Friday Fun Food Facts - December 21, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• We begin with the grand finale drawing in the Triangle Food Guy's Holiday Promotion. This wraps up 6 straight weeks of $100 in gift cards a week given out to our amazing clients. And today, we are proud to announce the winner of our GRAND PRIZE drawing for a $250 gift card to Target...Drum roll please....and the winner is Sharon C. at Jacobs Engineering!!! I (along with my kids who are out of school) will be paying Sharon a visit today just in time for the holidays. A huge thanks to all of our clients/friends that have given us an amazing 2012. Here is to 2013! 

• Lots of news over at Rocky Top Hospitality restaurant group. First, their Rockwell's concept in Cary will be transformed into Dean's Seafood & Oysters after the first of the year. Second, we told you about this last week, but Draft will close on Glenwood South as of December 31st. And third, partners Dean Ogan and Jeff Schenk will divide the group's concepts - Ogan getting Dean's, Twisted Fork, The Daily Planet Café, the catering company and the space at 1705 Prime. Schenk will take the two Tribeca Tavern locations and the Mash House (in Fayetteville). Thanks to the N&O's Andrea Weigl for filling in a lot of the details here. Check out Rocky Top here. 

• I got a call yesterday from a reader and the N&O's Andrea Weigl has confirmed that Cary's Bella Mia is closing temporarily and changing ownership - reopening in a few weeks. The Guerra family is in the process of selling the restaurant. Their last day running the restaurant will be this Saturday, December 22nd. We'll keep you posted on who the new owners are and when they plan to re-open. Stay tuned.

• Got word last week from my buddy (and my attorney) James Vann that Firewurst in Cary is now open in the Shoppes of Kildaire near the intersection of Kildaire Farm Road and Cary Parkway. Firewurst serves up flame-grilled sausages and dogs and is owned by Bill and Chas Morgenstern. Get more information on their website here or their Facebook page here.  

• Up in Lafayette Village in North Raleigh Pampas at the Village Market has opened. They tout themselves as serving the finest Argentinean steaks and entrees as well as exemplary Cuban staples. Pampas is the sister restaurant of Oakwood Cafe in Downtown Raleigh. Check out their website here or their Facebook page here. 

• And speaking of Lafayette Village, a posting on the Yelp "Rumor Board" noted a new sign indicating that Sushi One Japanese Restaurant would be opening soon. We'll keep an eye on it.

• Also on the Yelp message board, we saw that a new Ethiopian restaurant called Ashee has opened at 904 NE Maynard Road in Cary in the same shopping center as Dollar General, Food Lion and Lucky 7.

• Changes are afoot in downtown Chapel Hill with Tomato Jake's. As you'll remember, earlier this year Tomato Jake's purchased, took over and converted the Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta into their second location of Tomato Jake's. Thanks to a tip from my friend Tabitha Turner, ownership has changed again, and it is being converted into a new concept. We don't have any more details at this point, but we'll keep an eye on it.

• The downtown Raleigh location of Chick-fil-A reopened on Thursday after completing its renovation. Eat more chicken...in downtown Raleigh! Congrats to Amy and her team. Keep up with them here.  

•  If you find yourself in the Roxboro area, you'll find the newest edition of Jimmy's Famous Hot Dogs (original location in Durham on Guess Road) at 1039 N. Madison Blvd. They opened their doors on December 3rd. Thanks to Chris Vernakes, son of Jimmy, for the heads up on this. Check them out on Facebook here.

• And speaking of Guess Road in Durham, the blog Carpe Durham turned us onto the fact that Pad Thai, a Thai cuisine restaurant, has taken over the spot that used to house Kim-Son Vietnamese. Check out the article here.  

• There is a new bird at Pie Bird in downtown Raleigh. They announced last week that they had brought in a new chef to the kitchen. Executive Chef Greg Buck has joined the team and has taken over management of the kitchen. Check them out here.

•  If you're looking for a fun evening event over the holidays (or just want to get out of the house and away from the in-laws), head on over to North Raleigh's Sola Coffee Café on Thursday, December 27th for the next Counter Culture Latte Art Throwdown. The friendly competition between local baristas will begin at 7 p.m. Thanks to John Huisman (aka  Triangle Explorer) for this reminder.

• In our "pending file" we are still awaiting the opening of Glenwood South's Dos Taquitos Xoco. Keep up with them on Facebook here. We are also awaiting the opening of Bad Daddy's Burger Bar located in the Seaboard Station in downtown Raleigh. Last we heard, they were shooting for the week between Christmas and New Years. Keep up with them here. And the final item in the "pending file" is the latest concept from the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group, Page Road Grill. The last we heard the target date was/is December 27th. Keep up with them here. 

