Friday Fun Food Facts - October 29, 2010

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

• This created quite a stir this past week, but Dickey's Barbecue Pit opened this past Monday in downtown Raleigh. Normally such an event would get the normal fanfare associated with a new establishment. But what is different about this opening is that it opened right across from a Raleigh barbecue institution - Cooper's Barbecue. People are crazy about their barbecue!
  
  
• And speaking of legendary downtown barbecue joints, The Pit has unveiled a new menu that features items like meatloaf, burgers and BBQ fries. I think it is time to head back down to The Pit and visit with Ed Mitchell!
  
  
• The Upper Crust Pie & Bakery is now open in the relatively new Lafayette Village Shopping Center at 8450 Honeycutt Road, near the intersection with Falls of Neuse Road. In addition to your typical bakery items, they also have a full lunch-time faire (sandwiches, soups, etc.)
  
  
• Jimmy John's opened up their 10th Triangle area location this past Thursday. It is located at 8005 Brier Creek Parkway.
  
  
• Also in Brier Creek, the 5th Triangle location of the popular Noodles & Company will open in just under two weeks on November 11th. I'm pretty sure it is in the former location of Camille's Sidewalk Café, but I will confirm that between now and the opening.
  
  
• Yogurt Mountain will open its first area store Monday, November 1st and will have their grand opening celebration on Tuesday, November 2nd with a portion of proceeds benefiting Learning Together. This will be the chain's fourth location, and their first outside of Alabama. It is located in Brennan Station at 8107 Creedmoor Road in Raleigh.
  
  
• This is kind of exciting news. Chick-fil-A will soon break ground on a new location in Cameron Village (in the parking lot of Rite Aid). Yea, yea, yea, another Chick-fil-A...right? But what is cool about this is that it will be a two-story location, the first for the chain. My kids can't wait to see what the playground is going to look like!
  

• Durham got two new food trucks to add to the growing mix. The first is the Sausage Wagon, the mobile eatery of Farmhand Foods, a new company that connects area pasture-based farmers with local retailers and consumers. Keep up with the location of the Sausage Wagon by visiting their website here. Or follow them on Twitter. And yes, they have a veggie option!
  

• The other truck is Joey D's NY Dogs which plans to serve food in front of the Fullsteam Brewery beginning at 5 pm every Wednesday through Sunday.
  
  
• And speaking of food trucks, we have another Food Truck round-up to tell you about. This one will take place on Saturday, November 6th from 4:30 to 7 pm in the parking lot of Al's Garage - which is located right on the line between Chapel Hill and Carrboro (corner of E. Franklin Street and Merritt Mill Road). Carrboro Raw, Parlez Vous Crepe, and Catain Poncho's Tacos have been confirmed, but others are sure to join in on the fun and music!
  
  
• East 54 in Chapel Hill has become the area's hottest little "restaurant row." Couple that with Glen Lennox and Meadowmont, and you've got a powerful lineup of restaurants in a small area. Want to sample the offerings of 6-8 of those restaurants in one afternoon? Consider signing up for a walking tour of the restaurants in East 54 and Glen Lennox on Saturday, November 6th. Click here for more information.
  
  
• Not many restaurants stick around for 7 years, much less 70! That's a reason to celebrate! Raleigh's Roast Grill is celebrating its 70th birthday this Saturday and will have a "block party" celebration from 11 am to 4 pm. Head downtown tomorrow to celebrate. They are located at 7 S. West St.
  
  
• We saw on their Facebook page that Chapel Hill's newest addition, Kitchen (located on MLK Drive next to Foster's), just rolled out their new fall menu yesterday. We haven't seen it yet, but if it is anything like what they opened with, we are in for a treat.
  
  
• And in Durham, starting Monday, Scratch Bakery will be closed on Mondays, but will now be open on Sundays!
  
  
• We learned this week from one of our clients that Tommy's Deli on Ten Ten Road (near US 1) has closed. That is the bad news. The good news is that there is something new coming into that location. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.
  
  
• If you had planned on attending the Fullsteam Beer Dinner at Café Helios this Saturday, October 30th - it has been postponed. No news on a new date.
  
  
• Here's an interesting fact and a good deal. How many people knew that Bojangle's was founded in Charlotte in 1977? I didn't. That's pretty cool. And here's the deal. Between now and Sunday, you can get their Halloween special - a BOO-berry biscuit for just $0.99. That's anything but scary.
  
  
• We've got a couple of "permanent" discounts to tell you about. The popular Chili's promotion - 2 for $20 deal - has now made its way into the permanent line-up on the Chili's menu.
  
  
• And, Chili's sister restaurant, Maggiano's Little Italy, has now made permanent a popular "Buy One Get One" deal that gives you your entrée that you order as a complimentary take-home serving as well. How is that for two-for-one?

• Don't feel like cooking for Thanksgiving? Well, you better move quickly to make sure you don't find yourself in the kitchen that morning. The Angus Barn is taking reservations for its annual Thanksgiving Day Buffet on November 25 from noon-6pm! Some of the featured items include turkey and gravy, prime rib, roasted pork loin, poached salmon, Walter's macaroni and cheese, assorted vegetables, gourmet mixed green salad, fresh baked rolls and, of course, their homemade desserts! Pricing is: 4 & under- Free; 5-12 -$20; 65 & over-$29; everyone else-$45 (plus tax and 18% gratuity). Call 919-781-2444 for reservations.