we’ll keep an eye on it and get a little bit more information before reporting on that.

• Thanks to a tip from reader Cameron Randol we learned that the Qdoba Mexican Grill location at Brier Creek shopping center in Raleigh has closed. They still have six Triangle area locations. Check them out here.

• And I got word this week from John over at Triangle Explorer, that Tejano’s Grill in Wakefield has closed. However, a note on the door indicates that a new restaurant called Tortillas Mexican Grill will open in that location. We will continue to keep an eye on this for you.  Thanks John! 

• A couple of dinners this weekend to tell you about. L’Uva at the American Tobacco Complex is hosting an Aviator Brewing Company beer brunch at noon this Saturday. For $35 you’ll get to enjoy a three-course meal with beer pairings followed by a special barrel-aged brew and cigars on the patio. To make a reservation, call 919-688-8181.

• And downtown Raleigh's Capital Club 16 is hosting its regular Sunday Supper this Sunday at 7 p.m. Many of the meal's ingredients will come from Commonplace Cooperative Farm, formerly New Grass Gardens. The wine pairings will be chosen by The Raleigh Wine Shop. A vegetarian option is available upon request. The meal costs $55 per person. To make a reservation, call 919-747-9345. Thanks to Andrea Weigl at the N&O for turning us on to these two events.

• And speaking of the N&O, they are hosting another of their Food Truck Fridays on August 3rd from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Look for Only Burger, Klausie's Pizza and The Parlour, which will be dishing out scoops of ice cream. The trucks will be parked in the front lot of the N&O at 215 S. McDowell St. And while you’re at it, mark your calendar for the last N&O Food Truck Friday of the year on Oct. 5.

• If you can’t make that food truck event, perhaps you can make the United Way’s next Food Truck Rodeo which will be held on Wednesday, August 8th from 11:30 to 1:30 pm at 2400 Perimeter Park Drive. Look for Klausie’s, Will & Pops, NY Style Hot Dogs, Monuts, The Parlour and possibly a few more. Get more information on the United Way here.  

• Mark your calendars now for Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week which will be the week of August 20-26. The annual event features restaurants offering three-course prix fixe meals for $20 or $30. You can add a beer or wine pairing at some restaurants for an additional $10. For more information, go here.

• So next Monday is the day that tickets go on sale for one of the Triangle’s most sought-after foodie events - TerraVITA’s Grand Tasting on the Green in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village. The event itself will be held on November 3rd. Check out all the details here.  

• Mark your calendars for the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival featuring over 60 beers, 40 bourbon and tons of barbecue. The event will be held August 3rd and 4th at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Get all the details here.   

• The Strickland Road location of Neomonde Mediterranean Cafe & Market will be having a live music night featuring Greek music by musical ensemble Parea on Saturday, August 4 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. There will be lots of dinner and drink specials including $2 Almaza Lebanese Beer. Like them on their Facebook page to keep up with all the details.

• And finally, I’m afraid the beach is calling me once again. My family and I will be “ocean side” next week and therefore there will be no Friday Fun Food Facts next Friday. See you in August!  

Friday Fun Food Facts - July 20, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Thanks to a tweet from Triangle Explorer, we learned this week that The Fig Café & Wine Bar in downtown Wake Forest is now open. It is located at 1248 S. Main Street. Get more information on their Facebook page here.  

• The Clayton Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony on August 7th at 10 a.m. for the newest dining option in Clayton - Hailey's Country Kitchen. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is located at 11649 U.S. 70 Business. Get more information on their Facebook page here.

• Thanks to a tip from Tim Moore, we now know that Anna's Pizzaria is coming to downtown Fuquay Varina and is aiming for an August 15th opening. Anna's currently has a location in Apex. Get more details here.  

• Thanks to an observant reader (thanks Bruce!), it appears as if the Triangle is in line to get another location of Dickey's BBQ. According to the Dickey's site, the newest location will be at 6552 Glenwood Avenue, which is near the intersection of Glenwood and Duraleigh/Milbrook. We'll keep an eye on it. This will mark the 5th Triangle area location.  

• The Streets at Southpoint in Durham just got a whole lot sweeter with the recent opening of two new stores. Frozia, a new frozen yogurt shop, located in the mall near Sears, will hold a grand opening this weekend with lots of freebies. Then next week they will hold the grand opening of the Nestle Toll House Café, located near the food court. Thanks to the N&O for this information.

• And it's true, there are still more yogurt places opening up and thanks to the Triangle Explorer, John turned me onto a new frozen yogurt place up in North Raleigh in the Falls Point Shopping Center (near Falls of Neuse Road and Durant Road) called Yopop Yogurt. Check them out here.  

• And if that is not enough yogurt for you, reader Amber Landis let me know last week of yet another frozen yogurt place that opened last month in Raleigh. It is called Yoi Yogurt and it located near the intersection Glenwood and Oberlin in the Glenwood Village Shopping Center. This is the first Yoi location in the U.S. Check out their Facebook page here.  