• And we close with some Christmas Day help thanks to the hard work of Greg Cox over at the News & Observer. Greg has compiled a comprehensive list of restaurants that are open on Christmas Day. Check it out here. 

And this is the final post of 2012!
We'll see you on the flip side in 2013!  

(assuming the Mayans weren't correct)  

Thanks for reading!

Friday Fun Food Facts - December 14, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy's Holiday Promotion just completed its sixth week and 5 more folks just won $20 Target gift cards to Target! Those will be delivered today (& Monday). Congratulations to: Beth at Kellogg's; Michayla at Brasfield & Gorrie; Meredith at Schneider Electric; Jill at Electricities; and Susan at The Wooten Company. And now, the week everyone has been waiting on. Next Friday, we will conclude with our GRAND PRIZE drawing for a $250 gift card to Target! Get all the details here. 

• This past Thursday, the third edition of Tobacco Road Sports Café was completed with the opening of their Chapel Hill location in the East 54 development. As most know, they also have locations in Raleigh and Durham. I can't wait to check out the new location - I hear it is pretty spectacular. Follow them on Facebook here.  

• Just across the way from the newest Tobacco Road, we learned that Saffron in Chapel Hill is now Raaga. Not sure what prompted this, but they are in the same location, which is in the East 54 development. Here is their new website.  

• Down the road in Carrboro, Carrboro Pizza Oven is now open in Carr Mill Mall in the former Rita's space across from Elmo's Diner. CPO, which is owned by Craig Samuels (also owns Village Pizza & Pasta and recently sold his Franklin Street version to Tomato Jake's), serves pizza, pasta, calzones, and other items, Check them out here.

• Over in Raleigh, Niall Hanley continues to mix things up. Over the past few weeks he has been dropping hints on his various Facebook pages about the restaurant he has rebranded on the ground floor of Solas in the Glenwood South district. The restaurant is now Bia Restaurant and features a new chef, Dan Yeager. A grand opening date will be announced soon, but stop by and check out the new menu. Follow them on Facebook here.  

• Also in Raleigh, no one is probably ever too excited about visiting Raleigh's Wake Med campus, but if you have to be there, you might as well eat well. And that is the case now with the opening of Au Bon Pain, a café/bakery that just opened at their New Bern Avenue campus. It is located near the gift shop and pharmacy. Might as well eat well while you are there!

• Over in Durham, the Herald-Sun is reporting that Pop's Backdoor South is getting a new owner, although an owner familiar to anyone that has frequented this version of Pop's. John Vandergrift has sold the restaurant to long-time manager Jefe Lubiano. While most everything is expected to remain the same, look for some minor tweaks to the menu to reflect Jefe and some of his creations. Pop's South is located in the Hope Valley shopping center. Check them out here.

• In our "pending file" we couldn't confirm the anticipated December 16th opening of Dos Taquitos Xoco. Xoco is the creation of the owners of Dos Taquitos and Hibernian and will be located in the Glenwood South district in the space that was most recently The Diner and before that, Hard Times Cafe. Keep up with them on Facebook here. As soon as we get the word of a confirmed open date, we will let you know. 

• The folks at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, opening in Seaboard Station in downtown Raleigh, had to push back their anticipated opening and are now looking at the week between Christmas and New Year's, if all goes well. We will continue to keep an eye on it and keep you posted. Check them out here.  

• We told you last week about the opening of PDQ at the intersection of Falls of the Neuse and Spring Forest roads in Raleigh. While there, we learned that the ownership team isn't stopping there. They have 5 other locations planned in North Carolina, with three of those to be here in the Triangle. The next will be up in Wake Forest, and will be followed by locations in Cary and Durham. We'll continue to watch their growth and keep you updated.
  Keep up with them here.  

• The downtown Raleigh location of Chick-fil-A is currently closed for renovations, but they posted on their Facebook page this week that they are anticipating re-opening at the end of next week. We'll keep up with Amy and her team and keep you posted. Keep up with them here.  

• Durham is about to get a new "Asian fusion" option with the soon-to-open restaurant called Sake Bomb. The Asian bistro and bar is in the Kmart shopping center on University Drive in the former Eastern Lights Hot Pot & Grill location. Look for an opening around year's end.

