Friday Fun Food Facts - April 1, 2011

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Seems like there is weekly news coming out of Rocky Top Hospitality, and this week is no different with the news that Glenwood South's Hi5 will close on Monday and will re-open in exactly one month as Draft Carolina Burgers & Beers. The new burger joint will focus on local products and over 40 beers on tap from all over North Carolina. I wonder how similar it will be to their wildly successful Tribeca.

• Speaking of Glenwood South, I spoke with "Jonny" himself over at Jumpin' Jonny's and they will be opening up a second location in the Glenwood South district in the not-too-distant future. The location is still "top-secret" according to Jonathan Munsell (Mr. Jumpin' Jonny himself), but he will let us know soon.

• Nancy, my "Quay Correspondent," shared with me that next Tuesday Krispy Kreme will open at its newest location at 728 N. Judd Parkway in Fuquay-Varina. The "typical" opening day promotions will be in play again with the first customer receiving one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts every week for a year, and the next 49 customers receiving one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts every month for a year. Get there early!

• Speaking of your sweet tooth, the N&O's Sue Stock is reporting this morning that SnoZone Ice Cream and Sweet Shoppe is open in the former Local Yogurt space at the corner of Spring Forest and Falls of the Neuse roads in Raleigh. They sell Hershey's Ice Cream, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and brownies, Jelly Belly products and candies.

• The N&O's Greg Cox told us this week about two new Taiwanese restaurants that are worth checking out. The first is Taipei Café on Chapel Hill Road in Morrisville which opened back on March 11th. And the second is Taipei 101 which opened back in February on Chatham Street in Cary. See Greg's article on these restaurants. 

• Looks like things are picking up at the old Angelo's space at the corner of Martin and Blount Streets in City Market in downtown Raleigh. Next month Battistella's, a New Orleans style restaurant, will open. Follow the updates here. 

• We have another food truck in the Triangle! Tonight Pie Pushers, the much anticipated new gourmet pizza truck, will make its debut at Motorco at 8 pm for a CD release party. Keep up with them on their Facebook page here. 

• Speaking of food trucks, there will be a Food Truck Rodeo on Saturday, April 9th from 4 - 7pm at Al's Garage in Carrboro. Confirmed trucks at this point are: Captain Poncho's Tacos, Blue Sky Dining, Klausies Pizza and Indian Food on Wheels. The event will also feature Latin music and dancing!

• A few weeks back we told you about Empire Eats new venture - Fai Thai - In the former Duck & Dumping location in downtown Raleigh. Well, the good news is that as of this past Wednesday, they started serving lunch on weekdays from 11 - 4 pm. Visit them online here, or stop in for lunch. 

• Spring seems to be the time to introduce new menus, and so it is with Moe's Southwest Grill. All 14 Triangle-area locations of Moe's will be adding three new items to their menu for a limited time only - a spicy burrito, quesadilla and rice bowl which feature Moe's new Spicy Queso and Jalapeno Sour Cream. For more information, visit them here.  

• If you like a few drinks as much as you like food, you're going to like this. Next week (April 4-10) thirteen local restaurants are participating in Yelp's first ever Drinks Week. Each restaurant will feature three adult beverages at half price. No coupons are needed, just ask for the Yelp menu before you order. More details here.   

• We are sad to report that after a 5 year run, Bistro 64 over in Cary's MacGregor Village closed a week ago last Tuesday.

• In other bad news, it was reported in the Wall Street Journal that Sbarro Inc. is making plans to file for bankruptcy. No word yet on what that means for the two Triangle locations at Cary Towne Center and Crabtree Valley Mall, but I'd get over there pretty quickly if you are a fan.
  
  We've got a list of events coming up you might be interested in, so go ahead and get your calendars out.

• Starting tomorrow, the farmers market over in Chapel Hill at University Mall is getting a new name and a new location. Now known as the Chapel Hill Farmers' Market, it will move across the parking lot at University Mall, between Southern Season and K&W Cafeteria. Check out their new website.   

• Speaking of farmers' markets, here are some links to the area markets, with most of them opening this weekend! The Carrboro Farmers' Market  kicks off earliest at 7 am on Saturday. And at 8 am, several other markets open, including Durham Farmers' Market; the Chapel Hill Farmers' Market; Hillsborough Farmers' Market; the Eno River Farmers' Market; the Western Wake Farmers' Market in Cary; and Downtown Cary Farmers' Market.

• Not to be outdone by their Saturday counterparts, the Wednesday edition of the Carrboro Farmers' Market will host its "Unique Tastes of the Piedmont" as part of their "grand opening" next Wednesday, April 13th from 4 - 6 pm featuring local bread artisans. More details here.

• This Saturday from 1 - 5 pm Weaver Street Market in Carrboro will present their 7th Annual Spring Wine Show. Tickets are $5 per person for unlimited tastings and a free glass. Over 30 wines available for tasting and purchase; click here to see the list in advance.  If you can't make it this weekend, they'll be doing it again on April 9th at their location in Southern Village in Chapel Hill. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the earthquake and tsunami recovery efforts in Japan.

• Better get your tickets now for the 2011 Piedmont Farm Tour which will be held the weekend of April 16 & 17 from 1-5 pm each day. This is the tour's 16th year and will feature over 40 farms making it the largest sustainable farm tour of its kind in the country. Complete information about the tour and the farms, with interactive maps and contact information, plus tour tickets are available here.  The tour cost is $25 per vehicle in advance and $30 or $10 per farm that weekend.

• On April 9th, Moore Square in downtown Raleigh will be converted into the World Beer Festival. The day is divided into two sessions (12 - 4 pm and 6 - 10 pm). The cost is $40 per session for unlimited samplings of over 250 beers! More information here. 

• You won't want to miss the 'Cuegrass Festival on Saturday, April 16h at The Pit in the warehouse district in downtown Raleigh. The event runs from 11 am until 4 pm and will feature a day full of great 'cue, local brews and toe-tappin' bluegrass music. And the $5 charge goes to the North Carolina Farmers. More information here.

• Here' s a great dinner you won't want to miss. On Thursday April 21st at 6 pm, Herons Restaurant (Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary) will be offering a winemaker dinner featuring Tommy and Amie Baudoin of Morgan Ridge Vineyards in Gold Hill, N.C. The four-course meal will cost $85. Call 447-4200 for reservations.

• And finally, the Eno River Farmers' Market will have their Harvest Dinner on Saturday, April 30! If you've never been, this is a real treat as the meal is sourced from the local farms, prepared by the vendors, and presented elegantly in the market house along with live music. Tickets go on sale at the market house on April 2nd and are $60. More information on their website.    

• Our "Tip of the Hat" this week goes to Goodberry's ice cream. Today only, if you donate $10 or more to Meals on Wheels of Wake County, you'll get a $5 Goodberry's gift card. Meals on Wheels is trying to raise money to purchase "hot bags" to keep the meals warm as they are being delivered. Donate here. All major credit cards are accepted and your gift card will be mailed to you.