Triangle Food Guy: Friday Fun Food Facts

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Over in Durham, Tom Meyer's latest concept is now open at the Museum of Life & Science in Durham. Called Sprout Café, Meyer's latest effort presents a very different menu than his popular Q Shack location in Raleigh's North Hills complex. The menu features sandwiches, wraps, paninis, burgers and of course, a plate of good ol' Q! Check out their full menu, including breakfast, here.

And speaking of museums, the latest concept out of the Rocky Top Hospitality Group is just under a month away. They will operate The Daily Planet Café when the new wing of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences opens on April 20th. We haven't seen a menu yet, but do know there will be sidewalk seating at what is sure to be one of the major draws for downtown Raleigh. We will keep you posted.

And speaking of Rocky Top Hospitality, we learned this week that the space formerly occupied by The Red Room on Glenwood South is currently being remodeled and will open in about two months. We can't tell you just yet what the new space will yield, but we'll keep you posted.

We got word last night that The Original Flying Burrito, slated to open in the former Lynwood Grill location in Raleigh, is shooting for an opening around April 2nd. We'll continue to keep an eye on it or you. At this point they are just waiting on the inspector and permits. Keep up with them on Facebook here.

We also got word this week on an official open date for George Bakatsias' newest concept - City Kitchen. It will open on April 1st (no joke) in the former Spice Street location in University Mall in Chapel Hill. I'm fortunate enough to be heading to a preview event there next week and will keep you posted! Keep up with all of George's restaurants here.

In Raleigh, Sola Coffee Cafe has opened in Greystone Village at Sawmill and Lead Mine roads. It holds a grand opening celebration this Saturday (March 24), starting at 2 pm, with free samples of coffees, smoothies and doughnuts. Get more information here.

Also on Saturday (March 24), the Hibachi China Buffet will open in the former Golden Corral location at 2909 Millbrook Road, near the intersection with Capital Boulevard in Raleigh. This is Triangle's third location with the others being at 111 Shannon Oaks in Cary and 3720 Mayfair St. in Durham.

And not to be forgotten (how could you), Lumpy's Ice Cream holds their official grand opening this Saturday (March 24) with an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Best of luck to Buck Buchanan. Get all the details on their site here.

This Sunday (March 25), It's a Grind Coffee House returns to Cary. 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.

Back over in Durham things got a bit greener a few weeks ago as Doolin's Irish Pub opened in the former Green Tango/Greyson's Café location on Shannon Road (same building as G2B). Not much on their website yet, but here it is anyway. And from what we understand, there is the potential to open one more restaurant in that same building. Let us know if you are interested!

And if starting a restaurant from scratch seems a bit daunting, we learned this week that Francesca's Dessert Caffe on Ninth Street is for sale. If you are at all interested, please contact my buddy Mike at 919.460.0100.

And over in Wake Forest this week, The Fire Pit BBQ Smokehouse opened this past Tuesday in the Gateway Commons shopping center. Thanks to William, owner of Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs, for this tip. Get more information on Fire Pit here.

I was in Chapel Hill's Southern Village this week and saw that a new Tutti Frutti is opening there in the village circle just a few doors down from Pazzo! (Please don't tell my kids!) The only other Triangle area location is over on Shannon Road in Durham. More information here.

Speaking of sweet goodies, thanks to a tip from Nancy we learned that Sunni Sky's Homemade Ice Cream opened earlier this month out in Angier. They are located on Highway 55 South. Get more details here.

Thanks to a tip this week from my friends over at Cranky Diners, we got word that the breakfast, brunch and lunch concept Another Broken Egg Cafe will be opening up two Triangle area locations. The first will be on Erwin Road in Durham near Duke Hospital and the second will be on Market Center Drive in Morrisville. No word yet on a time frame, but we'll keep you posted. Get more details on the concept here.

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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.

Big Boss is teaming up with Best Cheese for an evening of food and beer pairings (featuring 10 different Big Boss beers) on the evening of Wednesday, April 11th. The cost is $21 and includes a Big Boss sampling glass, food samples and beer samples. Get more details here.

Jujube restaurant in Chapel Hill is offering a four-course dinner with wine pairings from the Paul Hobbs Winery. It will be 7 pm on March 28. Go here for the menu. Call 960-0555 for a reservation. It costs $57.50.

Weathervane, the restaurant at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, is offering a five-course dinner featuring wines from Gil Family Estates at 7 pm Wednesday, March 28. Get details and menu here. It costs $70. To make a reservation, call 929-9466.

Pazzo! in Chapel Hill is offering a five-course dinner with wine pairings from Ferraton winery in France's Rhone Valley. All the wines being served scored 90 points or more by the Wine Spectator. The dinner is 7 pm Wednesday, March 28. It costs $95. Call 929-9984 for a reservation. For more information about the restaurant, go here.

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And with the warm weather returning, it means all the area farmers' markets are getting back into full swing. NCSU has put together a very comprehensive list (with links to websites) of area farmers' markets. Check it out 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 speaking of great, local farmers, we close with an announcement about one of my favorite events of the year. The dates for the 17th Annual Piedmont Farm Tour are Saturday and Sunday, April 28 & 29 from 1-5 pm each day. This is a great way to get up close and personal with a wide variety of local farms. Mark your calendars now and get more information here.

Triangle Food Guy