• And the final item in the "pending file" is the latest concept from the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group, Page Road Grill. The last we heard from them, they were looking at the third week in December, but we couldn't get a confirmation on that. Keep up with them here. We'll let you know as soon as we hear something.  

• We got the sad news this week that Draft Carolina Burgers and Beers will flip their last burger and serve their last beer on the last day of 2012. Draft is under the umbrella of Rocky Top Hospitality Group. Follow them on Facebook to see what they come up with next!  And stop by Draft during their last 12 days of the year as they donate a percentage of sales to a different charity each night. Get all the details here.  

• We also got a note this week from Martin Sreshta, owner of Martin's Curry Rice, that he closed the restaurant in Morrisville. That is the bad news as he is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. The good news is that Martin continues to share his talent and passion. He will be at the Western Wake Farmer's Market every Saturday. Stop by and pay Martin a visit. There is no doubt this is not the last we'll hear from him! Best to you!

• We got a tip from John Huismann (aka Triangle Explorer) this week that Oliver Twist up in North Raleigh had closed. We contacted another source that confirmed that it is indeed closed. And while their doors are physically closed, the "door" was left open that it may reopen, or re-brand, but we'll keep an eye on it for you. As of now, it is closed.

• John also informed us this week that Yogo World, a frozen yogurt shop in the Falls River Shopping Center off Durant Road has closed.

• And finally, we got word this week from a Yelp message board that Your House, near the intersection of Capital Blvd. and Spring Forest Road in Raleigh, has closed. Apparently there is a sign out front about a pending auction. My restaurant friends may be interested in following up on that.

Friday Fun Food Facts - December 7, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

•  Triangle Food Guy's Holiday Promotion just completed its fifth week and 5 more folks just won $20 Target gift cards to Target! Those will be delivered today (& Monday). Congratulations to: Stacy at Teradata; Pat at CBH; Drew at Merrill Lynch; Val at Teleflex; and Jo at Deloitte. But don't fret, we're doing the same thing every week until December 21st and all you have to do is order. It will conclude with a drawing for a $250 gift card to Target on December 21st! Get all the details here. 

• Fellow Tweeter Eric Watchous informed us this week that Bleu Olive, a Mediterranean bistro and café, has opened over in Durham on Hillandale Road in the former location of Papas Grille, which closed earlier this year. It is owned and operated by the same folks. Check them out on Facebook here. 

• We got word this week from Raleigh blog New Raleigh that the much-anticipated Dos Taquitos Xoco will be opening in the next two weeks, with December 16th as the target date. Xoco is the creation of the owners of Dos Taquitos and Hibernian and will be located in the Glenwood South District in the space that was most recently The Diner and before that, Hard Times Cafe. Keep up with them on Facebook here. 

• Also in our "pending" file, we still don't have a firm date for Tobacco Road Sports Cafe over in Chapel Hill. They continue to post that they are "about a week away." And Page Road Grill updated their best estimate at the third week in December. Bad Daddy's Burger Bar is still looking at a December 17th opening. 

• PDQ will open its newest location in Raleigh this Sunday (December 9) at 10 a.m. It is located at the intersection of Falls of the Neuse and Spring Forest roads. PDQ is a fast casual restaurant specializing in chicken tenders, salads, sandwiches, fresh cut fries and hand spun milkshakes and malts. Check them out here.

• The downtown Raleigh location of Chick-fil-A is currently closed for renovations, but they posted on their Facebook page this week that they are anticipating re-opening at the end of next week. We'll keep up with Amy and her team and keep you posted. Keep up with them here. 

• And speaking of Chick-fil-A, it looks like they are bringing back their extremely popular Chicken Tortilla Soup. Look for it in your favorite location again in January.

• Thanks to several postings this week on Yelp's message boards, we learned this that
  Chili's has opened their newest location in the Park West Village complex in Morrisville. That mark's the chain's 10th Triangle area location. Check them out here.  

• The news of the Morrisville location of Chili's opening followed closely on the heels of the news that the Chili's location over in Cary, near the intersection of Kildaire Farm Road and Cary Parkway, had closed.

• And speaking of closing, we learned of two upcoming closings in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area. The first is the news that the current owners of the popular community gathering spot, Johnny's Gone Fishing, recently had an offer to buy the building rejected, so they are closing up "this version" (commonly known as Version 3.0) as of December 15th. But stay tuned to see what/where they end up next. Visit Johnny's current Facebook page here and keep up with "what's next" on their new Facebook page here. 

