Friday Fun Food Facts - May 28, 2010

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

• Next Friday, June 4 is National Doughnut Day, so mark your calendar and visit either Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts as they'll both be offering free donuts (drink purchase required at Dunkin' Donuts

• Which brings up some GREAT news...The "Hot Now" light at the downtown Raleigh Krispy Kreme will flicker back on on Tuesday, June 1 after several months of renovations. The first person in line will receive one dozen doughnuts a week for a year! In addition, someone who is in line before 5:30 a.m. will be chosen at random to flip the switch on the store's iconic "Hot Now" sign.

• And just down the street from Krispy Kreme is Raleigh's latest addition to the restaurant scene - Market (938 N. Blount St.) whose motto is "Local ingredients, West Coast inspired." Be sure to work them into your "gotta try" list of restaurants. Early reviews are proving that it is well worth the effort to get there.
  

• And staying in downtown Raleigh, on the ground floor of the Progress Energy building on Fayetteville Street, newcomer La Volta has opened its doors. La Volta is an authentic Italian restaurant open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. La Volta means "the vault", paying tribute to the fact that their location was a former bank, and the "vault" is now their wine cellar.

• Speaking of Italian...Do you think you're Italian? Here's how you'll know...Italians eat about a 1/2 lb. of bread a day & drink 26 gallons of wine a year. That might explain a lot of things for many of us!

• Cameron Village has added another restaurant to its lineup of great eateries. The latest addition is Café Caturra (432 Woodburn Road) and is the first North Carolina location of a small Virginia-based chain. Café Caturra is hardly a typical chain, though, starting with the fact that it's a wine bar/sandwich shop/wood-fired pizzeria rolled into one and that it's sandwiches are served on La Farm Bakery breads!

• Looking for a new breakfast joint? The Irregardless Café at 901 West Morgan Street on the outskirts of downtown Raleigh is now serving breakfast every day they are open (they are closed on Monday).

• In search of dinner plans? Saffron opened its second Triangle location this week at East 54. Check them out here.
  

• This looks like a recipe for success - local restaurant owner Giorgios Bakatsias is teaming with former Rocky Top Hospitality co-owner Kevin "Michael" Summers to open two new eateries in Wake Forest, at the intersection of N.C. Bypass 98 and Jones Dairy Road. The first restaurant is a Tuscan-style eatery called Girasole Trattoria, which means sunflower neighborhood café in Italian. Construction on the building is already complete, and the restaurant is scheduled to open early next month. A pub-style bar dubbed Gatehouse Tavern also will open by the end of June.

• A couple of new bakeries have emerged in both Durham and Raleigh. In Durham, Phoebe Lawless will open Scratch Artisan Bakery at the end of this month at 111 Orange Street in downtown Durham. And Sheila Duncan will open PieBird shortly after that in downtown Raleigh at 618 N. Person Street.

• Locopops has decided to add Locopints to the mix which are pints of frozen Locopop ice creams and sorbets. Locopops has 4 Triangle locations as well as a half-dozen satellite locations. Find out more here.

• Gravy, in the heart of downtown Raleigh, has a new lunch and dinner menu. Check it out here.

• Check out the Buy One Get One Free entrees being offered through June 1st at Twisted Fork, Michael Deans, Red Room & Bogart's! Can't beat this, but you better hurry!

• Ruth's Chris at Southpoint has extended its $25 three-course meal for Triangle Restaurant Week until May 30.

• Chick-fil-A offering free Spicy Chicken Sandwich. To promote the launch of a new spicy version of its famous chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A Inc. has started an online giveaway. By clicking here customers can make an online reservation for a free Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The offer is good from May 31 to June 5. The sandwich will not be added officially to the chain's menu until June 7.

• There are a couple of printable coupons for Quizno's HERE, and you have a few days left to use them. But hurry, they expire May 30.

Friday Fun Food Facts - May 14, 2010

• Next week is Triangle Restaurant Week -- a one-week event during which many restaurants offer a special fixed price menu that gets you one appetizer, one entree and one dessert all for a low fixed price ($15 for lunch and $25 for dinner). Get more details here.

• Spring Rolls, a Chinese/Thai combo restaurant is now open in North Hills. The restaurant is the third Asian restaurant to occupy the space across from Moe's. Perhaps the third time is the charm.

• A "regular" in Chapel Hill for the past 16 years will open her own restaurant later this month. Vimala Rajendran will open Vimala's Curryblossom Café at 431 W. Franklin St. in the Courtyard of Chapel Hill.

• The North Raleigh Local Yogurt will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, May 22. From 12-6 p.m. They will be offering free small yogurts with one topping. The North Raleigh store is in the North Ridge shopping plaza on Falls of the Neuse Road, right next door to the Harris Teeter grocery store.

• In Cary, a local favorite lunch spot has moved down the street. You can now find The Cary Café in the Harrison Pointe Shopping Center at 212 Grande Heights Drive (that is the corner of Harrison & Maynard next to Staples).

• Another Triangle location of Chubby's Tacos will open this week at 2806 S. Miami Blvd. in Durham.

• Chocolaterie Stams is relocating from its Timberlyne location in North Chapel Hill to new digs at the new East 54 development.

• Speaking of East 54, there still isn't a firm opening date on Saffron. Indian food lovers will have to wait. But a little birdie tells us it won't be long now.

• And if that isn't enough news from East 54...the chic new corner on Highway 54 coming into Chapel Hill is also getting a sushi place - Archira Thai and Sushi, scheduled to open mid-July, and an authentic New York-style deli - Streets Deli, due to open in mid-September.

