Friday Fun Food Facts - November 16, 2012

Triangle Restaurant News

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

• Triangle Food Guy's Holiday Promotion just completed its second week and 5 more folks just won $20 Target gift cards! Those will be delivered today. Congratulations to: Beth at Kellogg’s; Rose at Workplace Options; Kim at Rho Inc.; Ashley at Dixon, Hughes Goodman; and Joanne at Teleflex. But don’t fret, we’re doing the same thing every week until December 21st and all you have to do is order. It will conclude with a drawing for a $250 gift card to Target on December 21st! Get all the details here.  

• I was able to confirm this week that the former Flying Burrito location in Chapel Hill (a couple of doors down from Kitchen and Foster’s Market) will become Lucha Tigre - a Latin Asian fusion joint featuring dumplings and empanadas. It is being brought to us by the same folks behind Calavera’s and Five Star restaurant, both in downtown Raleigh. On their Facebook page, they noted that they will be open next week! 

• Driving by Grace Park in Morrisville this week, I am able to confirm that Morrisville’s newest Indian cuisine establishment is now open. 5 Hot Chillies is located at the intersection of Davis Drive and Morrisville Carpenter Road, just behind the Goodwill Store and Starbucks. Check them out here.

• I got a note this week from Tina Li, manager of Ai Fuji, that they opened this past Friday. Ai Fuji is a family-owned seafood steakhouse and sushi bar located at the intersection of Fayetteville Rd and Hwy 54. They serve teppanyaki style hibachi and their Sushi is buy one get one free. Check them out here.   

• You might remember us originally touting an October 30 opening for the newest Chipotle Mexican Grill. Well, apparently they didn’t hit that, but according to their website, they are NOW open. Stop by and visit the Triangle’s newest location of Chipotle. They are located just across from Panera in the Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham. If you are unfamiliar with them, check them out here.  

• An update on the former Asuka in Morrisville which reopened as Haru. Thanks to Greg Ng (aka Frozen Food Master - by the way, you really need to check out his video blog) we now know that it is NOT related to the Haru in Raleigh. Greg confirmed that it is under new management, they have the same sushi chef and pretty much the same menu with the addition of some Korean dishes. Thanks Greg! 

• And Greg Ng also confirmed for us that the PDQ that is opening up on Falls of the Neuse Road in Raleigh will definitely have a December 9th opening. Keep up with them on their Facebook page here.

• The Herald-Sun reported this week that a Taco Bell restaurant will open in The Streets at Southpoint’s food court during the holiday season, likely in December. It will go into the space that previously housed Saladworks. 

• Guess who is turning 40? Chapel Hill’s Ye Olde Waffle Shop. And guess who gets the present? You do. Today from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. they will be serving from their 1972 menu with 1972 prices. And in keeping with the 1972 theme, no credit cards or debit cards will be accepted - cash only! Stop by today.

• I noticed on a Yelp message board this week that Mawa's Taste of Africa in Morrisville Square on Morrisville Carpenter Road has closed. There is discussion that the space will become a Vietnamese restaurant. We’ll keep an eye on it.

• No one really wants to cook on Thanksgiving day...but you have to...right? Not so much. Check out this HUGE list of restaurants that will be glad to do the cooking (and clean up!) for you on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to Greg Cox over at the News & Observer for putting this list together. 

• But what if you still want to do something at your house, but don’t want to do the cooking? The Q Shack has you covered on that front as well - their annual Farm To Table turkeys and dinners for Thanksgiving. Through The Q Shack you can order locally raised, all natural fresh turkeys that feed up to 20 people, or you can order entire meals with sides and desserts. Note: You must order by November 19th! Get all the details here.

• Beer is food, right? Well, it is when it is organized in such a way to benefit a cause like Porch. Anyway, the 2nd annual Homebrew for Hunger takes place this Saturday at West End Public in downtown Chapel Hill. The 2nd session is sold out, but you can still get tickets for the first session from 12 ‘til 3 p.m. Get all the details here.

• The next big food truck round-up will get a little physical. The folks over at Rebus Works in Raleigh will be combining a food truck rodeo with GOUGE Wrestling this Saturday (November 17th)from noon until 4 (following the Raleigh Christmas Parade). Sound interesting? Look for American Meltdown, Triangle Raw Foods, Captain Poncho's Tacos, Big City Sandwiches, Big Mikes BBQ, Gussy's Greek Street Food, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, and Chick-N-Que. Oh yeah, and wrestling. Get all the crazy details here.

• Time is running out to get this annual holiday event on your calendar - the 10th annual Gingerbread Benefit will be held on Thursday, November 29th at The Umstead Hotel in Cary. Get your tickets and all the details here. 

• Here is one of my favorite holiday traditions - the St. Thomas More 9th annual Christmas Holiday Shoppe craft show on Saturday, December 1st from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. In addition to 60 talented artisans and crafters, they have the Reindeer Cafe serving a delicious hot lunch and the Candy Cane Coffee Bar. Admission is free.  St. Thomas More is located at 940 Carmichael Street in Chapel Hill. Stop by on December 1st!

• Thanks to a blurb in Chapel Hill Magazine, we close with kudos to Colin Beford, executive chef at Chatham County’s Fearrington House where this past weekend, Relais & Chateaux, an international collection of luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants, announced Colin as one of its new Grands Chefs, one of only 21 in the United States. Kudos to Colin and his team! 

• And finally, there will be NO Friday Fun Food Facts next week! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!    

(P.S. We’ll still draw our winners next week, so if you’ve got catering needs, use Triangle Food Guy and you'll have a real good chance at winning a $20 gift card to Target!)