• And just down the road at the very western end of Chapel Hill's Franklin Street, we learned this week that The Chocolate Door will close for the final time on December 29th. The owners have made the decision to spend more time with their young family. So all you chocoholics (you know who you are) be sure to stop by between now and then. Get all the details here.

• And we close with a couple of fun dinners at Durham's Piedmont Restaurant - with both ends of the dining spectrum covered. The first is a Winter Vegetarian Dinner this Sunday (December 9) at 6:30 p.m. And that will be followed by their Captain John S. Pope Farm Lamb Dinner on December 16th at 6:30. Both dinners are priced at $30 and include 4 courses. Get all the details and make reservations here.

Friday Fun Food Facts - November 30, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy’s Holiday Promotion just completed its third & fourth weeks and 10 (actually 9) more folks just won $20 Target gift cards to Target! Those will be delivered today (& Monday). Congratulations to: Stacy at Highwoods; Linda Aikin at URS; Mary (pharma rep); Kristen at Smith Debnam; Jason at Kilpatrick Townsend; Margaret Ann at Cherry, Bekaert & Holland; Analiza at Teleflex; Kadi at Dixon Hughes Goodman; and Debbie at Black & Veatch. But don’t fret, we’re doing the same thing every week until December 21st and all you have to do is order. It will conclude with a drawing for a $250 gift card to Target on December 21st! Get all the details here.  

• Depending on what time you read this, Rise, a biscuit and doughnut joint over in Durham, just opened their doors (it happened at 7 a.m. this morning). Tom Ferguson, who also owns Durham Catering Company and was a pioneer in the food truck craze here in the Triangle, is the owner. Rise is located in the Renaissance Village near the Super Target at the Streets at Southpoint. Check them out on Facebook here and their regular website here.  

• So back in March of this year, we told you that Kemp’s Seafood House on Highway 70 between Raleigh and Durham was looking to sell it’s current location in favor of downsizing. Well, thanks to the keen eyes of John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, we learned this week that the owners of Kemp’s have reopened that location as a new concept called Louie & Charlie’s Grill & Tavern. Check them out here. 

• Over in Chapel Hill, The Daily Tar Heel is reporting this morning that a Waffle House will soon be joining the ranks of Franklin Street breakfast joints. The 24-hour breakfast stop will be located at 129 E. Franklin Street in the former YoFrutt location. According to a spokesperson for the chain, it will open early next year. Don’t know about you, but my loyalty remains with Ye Olde Waffle Shop! 

• And speaking of Chapel Hill, Lucha Tigre, a Latin Asian fusion joint featuring dumplings and empanadas, has opened in the former Flying Burrito location on MLK Blvd. Right now they are just open for dinner, but will open for lunch shortly. It is being brought to us by the same folks behind Calavera’s and Five Star Restaurant, both in downtown Raleigh. Check out their Facebook page here.  

• Thanks to a tip from my friend Dana McCall over at GoGoRaleigh, a new eatery has just opened in Crabtree Valley Mall. Well, kind of new. It is actually an extension of Kanki. Torii offers a selection of Japanese noodle and rice dishes. The restaurant is located upstairs from the Kanki, next to the Glenwood Avenue entrance to the mall. Check them out here.

• According to the N&O’s Andrea Weigl, Guasaca, a new fast-casual South American restaurant, will open on Monday (Dec. 3rd) in the Marketplace at Lake Boone Trail. The dining experience is similar to Chipotle, but you’ll get arepas (similar to pita pockets) that you’ll fill with a combination of meats, vegetables and sauces. Check them out here.  

• Over in Raleigh, I noticed recently that Top This Café has opened at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail and Blue Ridge Road in the former Atrium Garden/Blue Point Café location. The next location will be in the Jack Sprat location on Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street.

• I got an early morning email back on November 20th from my buddy Ted Barringer that the WhichWich in Durham was opening. I stopped by last week to enjoy my first ‘wich’ out of Durham, which (or is it wich?) is located at the intersection of 751 and Hwy. 54 in the same shopping center as Harris Teeter. Congrats to Ted on his newest adventure.

• And speaking of Durham, I had a chance last week to eat at one of their newest additions - Bonefish Grill. It is located in the new Westpoint at 751 development (think Aldi near the Streets at Southpoint). Best of luck to Erica Steffens and her team. Check out their website here.  

• We got a note last week that the Ocean Reef Seafood Restaurant, which is located just outside the beltline in Raleigh at 3645 New Bern Avenue, has opened. Get all the details here. 

