Friday Fun Food Facts - September 28, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

•  Big news coming from the N&O’s Andrea Weigl this morning. Niall Hanley, the man behind Hibernian Pub (with locations in Downtown Raleigh and Cary), will bring the third location of Hibernian to North Raleigh in the former Duffy’s Tavern location at 8021 Falls of Neuse Road. Look for it to open before year’s end. Get more information on Hibernian here. 

• The N&O is also reporting this morning that Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Raleigh opened this week at 6552 Glenwood Ave. This is the second Dickey’s franchise in Raleigh and the 11th in North Carolina. Another Dickey’s is expected to open in Morrisville later this year. Get more information on Dickey's here.

• This past Wednesday, BurgerFi opened up their 9th location, 2nd in the Triangle (they opened in Cary 2 months ago), in North Raleigh in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s (just inside the beltline on Wake Forest Road). Get all the details on BurgerFi here. 

• It is now confirmed 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. Check them out here. 

• According to a sign in the window, Ashee Ethiopian Cuisine is coming to Cary in the space next to Lucky 7 at 906 NE Maynard Road. We don’t know too much else at this point, but we’ll keep an eye on it.

• I got word this week from Triangle Explorer (aka John Huisman) that another location of Greek Fiesta is coming to North Raleigh, and more specifically to the Falls Point Shopping Center at 9660 Falls of Neuse Road next to Great Clips. We don’t have an exact open date, but it is soon. We’ll keep you posted. Check them out here. 

• Want to see a 100% vegetarian restaurant in downtown Raleigh? If so, now is the time to put your money where your mouth is (or wants to be!). Chefs Caroline Morrison and Siobhan Southern are planning to open Fiction Kitchen by years end at 428 S. Dawson St., next to Deep South the Bar. They are currently $10k into a $36k kickstarter campaign to purchase the necessary equipment. If you are interested in supporting this endeavor, visit their kickstarter campaign here or you can get their full story here.

• It is with a sad heart that I pass along news from my buddy Dana McCall that Hector’s will close its Crabtree Valley Mall location this Sunday. Hector’s has been an institution in Crabtree since 1969, one of the original tenants. Apparently it will be converted into another location of Greek Fiesta.

• This evening (September 28) Chatham Hill Winery will host their 2nd Annual Food Truck Rodeo from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition to the 8 food trucks (Olde North State BBQ, Baguettaboutit, Hibachi Xpress, Cafe Prost, Porchetta, MaMa Duke’s, and Simply Bliss Cupcakes) there will also be live music. Get all the details here. 

• And speaking of food truck events, the Emily K Center at 904 W. Chapel Hill Street over in Durham will host a food truck rodeo on Saturday, October 6th from 5-8 p.m. The event will feature live music and most of the trucks (6) from The Cookery. Get all the details here.  

• Tomorrow (Sept. 29th) is St. Ann Catholic Church's fifth annual International Food Festival in Clayton 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. 

• On Saturday, October 6th, Neomonde Café & Market in North Raleigh will host a Fall Festival from 10:30 in the morning until 9 p.m. The event will feature events all day, including cooking classes. Get all the details on their Facebook page here.

• Also on October 6th, the Western Wake Farmers Market is again hosting their annual Chili Cook-Off . 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. 

• And speaking of chili cook-offs, Fuquay-Varina Downtown is hosting their 10th annual Downtown Chili Cook-off on Saturday, October 27th. If you are interested in the cooking challenge and showing the public what kind of Chili you are famous for creating, simply enter the event by downloading the rules and entry form here. The Chili Cook-Off entry deadline is October 19th at 5 pm.  

• Dock to Door Seafood and The Wine Feed are proud to host a family-friendly seafood and wine festival - Hook + Vine on Sunday, October 14th at 4 p.m.  It is a celebration of North Carolina seafood and complementary wines. The event will feature the cooking of Mandolin, PoshNosh, Battistella's, and Sarah Cecilia Good Food Co. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here. 

• Ever wanted to see how coffee is made? Raleigh coffee roasting company Larry's Beans has announced the next date for its popular factory tour: Saturday, October 27 from 11:30 to 2:30. On the tour, you'll get to check out the place where the Larry's staff roasts all the beans and also see many of the factory's eco-friendly features. Sign up by e-mailing them with the # of people in group, contact name, and phone number. Don't wait because they're limiting it to the first 100 people! Visit their Facebook page for more information.  

• 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. 

• Another not-to-miss event is an event put on by the Lucy Daniels Center called Expressions. This event will be hosted by The Umstead Hotel and Spa on November 9, 2012 and will feature the Umstead’s executive chef Scott Crawford, pastry chef Daniel Benjamin, and two guest chefs. Sponsorships and individual tickets for Expressions are available now. Visit there here or call 919-677-1400 to learn more.