Friday Fun Food Facts - February 1, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

 

Featured Restaurant News

•  It seems as if Ashley Christensen isn’t quite done spreading her foodie goodness all over downtown Raleigh. Most recently she purchased the Wilmoore Café (which will re-open in March under a new name), but we got word this week that she recently announced that she would be opening a French bistro and event space on Salisbury Street. We’ll firm up the details. Stay tuned.

Durham / Chapel Hill / Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Things move slowly in Chapel Hill, but it looks like the Mellow Mushroom is finally going to make its return to “The Hill” with a targeted open date of March 4th. It is taking over the space formerly occupied by Ham’s on West Franklin Street. This will mark the Triangle’s fourth location. Check out Mellow Mushroom here. 

• The Herald-Sun reported this week that the kid and adult-friendly Stay & Play Snack Café opened in downtown Durham. Located at 405-A E. Chapel Hill St, it is in the former Reliable Cheese space near Rue Cler. Pay them a visit here.  

• Next time you find yourself over in Pittsboro, be sure to check out Modern Life Deli & Drinks which just opened off the circle on Sanford Road. Get all the details here.  
   

Raleigh / Cary / Morrisville Restaurant News 

• Caught wind this week from the Yelp message board that a Dave & Buster’s is heading this way to Cary Towne Center. We’ll keep an eye on it. Thanks to Diane for that tip. In the meantime, get ready for them here.

• Staying in Cary, Waverly Place’s Taziki’s Medeiterranean Café opened this past Tuesday. Check them out here.   

• Speaking of Cary, the former IPub (6454 Tryon Rd) in the Wellington Park Plaza closed on Jan 1. The Cary Pub, in the same location, opened on January 18th and is owned by David & Lisa Crooke and Kathy & Tom Graham. Check them out on Facebook here.   

• And in downtown Cary, Dorry’s Downtown reopened today after undergoing major renovations. They’ve got a total new look and the addition of pizza, wine & beer, evening hours as well as the return of most of your favorite items on their menu. Congrats to Ray and his team! Check them out here.  

• Thanks to follower Joseph Wells, we learned this week that Chopstix (a gourmet sushi bar) has opened in Raleigh a few doors down from Dos Taquitos at the intersection of Creedmoor and Millbrook. It appears to be the same as a concept out of Maryland, but we couldn’t get confirmation on that this week.

• It appears as if there is some activity going on over on Six Forks Road at the former Vesuvius / Bear Rock Café / Atlanta Bread Company location. And according to follower Patina Robinson (aka @PattyTheFoodie) it is a concept called Vivo Restorante that is moving in. I haven’t been able to get by, but we’ll get more information.

• And over in Morrisville, we got word this week that Taste Vietnamese Cuisine finally opened after much anticipation in the space formerly occupied by Mawa.

Closings (but only temporarily) 

• We were saddened to learn on Wednesday that Gregoria’s Kitchen over in Durham experienced a fire in part of their restaurant. As a result, they are temporarily closed. Keep up with them here as they work to reopen quickly

Events 

• The 20th Annual Triangle Wine Experience is taking place Feb. 7-9th and is co-chaired this year by Ashley Christensen. This premier wine event also features tastings, dinners and a Grand Gala. It truly is a Who’s Who of restaurants and wineries. You don’t want to miss this and it will sell out! Get more information and register for the various events here.  

• The latest concept out of Niall Hanley is hosting a grand opening on February 8th. Located on the ground floor of Solas, Bia Restaurant will donate 10% of the proceeds from the event to the Wake County Firefighters’ Burned Children Fund. The restaurant, which we first told you about in early December, features chef Dan Yeager.

• Looking for a unique way to spend Valentine’s Day? Carolina Food Tours has you covered on February 14th with their extremely popular walking tours. They have options all over the Triangle. But don’t wait long, these will fill up fast. Check them out here.  

• The seventh annual Empty Bowls event to benefit Urban Ministries of Durham will be held on Thursday, March 7th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Purchase your tickets here.

