Friday Fun Food Facts - March 16, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy is proud to welcome the newest member to our line-up - Yucatan Cantina Catering. Spice up your next lunch meeting with some great Mexican buffets from Yucatan. View their entire catering menu here.

• We got some great news out of Cary this week. It's a Grind Coffee House will be reopening their doors on Sunday, March 25th. Opening day specials will feature 50% off all made-to-order drinks and brewed coffee. It's a Grind is located at the intersection of High House Road and Davis Drive in Cary. Get more information here. 

• According to the N&O, Krispy Krunchy Chicken has opened at Northgate Mall in Durham. It's owned and operated by Mohamed Saleh, who recently opened Jake's Wayback Burgers at both Northgate and Tanger Outlets in Mebane. The restaurant offers chicken wings and Cajun-inspired sides such as red beans and rice, and jambalaya. Check them out here.

• And speaking of burgers, Village Burgers has opened in Chapel Hill's University Mall. Village is the latest concept to be introduced by George Bakatsias who also operates Spice Street in the same mall. Spice Street is closing this month to make way for Bakatsias' newest concept, City Kitchen. View Village Burgers' menu here.

• We got word this week that the former Rex's Chicken in Wakefield is becoming Tejano's Grill serving up Tex Mex. And we just got word that it is already open. Give them a try!

• Also in the N&O, a new restaurant has opened at 700 E. Williams St. in Apex called Yamato. It is owned by Van Chi Yueh and Amado Callejas and will serve Japanese steak and seafood and will have a sushi bar. Get more information on their Facebook page here.

• We are just over a week away from the grand opening celebration of Lumpy's Ice Cream which is located at 306 E. Wait Avenue in downtown Wake Forest. Get more details here on their grand opening! 

• Speaking of cold treats, thanks to John, aka  Triangle Explorer, we now know that North Raleigh has a new frozen yogurt place called Yogo World in Falls River Shopping Center.

• And speaking of another opening, we are now just days away from the opening of Sola Coffee Cafe in North Raleigh. It is located on Leadmine Road in the same shopping center as Sawmill Taproom. Sola hit a slight snag this week, but is looking to open next week. Get more information here on their Facebook page.

• Oops! Last week we told you that Hurricane Grill & Wings opened in Cary in the Shoppes of Kildaire (Trader Joe's and Staples). Well, they haven't opened yet. In fact, they just announced that they're opening day will be March 26th. Stop in then to check out North Carolina's first edition of this concept. More details here.

• It is not too late to make plans to attend the 27th annual Toast to the Triangle being held this Sunday night (March 18) from 6-8:30 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. This is truly a "who's who" list of participating restaurants, bakeries and chefs coming together for a great cause - the Tammy Lynn Center. Tickets are $100. Get more information here.

• It is also not too late to take advantage of the offerings at Z Pizza as part of Gluten Free Month. This month, buy one 10" gluten-free pizza and get the second one half-off. Visit any of the three Triangle locations of Z Pizza. Visit their site here for more information.

• Jibarra Modern Mexican & Tequilla Bar is hosting a Saison-a-Thon Beer Dinner on Wednesday, March 21st at 7 p.m. The dinner will feature 5 Saison-style beers and a four-course meal for $55. Reserve your spot by clicking here, or by calling 919-755-0556.

• Just back from their recent culinary tour in Austria, Guglhupf Bakery & Café is hosting an Austrian Wine Dinner on March 21st at 7 pm. Executive Chef Dave Alworth and manager Cam Davis will host a dinner and wine pairing created from all they learned on their recent trip. Seating is limited. Reservations can be made online here or by calling 919-401-2600.

• Also in Durham, Blu Seafood and Bar is hosting a benefit dinner on March 22, to support 4-year old Preston Winslow's fight against Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Tickets are $100 per person and 60 percent of all proceeds will go to the Winslow family. To learn more about Preston's cause, click here. Reservations are required. For more information, call 286-9777. Get menus and more information here. 

• Join chef Martin Sreshta of Martin's Curry Rice for a beer dinner on March 26th at his store in Morrisville. The dinner will feature four of Rogue's "grow-your-own" certified line of beers. The dinner will feature dishes inspired by Martin's recent visit to India. Email or call 919-380-7799 to make your reservation. More details on his Facebook page here.  

• Raleigh's Capital Club 16 is doing special dinners on the last Sunday of each month. The next one is 7 pm March 25 featuring Foothills Brewing, Heritage Farms and Videri Chocolate Factory. The three-course meal with hors d'oeuvres and beer pairings costs $45 per person. See the menu and all the details online here. 

• And speaking of marking your calendars, Larry's Beans is hosting another one of their tours in April. Trust me, this will fill up...and fast. So jump on it if you want to enjoy this "behind the scenes" opportunity. The one in April is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th at 11:30. While there, you'll enjoy lots of treats and coffee, live music and Big Boss beer. Check out the event on Facebook here. 

• And finally, we end with a cool community initiative called Raleigh City Farm, which is transforming an unexpected downtown space into beautiful and nourishing farmland. As part of that effort, they are in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to raise $10,000 in "seed" money. If you'd like to support them, or just to learn more about it, visit them here.