• For all you Tobacco Road Sports Café nuts looking for an update on the opening of the Chapel Hill location, all we can tell you is we got a note from them last week (November 23rd) saying that they were hanging the TVs and were “about a week away” from opening. According to my math...but we’ll keep you posted. Follow them on Facebook here.  

• In a similar vain, we asked the same of the opening of Page Road Grill in RTP and got a reply back noting that they were looking at opening the second week in December. Soooo looking forward to the next concept to come out of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group. Follow them on Facebook here. 

• PDQ has announced that its newest location in in Raleigh will officially open on Sunday, December 9 at 10 a.m. It is located at the intersection of Falls of the Neuse and Spring Forest roads. PDQ is a fast casual restaurant specializing in chicken tenders, salads, sandwiches, fresh cut fries and hand spun milkshakes and malts. Check them out here.  

• At last writing we told you about the closing of Mawa’s Taste of Africa in Morrisville Square on Morrisville Carpenter Road. Thanks to a tip from reader Jennifer Buchholz, we now know that space will become Taste Vietnamese. We don’t have a time frame on the opening, perhaps Jennifer will keep us posted! Thanks Jennifer.

• According to a posting on the Yelp “rumor board” and confirmed on the restaurant’s website, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar will open in downtown Raleigh’s Seaboard Station on December 17th. Check out Bad Daddy's here.  

• Congratulations to the folks over at Neomonde on Strickland Road in Raleigh as they celebrate their one-year anniversary this Saturday, December 1st. Be sure to stop by for a day full of festivities. Check out all the details here.

• And finally, I close with one of my favorite holiday traditions - the St. Thomas More 9th Annual Christmas Holiday Shoppe Craft Show tomorrow (Dec. 1st) from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. In addition to 60 talented artisans and crafters, they have the Reindeer Cafe serving a delicious hot lunch and the Candy Cane Coffee Bar. Admission is free. St. Thomas More is located at 940 Carmichael Street in Chapel Hill. Stop by tomorrow.

Friday Fun Food Facts - November 16, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy's Holiday Promotion just completed its second week and 5 more folks just won $20 Target gift cards! Those will be delivered today. Congratulations to: Beth at Kellogg’s; Rose at Workplace Options; Kim at Rho Inc.; Ashley at Dixon, Hughes Goodman; and Joanne at Teleflex. But don’t fret, we’re doing the same thing every week until December 21st and all you have to do is order. It will conclude with a drawing for a $250 gift card to Target on December 21st! Get all the details here.  

• I was able to confirm this week that the former Flying Burrito location in Chapel Hill (a couple of doors down from Kitchen and Foster’s Market) will become Lucha Tigre - a Latin Asian fusion joint featuring dumplings and empanadas. It is being brought to us by the same folks behind Calavera’s and Five Star restaurant, both in downtown Raleigh. On their Facebook page, they noted that they will be open next week! 

• Driving by Grace Park in Morrisville this week, I am able to confirm that Morrisville’s newest Indian cuisine establishment is now open. 5 Hot Chillies is located at the intersection of Davis Drive and Morrisville Carpenter Road, just behind the Goodwill Store and Starbucks. Check them out here.

• I got a note this week from Tina Li, manager of Ai Fuji, that they opened this past Friday. Ai Fuji is a family-owned seafood steakhouse and sushi bar located at the intersection of Fayetteville Rd and Hwy 54. They serve teppanyaki style hibachi and their Sushi is buy one get one free. Check them out here.   

• You might remember us originally touting an October 30 opening for the newest Chipotle Mexican Grill. Well, apparently they didn’t hit that, but according to their website, they are NOW open. Stop by and visit the Triangle’s newest location of Chipotle. They are located just across from Panera in the Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham. If you are unfamiliar with them, check them out here.  

• An update on the former Asuka in Morrisville which reopened as Haru. Thanks to Greg Ng (aka Frozen Food Master - by the way, you really need to check out his video blog) we now know that it is NOT related to the Haru in Raleigh. Greg confirmed that it is under new management, they have the same sushi chef and pretty much the same menu with the addition of some Korean dishes. Thanks Greg! 

• And Greg Ng also confirmed for us that the PDQ that is opening up on Falls of the Neuse Road in Raleigh will definitely have a December 9th opening. Keep up with them on their Facebook page here.

• The Herald-Sun reported this week that a Taco Bell restaurant will open in The Streets at Southpoint’s food court during the holiday season, likely in December. It will go into the space that previously housed Saladworks. 

• Guess who is turning 40? Chapel Hill’s Ye Olde Waffle Shop. And guess who gets the present? You do. Today from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. they will be serving from their 1972 menu with 1972 prices. And in keeping with the 1972 theme, no credit cards or debit cards will be accepted - cash only! Stop by today.