• Over in Durham, according to the Herald-Sun, El Coyote Bar & Grill will be opening a second location at the Erwin Terrace development off Erwin Road (2816 Erwin Road). The eatery is slated to go into the space previously home to Sandella's Flatbread Café and is expected to open in about two months. Get more information here.

• And just down the street from the Streets at Southpoint, in the same shopping center as the new Aldi, we got word this week from the Herald-Sun that the Westpoint at 751 development off N.C. 751 will include two restaurants. Apparently a lease has been signed for a local restaurant to locate in a 2,000-square-foot space in the development as well as a national chain in a 5,000-square-foot space. Both restaurant buildings are under construction and will be open before the end of the year. We'll keep an eye on it for you.

• Also in Durham, the Straw Valley Café Wine and Beer Bar (intersection of 15-501 and Interstate 40) is hosting a grand opening celebration this Saturday (July 21) from 5 pm until 12:30 and will feature live music as well as catering by Mark Day Company. Get more details on their Facebook page here.

• Thanks to a tip from my good friend Wendy Ransbury, I learned of a new coffee shop that is in the works for downtown Durham and is geared as much towards children as it is their moms and dads. Called Stay & Play Snack Café, the idea is to create an environment where you can relax and the kids can play. They are in the middle of a Kickstarter Campaign. Get all the details here.

• It appears as if we are seeing some progress over in Carrboro with the pending opening of the Carrboro Pizza Oven. A sign in the window now confirms what we reported back in May with Craig Samuels, former owner of Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta, slated to open the new concept this fall. And on a related note, we noticed this week that the signage on Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta has been converted to Tomato Jake's on Franklin, thus completing that transition.

• You can't keep a good man down. That is the case with the former executive chef at Frazier's in Raleigh, Jeffrey Satterly. Satterly has been hired as the new chef de cuisine at Durham's Piedmont Restaurant. Piedmont's current chef, Marco Shaw, is moving on to spend more time with his family and begin work on new projects. In addition to Frazier's, Satterly has had previous stints at Carolina Crossroads and Cary's Herons.

• If you are looking for a new place for Sunday brunch, you might want to check out Rockwell's American Grill in Cary. They will begin offering Sunday Brunch this Sunday (July 22nd ) and it will be served from 12 to 2 every Sunday. Get more details here.

• We learned this week from Andrea Weigl at the N&O that Raleigh's Fortune Palace, a huge Chinese restaurant with a loyal following, closed abruptly in May. Apparently the original owners sold the restaurant, but there is no word at this point what the new owners plan to do. Weigl also reported that the previous owners have hinted at opening a smaller restaurant. We'll keep an eye on both for you. 

• Don't miss out on the Carolina RailHawks Inaugural Pregame Pig Pickin' Festival tomorrow, Saturday, July 21st. The event will start at 4:45 pm in Parking Lot D before the RailHawks game and will feature live music, beer and BBQ for only $10. Fans will be able to submit their vote for the best BBQ around as local chefs and fan contest winners compete against each other for the RailHawks Master Chef Crown. Click here to find out more details about the contest.

• Mark your calendars now for Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week which will be the week of August 20-26. The annual event features restaurants offering three-course prix fixe meals for $20 or $30. You can add a beer or wine pairing at some restaurants for an additional $10. For more information, click here. 

• The end of the month is fast approaching and that means one thing - we are that much closer to the day tickets go on sale for one of the Triangle's most sought-after foodie events - TerraVITA's Grand Tasting on the Green in Chapel Hill's Southern Village. The event itself will be held on November 3rd, but tickets go on sale next week (July 30th to be exact). Check out all the details here.

• Mark your calendars for the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival featuring over 60 beers, 40 bourbon and tons of barbecue. The event will be held August 3rd and 4th at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Get all the details here.

• According to Andrea Weigl over at the N&O, North Carolina native and Top Chef Texas finalist Lindsay Autry is coming to Cary to cook a special dinner on Sept. 7. Autry will cook with her former co-worker, Steven Devereaux Greene, the executive chef at An New World Cuisine in Cary. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Call 919-677-9229.

• We close with a pretty cool event you should put on your calendar. Neomonde Mediterranean Cafe & Market will be having a live music night featuring Greek music by musical ensemble, Parea, at their Strickland Road location on Saturday, August 4 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. There will be lots of dinner and drink specials including $2 Almaza Lebanese Beer. Get more information on Neomonde here or by emailing them here.   

Friday Fun Food Facts - July 13, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Big news coming out of Pittsboro this week. We start with The General Store Café. This past week, owner Greg Lewis announced that the name will be changed to Pittsboro Roadhouse and General Store. A very nice tribute to the past, as well as a look to the future with the anticipated changes and updates. He also hinted this week at a mid-August opening. We will closely watch this for you and keep you updated. 

• Also in Pittsboro, I noticed three recent openings adjacent to the highly successful Carolina Brewery. The first is New Japan, offering "fantastic" (their word, not mine, I haven't tried it yet) Japanese food. The second new opening is a location of Papa John's. And the other is...wait for it....another yogurt shop! Yes, the Triangle's latest Yopop Frozen Yogurt has opened in the same shopping center. All three new ventures are on Lowes Drive in Pittsboro.