• Listen up Luna Pop fans. We heard that Luna Pops has inked a deal to distribute its frozen paleta-inspired pops at the cafes within Whole Foods stores up and down the East Coast.

• If you've ever taken advantage of the free valet parking on the West end of Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, there is more great news. Free valet parking is coming to East Franklin Street in June! Apparently I'm not the only one that enjoys this service - West End Valet averages just under 700 users a month!

• The buyer who purchased Raleigh diner Joe's Place this month plans to open Cherry Bomb, a restaurant and bar with a "Hot Rod/Rockabilly theme." The opening date is unknown.

• Acme Restaurant in Carrboro will begin its "Sunday Supper" starting this Sunday. This entails a five-course menu built around things purchased the day before at the Carrboro Farmer's Market and will be paired with wines. Limited to just 16 people, it is sure to fill up fast. Price is $60 per person. Reservations are required (919-929-2263) by this Saturday morning at 7am. The dinner will begin at 6:30.

• If you can't make it on Sunday, don't forget Acme's $12.95 Tuesday where every entrée, every Tuesday is $12.95.

• Dunkin Donuts at 13600 New Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh is offering a coupon for a free donut and a free medium hot coffee.

Friday Fun Food Facts - May 7, 2010

• In a show of solidarity, chef's from across the Triangle and community leaders will

  Let's Support Bullocks!

  dine today at Bullock's Barbecue in Durham. Several weeks ago, a number of people got sick after eating a take-out order from Bullock's. Since then, business at the nearly 60-year-old institution has dropped off considerably. The local health department has deemed the practices at the restaurant as safe and the restaurant has consistently scored A's on its inspections. If you can't make it today, please make plans for next week and let's support a local, family-owned and operated institution... and bring your friends!...
  
  
• The much-anticipated Market Restaurant opened this week on North Blount Street in downtown Raleigh. The restaurant, with the theme "Local Ingredients. West Coast Inspired." will be open for lunch and dinner...
  
  
• The Golden Corral on Glenwood Ave. in Raleigh is being demolished, but before you get too upset, the company is building a new restaurant in its place, which will open in late August...
  
  
• And if that is not enough Golden Corral news, plans were unveiled this week for another Raleigh store on Capital Boulevard next to Jeffrey's Appliance Center and across from Babies 'R' Us. An open date is not known at this point...
  
  
• As construction on Hillsborough Street winds down, those wanting to check out the infamous "round-a-bouts" will have a new place to dine. Reports swirled this week that the Duck & Dumpling's former Chef, David Mao, is coming out of his 3-month retirement to open David's Dumpling and Noodle Bar in the old Red, Hot Blue/Darryl's location...
  
  
• If you are a Cary-ite, the long-awaited Bojangles' at 820 E. Chatham St. opened this past Thursday. Chicken biscuit anyone?...
  
  
• In Raleigh's Market Place at Lake Boone (just down the hill from Rex Hospital on Lake Boone Trail), Buffalo Brothers Pizza & Wing Company will open their second Raleigh location there in late summer and will feature an outdoor patio...
  
  
• After a four year run, downtown Raleigh's Ess Lounge closed this week. Bummer...
  
  
• Big things are happening at 54 East in Chapel Hill this month. 54 East is the huge new mixed-use development on Highway 54 heading into Chapel Hill. The next few weeks will see the opening of two truly international restaurants in Saffron Indian restaurant (www.saffronnc.com) and the legendary Italian restaurant Piola (www.piola.it). The trifecta of international flair will be completed in July with the opening of Archira Thai and Sushi Restaurant...
  
  
• Listen up moms...this Sunday, Mother's Day, all Cold Stone Creamery locations will be offering all moms a free Like It size creation. Go ahead, you deserve it!...
  
  
• In Durham, Pop's is moving into new digs at the new West Village (605 W. Main Street) and is expected to reopen any day now (May 5 was the original projection). While Pop's Backdoor South (pizza & calzones) has opened its doors in the southern part of the city in the revitalized Shannon Road shopping center...
  
  
• And in Carrboro, the Southern Rail Bar is now OFFICIALLY open for lunch 7 days a week. Check out their website here...
  
  
• Love to cook? Want to learn? You're invited to join Executive Chef Meechai Kowae downtown at Spize Cafe for a special Asian herb and "spize" cooking class on Thursday, May 20 at 6 p.m. Those interested to attend can RSVP by sending their name and phone number to management@spizecafe.com by Monday, May 17. Cost to attend is $20 and includes the class, canapés and one beverage of choice. A cash bar also will be available...
  
  
• Foster's Market (in Chapel Hill and Durham) has been celebrating is 20th year this week. Festivities end today with free cookies to anyone wearing a Foster's t-shirt or hat and apparently "the older, the better" - we think they are referring to the hats and shirts...
  
  
• In the "That's handy!" category, here is a pdf produced by the N&O for you to use to keep up with what fruits and vegetables are in season in North Carolina...
  
  
• And finally, if you don't have Mother's Day plans yet, Raleigh's Humble Pie is hosting a beer dinner featuring ales from Carolina Brewing Co. this Sunday. It costs $50 per person for a four-course meal paired with the Holly Springs brewery's beers. The feasting starts at 6 p.m. The menu includes arugula salad, wild mushroom vol-au-vent, seared sea scallops and braised short ribs, and for dessert: a beer float with housemade chocolate coffee ice cream. Go to their website for more information. Or call 829-9222 for a reservation.