• I noticed on a Yelp message board this week that Mawa's Taste of Africa in Morrisville Square on Morrisville Carpenter Road has closed. There is discussion that the space will become a Vietnamese restaurant. We’ll keep an eye on it.

• No one really wants to cook on Thanksgiving day...but you have to...right? Not so much. Check out this HUGE list of restaurants that will be glad to do the cooking (and clean up!) for you on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to Greg Cox over at the News & Observer for putting this list together. 

• But what if you still want to do something at your house, but don’t want to do the cooking? The Q Shack has you covered on that front as well - their annual Farm To Table turkeys and dinners for Thanksgiving. Through The Q Shack you can order locally raised, all natural fresh turkeys that feed up to 20 people, or you can order entire meals with sides and desserts. Note: You must order by November 19th! Get all the details here.

• Beer is food, right? Well, it is when it is organized in such a way to benefit a cause like Porch. Anyway, the 2nd annual Homebrew for Hunger takes place this Saturday at West End Public in downtown Chapel Hill. The 2nd session is sold out, but you can still get tickets for the first session from 12 ‘til 3 p.m. Get all the details here.

• The next big food truck round-up will get a little physical. The folks over at Rebus Works in Raleigh will be combining a food truck rodeo with GOUGE Wrestling this Saturday (November 17th)from noon until 4 (following the Raleigh Christmas Parade). Sound interesting? Look for American Meltdown, Triangle Raw Foods, Captain Poncho's Tacos, Big City Sandwiches, Big Mikes BBQ, Gussy's Greek Street Food, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, and Chick-N-Que. Oh yeah, and wrestling. Get all the crazy details here.

• Time is running out to get this annual holiday event on your calendar - the 10th annual Gingerbread Benefit will be held on Thursday, November 29th at The Umstead Hotel in Cary. Get your tickets and all the details here. 

• Here is one of my favorite holiday traditions - the St. Thomas More 9th annual Christmas Holiday Shoppe craft show on Saturday, December 1st from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. In addition to 60 talented artisans and crafters, they have the Reindeer Cafe serving a delicious hot lunch and the Candy Cane Coffee Bar. Admission is free.  St. Thomas More is located at 940 Carmichael Street in Chapel Hill. Stop by on December 1st!

• Thanks to a blurb in Chapel Hill Magazine, we close with kudos to Colin Beford, executive chef at Chatham County’s Fearrington House where this past weekend, Relais & Chateaux, an international collection of luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants, announced Colin as one of its new Grands Chefs, one of only 21 in the United States. Kudos to Colin and his team! 

• And finally, there will be NO Friday Fun Food Facts next week! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!    

(P.S. We’ll still draw our winners next week, so if you’ve got catering needs, use Triangle Food Guy and you'll have a real good chance at winning a $20 gift card to Target!)

Friday Fun Food Facts - November 9, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy’s Holiday Promotion just completed its first week and 5 folks just won $20 gift cards to Target! Those will be delivered today. Congratulations to: Stacey at Teradata; Ursula at UNC; Lauren at Wyrick Robbins; Joanne at CDM Smith; and Cindy at Square 1 Bank. But don’t fret, we’re doing the same thing every week until December 21st and all you have to do is order! It will conclude with a drawing for a $250 gift card to Target on December 21st! Get all the details here. 

• Thanks to a tip from Dana McCall, he pointed out that the Triangle Business Journal is reporting that Brixx Wood Fired Pizza will be opening a second location in Raleigh. They will turn up at Cameron Village in the new Gallery at Cameron Village. For you old-schoolers, that is the new building going in where Ballantine’s Cafeteria used to be. This will be the Triangle’s third Brixx location.

• Thanks to the Herald-Sun we learned this week that Rise, a biscuit and doughnut place over in Durham, will be opening on November 19th. Tom Ferguson, who also owns Durham Catering Company and was a pioneer in the food truck craze here in the Triangle, owns Rise. Rise will be located in the Renaissance Village near the Super Target at the Streets at Southpoint. Check them out on Facebook here and their regular website here.   

• We also learned this week, thanks to a job posting noted in Chapel Hill Magazine, that Page Road Grill is now hiring. More importantly, that gave credence to a December opening of that much-anticipated restaurant. PRG will be the newest member of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group. Get more information here.