• And not to be outdone, Durham has had some updates to several ventures in the pipeline. The first is from the team over at Vin Rouge which will be opening Mateo Tapas, at the end of this month, first of August. Check out their website here.   

• Two other eateries are in the works for the property at the corner of Morris and West Chapel Hill streets. The first is The Cupcake Bar which announced that they are shooting for an August opening. Get all the details here.

• And the other is a wood-fired pizza restaurant called Pizzeria Toro, which is slated to open in September. It is also at 101 E. Chapel Hill Street. Get more details here. 

• And finally, Cocoa Cinnamon, a chocolate and coffee shop, is slated to open later this month, or first of August at 420 W. Geer Street in downtown Durham. It is owned and operated by Areli Barrera de Grodski and her husband Leon Grodski de Barrera. Get more information here.

• Downtown Raleigh has landed a new quick Asian restaurant for the "little pod" (one of four) located on Fayetteville Street formerly occupied by Krispy Kreme (442 Fayetteville Street). Fire Wok is a Chinese food option featuring hibachi-grilled dishes, sushi and teriyaki. It is now open. The same family owns Vic's Ristorante Italiano in City Market and La Volta Italiano in the Progress Energy building - both in downtown Raleigh. Check them out here.

• We got word this week that the fourth Triangle area location of Penn Station East Coast Subs is opening next Monday or Tuesday (at the latest). The newest location is at 6301 Falls of the Neuse Road, near the intersection with Spring Forest Road. Get all the details here.

• PDQ, a casual fast-food chain with two Tampa, Fla., locations is coming to North Carolina, with the first location set to open in Raleigh in October. PDQ (which stands for both "People Dedicated to Quality" as well as "Pretty Darn Quick") serves sandwiches, salads, fries and milkshakes. The first location is slated for the former Captain Stanley's Seafood location in Sutton Square - which was demolished to make way for the new 3-story structure. They plan to open a second Triangle PDQ in December in Wake Forest next to the Carolina Ale House. Get all the details here.

• We reported this to you back in June, but we have opening dates to announce. The building that was home to the Woody's BBQ at 6176 Falls of Neuse Rd in Raleigh is being transformed into a Jersey Mikes Subs and Starbucks, complete with drive-thru. The Starbucks will open on August 3rd, with the Jersey Mike's to follow shortly after that. We will keep you posted.

• Listen up folks, I'm only going to tell you once (OK, I'll keep reminding you). You have GOT TO attend this event. If you even pretend to call yourself a "foodie" this is an event you DO NOT want to miss. Mark your calendars now. TerraVITA's Grand Tasting on the Green will be held this year on November 3rd. Stay tuned for more to follow on farm dinners, and food & beverage seminars! Tickets go on sale July 30. Check out all the details here.  

• The 2nd annual Food Truck Mash Up will take place tomorrow (July 14th) beginning at 2 p.m. If you'll recall, this event has each truck "mashing up" ingredients with the other trucks present. And this year, they will feature two sessions - 3-6 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $30 each.Get all the details here. 

• Also on Saturday (July 14th) is the Ray Price Harley-Davidson's annual Wings Cook-Off. Attendees will enjoy all-you-can-eat wings for a $5 donation. The cooking starts at 9 am, live music starts at 11 am, and the wings will be served and judged at noon. Proceeds will be donated to Duke Children's Miracle Network. The dealership is at 1126 S. Saunders St. For more information, call 919-832-2261 or go here.

• Don't miss out on the Carolina RailHawks Inaugural Pregame Pig Pickin' Festival on Saturday, July 21st. The event will start at 4:45 pm in Parking Lot D before the RailHawks game and will feature live music, beer and BBQ for only $10. Fans will be able to submit their vote for the best BBQ around as local chefs and fan contest winners compete against each other for the RailHawks Master Chef Crown. Click here to find out more details about the contest. 

• The Angus Barn invites you to join them in The Wine Cellar for their annual Seafood Celebration on Saturday, July 21. Executive Chef Walter Royal has an extraordinary five-course menu of signature dishes using local East Coast seafood. Wines will be paired with each course. The social starts at 6pm with dinner at 7pm. Cost is $125 per person including gratuity. For more information and reservations, call 919.787.3505 ext. 268 or email Kelly.

• Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours has added a Sunday food tour of Mexican food in Durham to its weekly line-up. The 2-5:15 p.m. tours on August 5 & 26 include stops at Los Comales, La Poblana, La Superior Carniceria, La Vaquita, and Nanataco. Registration or information can be found here or by calling 919-237-2254.

• Mark your calendars for the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival featuring over 60 beers, 40 bourbon and tons of barbecue. The event will be held August 3rd and 4th at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Get all the details here.

• And finally we leave you with two reasons why Friday the 13th is not such a bad thing after all. Today is "Cow Appreciation" Day at all participating Chick-fil-A locations. Show up dressed like a cow, and receive a free meal. And also, today is the 75th birthday of Krispy Kreme donuts. Stop by today only and order a dozen original glazed donuts and get a second dozen for only 75 cents (I guess that is what they cost back in 1937).