Friday Fun Food Facts - March 8, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  Each year the Independent Weekly publishes a "Best of the Triangle" listing of everything you can imagine. It truly is a great resource. That said, if you like what you read here, I would be humbled if you would take a moment to vote for us for Best Local Blog in the Triangle (enter Triangle Food Guy). Also, while you are there, you could also vote us Best Person To Follow on Twitter, and if you use us for your catering, Best Caterer. Thanks in advance for your time.
    
   

Wake County Restaurant News 

• Yesterday, North Raleigh got a new dining and watering hole with the opening of Hibernian Pub, North Raleigh on Falls of the Neuse Road. Check them out on Facebook here.  Check out their menu here.

• Changes are afoot at downtown Raleigh's Marbles Museum where food is concerned. Roly Poly has anchored the dining spot adjacent to the IMAX theater for the past few years, but they have closed and will reopen in another downtown location. What's coming in hasn't been unveiled yet, but talking to several sources, it is going to be fun and exciting and diverse with a focus on local sourcing. I can't disclose much more at this point, but we'll let you know as soon as it is official! Look for the new concept to open sometime in June.

• And speaking of changes, known as Crystal Palace for the past sixteen years on Raleigh's Capital Boulevard, they will close their doors this Sunday with plans to re-open on March 18th as Capital Buffet. A lot of your favorite dishes will remain, but look for a much more diverse menu that better reflects their new chef. Stay tuned for grand re-opening details. Check them out here.

• Raleigh Brewing Company will hold their grand opening celebration this Saturday, March 9th, beginning at 5 p.m. They are located at 3709 Neil Street in Raleigh and will be open every day beginning at 5 p.m. Get all the grand opening details here.

• Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is gearing up for two more openings in the Triangle. The next opening will be its Morrisville location in the Park West Village development and will open next Wednesday, March 13th. Not long after that, a Chapel Hill location will open at the newly constructed 140 West Franklin Street development and is scheduled to open on April 10th. Get all the details here.

• Thanks to a tip from Twitter follower Joseph Wells, we learned that Jasmin Mediterranean has opened in the former Quizono's location at the corner of Six Forks and Wake Forest roads. This marks their 4th Triangle area location.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Lindsay Moriarty opened the brick and mortar location of Monuts Donuts this past Tuesday. Located at 110 East Parrish St. in Durham, the shop's goodies will be available daily from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. In addition to donuts, you can also enjoy fresh bagels, English muffins and eggs cooked to order. Here's a great article in Durham Magazine. 

• This weekend will see the opening of the newest concept to be introduced by Giorgios Bakatsias. Kipos, a Greek taverna, will open on March 10th on Chapel Hill's West Franklin Street. Chapel Hill Magazine has a great write up on it here.

Closings  

• Chapel Hill took a beating this past week with the closing of two prominent fixtures in the community. The social media outlets lit up this past week with the sudden announcement that Franklin Street institution, Pepper's Pizza, was closing immediately. Around since the late 80's, it is no more. Thanks to Kim Knorr who was the first to tip me off about that. 

• And if that wasn't bad enough, we got word that the 501 Diner, adjacent to Eastgate Shopping Center, had also closed their doors this past week. Very bummed to see both of these Chapel Hill icons go. Support your local shops folks!

• Thanks to a tip from John Huisman (aka Triangle Explorer) we learned that Tortillas Mexican Grill in Raleigh's Wakefield, next to Sergio's Pizza, has closed. Their Facebook page said they are heading back south to warmer weather. They just opened last October.     

Food Trucks 

• This weekend means daylight saving time (Sunday at 2 a.m.) and the weather is looking perfect for...food trucks! Raleigh will get the spotlight on Saturday and Durham on Sunday. 

• The Raleigh rodeo will be held Saturday at Rebus Works (301 Kinsey St.) and will feature Gouge Wrestling. Trucks on tap include CJ's Street Food, Gussy's Greek Food, Chick-n-Que, Captain Poncho's and LocoPops. The rodeo starts at 5 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m. This event is family-friendly. 

• And on Sunday, the Durham rodeo will feature more than 53 trucks at Durham Central Park. If you haven't been to the Durham rodeos before, you are in for a treat - lots of great trucks and a good family outing on a Sunday afternoon. 

• And looking ahead a little, Durham Foodie Johanna Kramer turned us onto the news that the Fairview Garden Center in Raleigh will host a series of Food Truck Rodeos called "Flora and Food Trucks Series".  The first will be held on Saturday, March 30, followed by two more on April 20 and May 11. Each event will feature 4-5 food trucks. Fairview is located at 8224 Holly Springs Road in Raleigh. Get all the details here.  

Events

• Looking for something to do this weekend now that spring weather is hopefully here to stay? How about helping a Raleigh institution celebrate 75 years? Did I mention it is Clyde Cooper's 75th Anniversary Celebration? Or tons of barbecue? Or a beer truck? Or that it benefits the SPCA of Wake County? Get all the details here.

• Thanks to the creative folks over at Ninth Street Bakery, they will be hosting Pi(e) Day on March 14 (get it? 3.14...Clever I say, very clever). Anyway, it is an amateur pie contest with a bunch of other stuff going on. Get all the details here. 

• The downtown Raleigh location of the Hibernian Pub is not back yet, but they will be hosting a St. Paddy's Day Block Party (on North Street) on March 16th featuring food trucks, cold beer and entertainment. Get all the details here.

• The folks over at Raleigh's Q Shack and Big Boss Brewing have teamed up for an event that is no joke. On April Fools Day (April 1st) they will host a Beer Dinner featuring seven beers and a four-course dinner at Big Boss Brewing. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Get all the details here.

• Spring is in the air, which means it is getting closer to one of my favorite events of the year - the 18th Annual Piedmont Farm Tour. Get ready to load up the car with your family and/or all your friends and spend the weekend touring our local farms. Mark your calendar now for April 27th and 28th. Get all the details 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 at 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.

• The annual event that celebrates locally brewed craft beer, Brewgaloo, will take place this year on April 27th on downtown Raleigh City Plaza. The event will feature local breweries and food trucks (what else could a person want?). Get all the details on their Faceook page here.

• The Morrisville Chamber of Commerce recently announced a food and arts festival that will be held along Town Hall Drive on May 18th from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Called East Meets West, the event will feature Morrisville-area restaurants, music, performances and a variety of visual arts. Get it on your calendar and get all the details here.

• The 2013 version of Farm to Fork will take place on Sunday, June 9th. The annual picnic celebrates local food and local farms. Get all the details here.