• You may remember us noting that Asuka in Morrisville had closed temporarily for renovations. Well, thanks to a tip from fellow tweeter Lee Langston, we learned that it re-opened a few weeks ago under the new name of Haru. Lee noticed the new signs going up this week. There is a Haru Sushi in Raleigh, but we haven’t confirmed if the two are related. We will keep you posted.

• One of the many blogs that I follow each week is a “rumor” feed on Yelp. The board was hopping this week with rumors. Here is a quick summary: Oakwood Cafe is opening up a sister restaurant called La Pampas in Lafayette Village...Torii Noodle Bar is coming to Crabtree Valley Mall...and Cowfish is projected to start construction in February in North Hill’s East Tower. We’ll keep an eye on all these rumors and get you more details as we get them. 

• No one really wants to cook on Thanksgiving day...but you have to...right? Not so much. Check out this HUGE list of restaurants that will be glad to do the cooking (and clean up!) for you on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to Greg Cox over at the News & Observer. 

• But what if you still want to do something at your house, but don’t want to do the cooking? The Q Shack has you covered on that front as well - their annual Farm To Table turkeys and dinners for Thanksgiving. Through The Q Shack you can order locally raised, all natural fresh turkeys that feed up to 20 people, or you can order entire meals with sides and desserts. Get all the details here.

• Or if you’re on the other extreme and you’ve got the food and cooking under control but looking for the right wine to pair with your meal, the folks over at The Wine Feed have got you covered. On Nov. 14th from 7 ‘til 8:30 p.m. they will be hosting a Thanksgiving Wine Class to help you out. The Wine Feed is located on Glenwood Avenue over in Raleigh. Get all the details here. 

• Thanks to a tip on one of the Yelp rumor boards, we learned that Route 1 Capital BBQ up in Wake Forest has closed. Their Facebook page states that, "Tomorrow is the last day that we will be open as a full service restaurant." But they also note that they are still doing catering and turkeys for Thanksgiving. Check out their Facebook page here.

• Thanks to a tip from my buddy John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, we learned that Fullsteam Brewery is hosting “Sweet Relief” - a bake sale to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. Stop by Fullsteam this Sunday, November 11th between 12:30 and 4:30 to enjoy some sweets (and a beer) to help out with disaster relief. Fullsteam is located at 726 Rigsbee Avenue in Durham. Get all the details on their Facebook events page here.

• If you are looking for a reason to eat out three times in one day, consider doing it next Tuesday (Nov. 13th) as part of the RSVVP InterFaith Council event at over 50 restaurants in Orange County. On that day, 10% of your bill will be donated to fighting hunger. Get the full list of participating restaurants here.

• Urban Ministries of Wake County is holding their annual Stone Soup event on Wednesday, November 14th at two different locations (a lunch location and a dinner location). There is no charge to attend (but donations are accepted) and you’ll enjoy homemade soup, bread and desserts from celebrity chefs. Get all the details here.

• The next big food truck round-up will get a little physical. The folks over at Rebus Works in Raleigh will be combining a food truck rodeo with GOUGE Wrestling on Saturday, November 17th from noon until 4 (following the Raleigh Christmas Parade). Sound interesting? Look for American Meltdown, Triangle Raw Foods, Captain Poncho's Tacos, Big City Sandwiches, Big Mikes BBQ, Gussy's Greek Street Food, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, and Chick-N-Que. Oh yeah, and wrestling. Get all the crazy details here.

• And speaking of food trucks, the N&O reported this morning that there is a new site called Roaming Hunger, which enables people to find food trucks all over the Triangle. The company has launched a website, and an iPhone app for the region. Check them out here.

• And finally, if you've been in any retail store lately, you know it is not too early to start getting in the "holiday" mood. An event that will certainly do that is the 10th annual Gingerbread Benefit that will be held on Thursday, November 29th at The Umstead Hotel in Cary. Get your tickets and all the details here.

Friday Fun Food Facts - November 2, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy’s Holiday Promotion is up and running between now and December 21st. Over 35 people will win gift cards just in time for the holiday season including a $250 gift card to Target! Get all the details here.   

• We got a tweet this week that the Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is now open in Raleigh’s Brier Creek. This marks the 2nd Triangle location (the first was on Ninth Street in Durham), and a third is on the way for Morrisville’s Park West Village. Get more information on Lime Fresh here. 

• Thanks to a tip from the folks over at Ninth Street Blog, we learned that Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches is moving from its current location to the building that previously housed Specs Eye Care next to the Wells Fargo branch. Look for the move to take place in the next 3 to 6 months.  

