Friday Fun Food Facts - March 2, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Spice Street in Chapel Hill's University Mall, one of 10 restaurants run by Giorgios Bakastais' restaurant group, will close in mid-March and will be replaced by Bakastais' newest concept - City Kitchen. It will feature "familiar American brasserie fare with locally grown ingredients in a sophisticated, urbane setting." The restaurant will close for renovations in mid-March and re-open in early April. Check out all of Bakastais' restaurants here.

• The much anticipated Blue Mango Indian restaurant opened last week in Raleigh's Glenwood South District. It is located at 222 Glenwood Avenue in the same building as Tobacco Road Sports Café, Dunkin' Donuts and Bruegger's Bagels. Give them a visit here. 

• And in case you were under a rock, the nation's first "double decker" Chick-fil-A opened this week over in Raleigh's Cameron Village. If you are a fan of Chick-fil-A, this one is worth a visit simply because it is one-of-a-kind. Check them out online here.

• Driving down Hillsborough Street this week I noticed that another location of Jasmin Mediterranean Restaurant is opening in the old Wonder Bread Factory across from Meredith College. They should be open in the new location within the next week. Their other locations are at 2430 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh and at 1624 Walnut Stree in Cary. Visit them online here.

• Yard House Restaurants, which has dozens of locations across the country, will open its first North Carolina location later this summer in the Captrust Tower at North Hills. The restaurant offers a large selection of draft beers, American cuisine and an emphasis on classic rock music. Take a peek at them here.

• One of the hottest burger concepts in the country is coming to the Triangle - and specifically the Arboretum at Westin in Cary. BurgerFi, will be serving up locally sourced and natural burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings and natural cane soft drinks and frozen custard. Get more information on BurgerFi here.

• After 18 years as a Chapel Hill staple on East Franklin Street, Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta will soon become Tomato Jake's Pizzeria. The transition will not cause any closure in the restaurant. Look for the transition to be complete by August and the return of the students. The Village Pizza & Pasta location on 15-501 South (just outside of Chapel Hill) was unaffected in the sale. Read the full article in the Daily Tar Heel here.

• Put this on your calendar now! Durham's Central Park is hosting another of their wildly successful Food Truck Rodeos on Sunday March 11 from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. This will be the largest assembly of food trucks...ever. I can't even list them all - let's just say the current count is at 29 and growing! And if you are truly a food truck junkie, you'll want to go ahead and mark your calendar for the other upcoming Food Truck Rodeos at Durham's Central Park - June 17, August 19, October 28 and December 31! Get all the details here.

• And speaking of food trucks, if you secretly desire to have your own truck, I read this week on the Carpe Durham site that there is one for sale! For $30k you could own the truck/bus formerly known as The Grilled Cheese Truck. Get all the details here.

• According to The Chapel Hill Weekly, He's Not Here is officially under new ownership as of noon yesterday. Former UNC football player and longtime patron, Matt Mehok and business partner Bennett Roberts are the new owners. But don't expect too many changes, as they have a deep appreciation for its history. However, expect the things that need to be improved, to be improved. 

• Last week we told you that Durham is going to soon get another coffee shop brought to you by the folks behind Bike Coffee Durham and Cocoa Cinnamon. We confirmed this week that it will be located at the corner of Geer and Foster Streets in Durham. We'll continue to watch this.

• Andy's Burgers Shakes & Fries, which has 14 locations scattered around the Triangle, has changed its name to Highway 55 as of last week. Expect to see new signs at the chain's 100 restaurants in the state by the end of the summer. Learn more about Andy's/Highway 55 here.

• Hot Box Pizza, with a location on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, has introduced their limited time (through May 31) "Spring Pizza." The pizza is described as a "nacho-y, melt-in-your-mouth, journey to the center of deliciousness!" Check out Hot Box Pizza here.

• Piedmont Restaurant has a few spaces open for next week's Fullsteam Beer Dinner. If you want to attend, call 919.683.1213 to reserve your spot! But if you miss it, don't fret as they just announced that they will be hosting a wine dinner with Matteo Correggia Wines on Thursday, March 15. Again, call 919.683.1213 to reserve your spot. The cost is $55. Get more details here.    

• Speaking of wine dinners, Fraziers in Raleigh is cranking back up their wine dinners and will have their first on March 6th at 6:30. They have teamed up with the Raleigh Wine Shop and will feature Italian wines (5 wines total) combined with four-plus courses. The cost is $55 (plus tax & gratuity). Call 919.828.6699 to reserve your spot or visit them online here.

• The World Beer Festival returns to downtown Raleigh's Moore Square on April 14th. Tickets for the festival go on sale March 5 to the general public. Get your tickets here. The festival has two four-hour sessions (noon- 4 pm and 6-10 pm) Admission to a single session is $40 in advance and $50 on the day of the event, if available. VIP tickets are $75 per session and include a World Beer Festival commemorative glass, an upscale food buffet (hot catered meal), a private hospitality area, a separate entrance, private restrooms, a gift bag, and extra special beers not available at the brewers' tables.

• Looks like that won't be Raleigh's only "beer" event in April. This one is called Brewgaloo and will feature local craft beer, local food trucks and live music. The event takes place on April 28th in downtown Raleigh's City Plaza. No cover charge, but at the event you can either purchase a 3 oz. tasting for 1 beer buck, or a pint for 5 beer bucks. And right now through March 20th you can purchase $25 in beer bucks for just $20. Check out their Facebook page for details! Or the Shop Local Raleigh website here.

• Here's a big-time "foodie" event that just keeps getting bigger - the Urban Ministries of Durham Empty Bowls fundraiser. This year's event will be held March 8, from 5:30 to 8 pm at the Armory. The eleven restaurants participating this year will include: Guglhupf, Revolution, L'Uva, Papa Mojo's, Thrills from the Grill, Watts Grocery, Blu Seafood, Whole Foods, Toast, Saladelia Café, and Mad Hatter Café and Bakeshop. This year's event will be complemented by a 'food truck afterparty' at Fullsteam and will feature the following trucks: Pie Pushers, Will & Pops, The Parlour, Chirba Chirba, Klausie's Pizza, Only Burger, and Farmhand Foods Sausage Wagon. Trucks will be ready to serve starting at 7:30 pm and each truck is creating a special dish for the evening that will fit in a bowl.  All of the trucks are donating 10% of their proceeds that night to the event. Tickets for the Armory event are $30 for soup with a pottery bowl to take home or $15 for just soup. The after-party at Fullsteam is free.

• And yesterday's 80-degree weather has me thinking about ice cream and I have great news! The Maple View Farm ice cream location in downtown Carrboro has re-opened directly across from Weaver Street Market. You can now enjoy 12 flavors as well as organic frozen yogurt. Get more information on Maple View Farm ice cream here.