Friday Fun Food Facts - September 21, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

•  What fun we had last Friday. We threw out a random promotion awarding people with a $10 Starbucks gift card for orders placed on Friday for delivery the following week (think Pumpkin Spice Latte!). Well, congratulations to Drew, Liz, Ana-Liza, Meredith, Karen, Paul, Michayla and Nancy! Gift cards are "in the mail!" Who wants to do it again? Let's do it! All orders placed TODAY for next week will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card good for at least 2 Pumpkin Spice Lattes! Order NOW!

• After much delay, Vine Sushi & Thai, next to Whole Foods and Ben & Jerry's over in Bull City Market in Durham, opened this week. It is in the space previously occupied by Cillias. Thanks to the folks over at the Ninth Street Blog for this tip. 

• Popular blog Carpe Durham announced this week that Pizzeria Toro is looking at an early October opening for their pizza concept, which will be located at 101 E. Chapel Hill Street in the Five Points area in downtown Durham. Check them out on Facebook here or their regular website here.   

• Fast on the heels of the announcement that Yard House in North Hills will be opening Sunday, October 14, we are hearing rumors that Charlotte's popular Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar will be opening a location in the CapTrust Tower in North Hills, sometime in the spring of 2013. It will be next to World of Beer and Yard House. We can't 100% confirm this and we've been fooled before (rumors that they were coming to Cameron Village), but what we do know is that they would love to be in Raleigh. We'll keep an eye on it. Check them out here. 

• Durhamites are going to have to wait a couple more weeks for the opening of the next WhichWich Superior Sandwiches location. Speaking with owner Ted Barringer this week, the opening date has been pushed back a couple of weeks to October 12th. We'll continue to keep an eye on it. It will be here before you know it.

• Over in Chapel Hill, The Daily Tar Heel is reporting this week that Eddie Williams, owner of both Time-Out Restaurant and Time-Out Sports Bar, is going mobile. Look for a mobile version of the 35-year-old institution to hit the streets in the next couple of months. Something tells me that is going to be wildly successful!

• And in the category of the most un-exciting restaurant news of the week...the News & Observer is reporting this morning that in downtown Raleigh a Subway is going into the former Port City Java space on Fayetteville Street at the intersection with West Martin Street. Really? What is one of the liveliest intersections in downtown Raleigh, and we get the 23,337th location of Subway. Yawn.

• Downtown Durham's Mateo Bar de Tapas announced this week that they are now open for lunch Tuesday through Friday. The restaurant, owned by Chef Matt Kelly, opened in early August. Get all the details here. 

• We got a tweet this week from Lee Langston notifying us that Asuka Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar in Morrisville is currently closed with "Under Renovation" signs up. We'll take a look into this and see when we can expect them to reopen and what the renovations are. Stay tuned.

• Tomorrow is the Bull City Burger & Brewery's 2nd annual Octoberfest Street Party from 4-11 pm. They are closing down Parrish Street in downtown Durham to host live music, food, beverages and family fun. Get all the details here. 

• The Chef's Academy is hosting its second annual Triangle Chef Showdown - an intense cooking competition between four local and well-known chefs, next Thursday, Sept. 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at its Morrisville campus, located at 2001 Carrington Mill Blvd. The 2012 contestants include Chef Keith Rhodes (Catch in Wilmington), Chef Scott Schabot (Ruckus Pizza, Pasta and Spirits), Chef Ryan Payne (The Weathervane at Southern Season) and Chef John Mannino (Mannino's in Virginia Beach). Sign up to attend here.

• Mark your calendar for St. Ann Catholic Church's fifth annual International Food Festival in Clayton on September 29th from 11:30 to 6:30 pm. Nineteen countries will be represented in the food prepared by the church's parishioners, and at $3 a plate, you simply can't beat it.. There also will be live international music and children's games. The church is located at 4057 U.S. 70 Business West in Clayton. For the menus and music schedule, go here.

• The Western Wake Farmers Market is again hosting their annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 6th. Anyone interested in entering can do so by simply showing up with your concoction by 9 am. The Western Wake Farmers Market is located at 1225 Morrisville Carpenter Road in Cary. Get more details here.

• Apparently October can be loosely translated to mean "special dinners" here in the Triangle. The N&O's Andrea Weigl noted these upcoming dinners: Durham's Rue Cler restaurant is partnering with Green Button Farm to offer a "nose-to-tail" dinner at 5:30 Oct. 7. The six-course meal costs $60. For a reservation, go online here. 

• Raleigh's Mandolin restaurant is offering a dinner with renowned wine importer and author Charles Neal. The seven-course meal with wine pairings costs $79 per person. For a reservation, call 919-322-0365. More details here.

• And Chapel Hill's La Residence restaurant is offering a six-course dinner with Aveniu Brands wine pairings at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24. The meal costs $65 per person. To make a reservation, call 919-967-2506. More details here.

• It is time to get one the area's largest and most popular foodie events on your calendar. Trust me, you don't want to miss this. The N&O's Andrea Weigl has this on her "can't miss" list and you'll want it on your list as well. The Terra Vita Food Wine Event is being held over 3 days and will feature 4 different events culminating with the "headline act" being the Grand Tasting on the Green on Saturday, November 3rd from 1-4:30 p.m. Get ALL the details here. 

• Listen up NC State fans (or just foodies in general). Go ahead and mark your calendar for the Red & White Food & Beverage Festival on Thursday, November 1 from 6-10 p.m. It will be held at The State Club located on NC State's Centennial Campus. The cost is $25 for State Club members; $30 for Alumni Association members and $35 for Carolina and ECU fans, uh, I mean general admission. And use promotional code "trifoodguy" and they'll knock $5 off your ticket!! Get all the details and a full listing of restaurants and beverage companies here as well as order your tickets.