• The Herald-Sun is reporting that the new eatery that will replace Mad Burrito in Northgate’s food court is a Mexican vendor called Baja Shack. They are looking to open this month.

• One of our readers, Rebecca Calhoun, gave us the heads up this week that PDQ is shooting for a November 11th opening of their newest store on Falls of the Neuse Road over in Raleigh. Follow them on Facebook here. 

• Thanks to the sharp eyes of Kim over at TriangleLocalista, she noticed that the sign had gone up on the new building on Page Road in RTP for Page Road Grill. PRG is the newest concept under the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group umbrella (think 411 West, Spanky’s, 518 West, Mez, Squid’s). It was noted on their Facebook page that they are looking at a mid to late November opening. We’ll keep you posted. 

• For all the Neal’s Deli fans over in Carrboro, we got word this week that they are extending their hours from now through the holidays to include a Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Bring on the grits!

• We got an anonymous comment on our blog last week that the Chipotle location at the Streets at Southpoint (across from Panera Bread) was opening on or about October 30th. As of this writing, we can’t confirm it, but we’ll keep an eye on it.

• Not to get all political on you, but Sugarland Bakery in both Chapel Hill and Raleigh will be giving away free cupcakes to anyone wearing an “I Voted” sticker. Please limit yourself to one cupcake per voter - we don’t want any cupcake fraud...Check out Sugarland here.

• The Q Shack is doing it again this year - their annual Farm To Table Turkeys and Dinners for Thanksgiving. Through The Q Shack you can order locally raised, all natural fresh turkeys that feed up to 20 people, or you can order entire meals with sides and desserts. They've got you covered. Get all the details and place your orders here.

• For you food truck junkies that loved and miss Will & Pops (which ceased operations back in August), we have good news for you. At the time we told you they left the “door open” for a possible return. Well, this week on Facebook they noted that they would be back better than ever next summer! Stay tuned.

• Do you love Bull City Burger & Brewery over in Durham? I mean, really love Bull City Burger? Would you get a tattoo to prove it? If you do, you’ll earn a 26% discount for life! Small print: tattoo designs need to be pre-approved by Bull City Burger. They’ll even put a picture of your tattoo up on their wall. Who’s in?

• This weekend is the last chance to take your taste buds on a tour around the globe right here at North Hills in Raleigh. Called Taste of North Hills, 11 restaurants will offer 3 courses at prices ranging from $15 to $30 per person. Get all the details and a complete list of restaurants here.

• The 2nd annual Pig Wars Barbecue Cook-off is tonight (November 2nd) at 5 p.m. at City Market in downtown Raleigh. Whole-hog cookers will compete for the title of Grand Champion! BBQ sandwiches from the grill of your choice for $5, $10 for pints. All proceeds to Easter Seals UCP. Get more information on City Market here.

• Tomorrow night (November 3rd) the popular Live Music Night returns to Neomonde Café & Market up on Srickland Road in North Raleigh from 6-9 p.m. Enjoy original rock music by Listen, a local Raleigh band, as well as a sampling of their Mediterranean wine selection. Get all the details on their Facebook page here.

• Coming up next weekend is the Lucy Daniels Center foodie event called Expressions. This event will be hosted by The Umstead Hotel and Spa on November 9, 2012 and will feature the Umstead’s executive chef Scott Crawford, pastry chef Daniel Benjamin, and two guest chefs. Visit them here or call 919-677-1400 to learn more.

• Thanks to a tip from John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, Larry's Beans is offering a coffee cupping event on November 10th from 1-3 p.m. Get a real insight into quality coffee and also sample Larry’s Beans new cold brew iced coffee. The event takes place at 1507 Gavin Street in Raleigh and will only set you back $5. Get more information and tickets here.

• If you are dining out in the Chapel Hill or Carrboro area on November 13th, take a look at the list of over 50 restaurants that will be participating in the InterFaith Council’s RSVVP event where 10 percent of your bill will be donated to fighting hunger. Get the full list of participating restaurants here.

• Urban Ministries of Wake County is holding their annual Stone Soup event on Wednesday, November 14th at two different locations (a lunch location and a dinner location). There is no charge to attend (but donations are accepted) and you’ll enjoy homemade soup, bread and desserts from celebrity chefs. Get all the details here. 

• And finally, if you’ve been in any retail store lately, you know it is not too early to start getting in the “holiday” mood. An event that will certainly do that is the 10th annual Gingerbread Benefit that will be held on Thursday, November 29th at The Umstead Hotel in Cary. Get your tickets and all the details here.