Friday Fun Food Facts - March 30, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• George Bakatsias' newest concept - City Kitchen - is set to open this Sunday, April 1st (no joke) in the former Spice Street location in University Mall in Chapel Hill. Keep up with all of George's restaurants here. 

• This past Monday the doors (finally) opened at Hurricane Grill & Wings in Cary in the Shoppes of Kildaire (Trader Joe's and Staples). Stop in then to check out North Carolina's first edition of this concept. More details here.

• Food trucks keep getting cooler and cooler. And this latest concept, which will launch on May 2, is truly unique. Called LoMo Market, envision a book mobile concept in which customers will walk through a 'mini-mobile farmers market' where they will have local meat, fish, eggs, dairy, produce, flowers, and grab-and-go items for the convenience factors. Go to their website to get more information and to “lobby” to get the LoMo Market to come close to you! Best of luck to Guenevere!

• Cary continues to churn out new restaurants, with the latest being E.J.’s Soul Food opening at 140 E. Chatham Street in the heart of downtown. I was unable to locate a website for the restaurant, but we’ll continue to monitor it. Thanks to the N&O for the tip.

• Thanks to our friends over at Chapel Hill Magazine, we learned last week that the Town Hall Grill in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village is under new ownership. David Sadeghi and Travis Grant took over a little over a month ago. Check out their website here or their Facebook page here.   

• And over in Durham, in the Woodcroft Shopping Center, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt had their grand opening celebration this past week. Get more details on Menchie’s here. 

• We also got word this week, thanks to my buddy Keri, that Roly Poly in Preston’s Corner in Cary is for sale. Looking into this a little more, we understand the owners are simply selling the lease, and it is likely that a new concept will be coming into that space. We’ll keep an eye on it for you.

• We are exactly a month away from the opening of Travinia Italian Kitchen in Morrisville. The restaurant is located in the sprawling Park West Village at the corner of Cary Parkway and Chapel Hill Road. You can keep up with them via Facebook here or their regular website here.    

• It also appears as if Pittsboro is not far from getting a new restaurant that will continue the area’s shift toward more and more “farm to table” concepts. Chef Brendan Fox of Fig Tree Farms will be opening a restaurant in the Chatham Mills property (same complex as the co-op grocery store Chatham Marketplace). We’ll keep an eye on it for you.

• Speaking of local, ‘tis the season to start hitting up the local farmers’ markets again and I can’t wait. And with the unusually warm weather we have been enjoying, strawberries are coming in earlier than usual. So be sure to check out your favorite market here to see what new things they are offering this spring (earlier hours, guest chefs, Easter egg hunts, etc.) 

• Think you are pretty good with the pig? Well, here is your chance to shine - the first ever Carolina Pork Experiment - an amateur cook-off pitting North Carolina’s finest, most committed, and passionate home chefs against one another. The Carolina Pork Experiment will be held at Motorco (723 Rigsbee Avenue, Durham) on Sunday April 15th from noon - 3 pm. Anyone can compete. All you have to do is sign up through their website. Tickets are $10 and include a Brooklyn Brewery Beer. The grand prize winner gets a trip to Brooklyn, NY courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery to compete in the National Championship! 

• Chipotle Mexican Grill is rolling out an Earth Day promotion that will net you a free meal on Earth Day on April 22nd. So here’s the deal - purchase one of their recycled lunch bags ($18) and you’ll receive a code for a free burrito, bowl, salad or taco. The only catch is that you must purchase the bag prior to April 14. Check out all the details here.  

• And we close this edition with an interesting food tid-bit about America’s favorite past-time - baseball. In reading up on the latest food trends this week I ran across a two-foot long hot dog with one pound of meat being offered this season at the Texas Ranger’s ballpark. The cost? A mere $26! A bit pricey, but perhaps you could feed the entire family! I guess everything in Texas is bigger! So, should you find yourself at a Rangers’ game, don’t forget your hat, your baseball glove and a fork...lift! Perhaps our Durham Bulls or Carolina Mudcats will pick up this item. Read more here.