• Hold the date for the annual Wake Tech Culinary Arts Showcase which will be held this year on April 30th from 4-7 p.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center. Get all the initial details here.  

• Thanks to a tip in the Herald-Sun, we learned that Durham will have its first Louisiana seafood festival when the Bayou Festival Tour comes to town on April 20. It will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at the CCB Plaza downtown. The festival is slated to include seafood, beer and beer samples. And it will return again, to Raleigh, on October 5th. Get all the details here.  

• Here is a fun competition where everyone needs to cast a vote. Our very own Bull City, aka Durham, is up against some tough competition in Southern Living Magazine’s latest contest to find the “Tastiest Town in the South” for 2013. We need to put Durham (and the entire Triangle) on the map ahead of Atlanta, Charleston, New Orleans, Miami, etc. Vote early and vote often! You have until February 28th.

• And speaking of fun, how can I not miss at least mentioning an event I find utterly fascinating. 2400 calories, 12 donuts, 5 miles and 1 hour to complete. Yep, it is the 9th Annual Krispy Kreme Challenge and it takes place on February 9th at 8:30 a.m. General registration is full, but you can still get in with their Children’s Promise Charity Spots ($100). Or you can go out and witness the spectacle that is. Here are the details.
  
  
  
  Opening Soon 
  We Continue To Keep Our Eyes On... 
  
  The Cowfish (yes, burgers and sushi) will join the ever-growing lineup of fantastic restaurants in North Hills. Look for a spring opening; Both Dos Taquitos Xoco on Glenwood South and the North Raleigh location of Hibernian Pub will open in early February; The OC Bar & Grill in Raleigh’s Oberlin Court near Cameron Village is tapped to open in March; Brixx Pizza will open this spring in Cameron Village’s newest development; Cafe de los Muertos will open this summer in the Hue in downtown Raleigh; Lawrence Coffee Bar coming to the Jones-Foy house in downtown Cary on Academy Street. Check out Larry's Beans here; Kipos, a Greek Taverna that will come to Chapel Hill’s West Franklin Street. It is another concept by Giorgios Bakatsias; Waffle House on East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill (look for a mid-February opening); Barberito’s, a southwestern grill and cantina, will open in mid-February in Cary’s Waverly Place (with a Raleigh location not too far behind); Taqueria del Sol is on the clock to open their 2nd location in the Triangle, with this one coming to Durham; Blend and Grind, a coffee, smoothie and juice bar which will be located in downtown Raleigh’s Seaboard Station is looking at a February opening; Denny’s in Durham in the Hope Valley Commons Shopping Center; Char-Grill in Clayton (August opening); PDQ (chicken tenders, salads & sandwiches) is slated to open their Wake Forest location in late March, followed by a Cary location in May; Carolina Wing Company is taking over the Buffalo’s Café location in Stonehenge Shopping Center in Raleigh; Keeping an eye out for Austin’s Chuy's which is coming to North Hills in Raleigh. Chuy’s is a fun and funky fresh Mexican themed restaurant. Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar will take over the Rockfish space at the Streets at Southpoint; Java Burger and Bar concept that is on tap for the Westpoint at 751 development off N.C. 751 near The Streets at Southpoint; A new fast, casual Indian dining option coming to RTP called Curry Point Express. It is going into the strip mall at the corner of S. Miami & Hwy 54 (across Miami from Serena); Trali Irish Pub & Restaurant will be opening a second location in Morrisville, in the location that used to house Yucatan Cantina on Grace Park Drive; A new restaurant is coming to downtown Raleigh’s Seaboard Station called Kimbap. Owned by Kim Hunter, it is expected to open the 2nd week in February ; Downtown Raleigh’s Wilmoore Café will re-open in early March under a new name, with a new menu and expanded hours; A Yelp message board posting this week reminded us of the Triangle Business Journal notations of what is coming in the next phase of Morrisville’s Park West Village. Look for Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Noodles & Co. and Lime Fresh Mexican Grill; Look for Greg Hatem’s The Pit to open in downtown Durham this summer (in the same building as Fullsteam and Motorco).