Friday Fun Food Facts - April 5, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  We are getting down to the last two weeks of voting so it is time to cast your vote. And as you can see, we're not bashful about asking for your vote for Best Local Blog. If you have a moment, please take an opportunity to give us a nod in that category - it is very much appreciated. Voting ends April 15, so vote early...and often.
    
   

Wake County Restaurant News 

• Tax Day won't be so bad in Raleigh this year as the coolest new concept swings open their doors after months of anticipation. In fact, their three soft opening events (on 4/12 & 4/13) are already sold out. But plan on attending the grand opening of Cowfish on April 15th! Cowfish is located at North Hills in the Captrust Building. Get all the details here.

• As if their chocolaty goodness wasn't enough, the folks at Videri Chocolate Factory open their coffee counter tonight where they will be serving up Stumptown Coffee. The grand opening celebration is tonight (April 5th) from 7 - 10 p.m. at their location in the Raleigh Depot (327 W. Davie Street). Get all the details here.

• North Raleigh's Lafayette Village has seen two restaurants open recently. The first is SushiOne, a sushi and Asian fusion restaurant and bar that serves Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Visit them on Facebook here.

• The second restaurant to recently open is Pampas Raleigh at the Village, which is the sister restaurant of Oakwood Café (which we told you two weeks ago is for sale). Pampas is an authentic Cuban and Argentinean restaurant. Check them out here.

•  Thanks to a posting on their Facebook page, look for the opening of Randy's Pizza's newest location in Raleigh's Lake Boone Shopping Center (former Bear Rock Cafe location) sometime next week. Last Wednesday they posted on Facebook that they were a "week away" from opening. Look for grand opening specials. We'll keep an eye on it.  

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• If you have a sweet tooth and live / work / visit downtown Durham, there is a new shop you need to visit. The folks at The Parlour opened their brick and mortar location this past week at 117 Market Street. Get the full scoop here.

• Also in Durham, the Herald-Sun is reporting that La Cacerola Café & Restaurant, a Honduran restaurant, opened Friday in a small strip shopping center at 2016 Guess Road. This location previously housed Kabob & Curry House. 

• The News & Observer's Greg Cox noted this week that Hillsborough's Radius Pizzeria & Pub has opened at 112 N. Churton Street. The restaurant features an oven that burns local hickory, maple and oak to turn out a varied assortment of pies and the pub side features 8 local beers on tap. Look for an expanded menu as Kate & Mick Carroll ramp things up. Get all the details here.

• We learned from The Daily Tar Heel this week that the spirit of Ireland is alive and well in Chapel Hill. Or at least it will be again in May. According to the student newspaper, Fitzgerald's Irish Pub, a family-owned restaurant based in Charlotte, is set to open at 206 W. Franklin St. in the space previously occupied by Kildare's Irish Pub. Look for it to open in early May. Take a peek at what they are about in Charlotte.

• And just a few doors down, we got word that the newest Triangle location of Lime Fresh Mexican Grill will open their doors next Wednesday (April 10th) on Chapel Hill's West Franklin Street in the new 140 West development. This will mark the third Triangle area location.

• And out in RTP, the Herald-Sun noted this week that
  the southern cooking and soul food restaurant V's Kitchen has moved to a shopping center near the intersection of Miami Boulevard and T.W. Alexander Drive (2945 S. Miami Blvd.) Get more information here. 

Closings  

• We caught wind of this on a Yelp message board, and confirmed on their Facebook page and website, that the contemporary vegetarian restaurant Butternut Squash in Chapel Hill's University Square has closed. That entire complex just got approval to be demolished and rebuilt.

Food Trucks 

• Here is a fun combination - food trucks and Harleys! That's right, this Saturday (April 6th) from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., you and test drive a machine of your dreams while dining from a whole slew of food trucks including - Philly Cheesesteaks, Hibachi Express, Only Burger (likely confirmation), Klausie's Pizza, Captain Poncho's Tacos, Sweet Stacey Cakes, Groovy Dogs and Italian Ice. Get all the details here. 

• Motorcycles not your thing? How about movies and some food trucks? Head on over to Durham's Central Park on Saturday, April 6th for the Full Frame Documentary Film Screening and Food Truck Rodeo featuring the documentary "Trash Dance" and six food trucks. The trucks begin at 6 p.m. and the film begins at 8:30 p.m. Get all the details here. 

• The Herald-Sun had some great news to share for those that are huge fans of Foster's in Durham. It was announced that they are close to launching a food truck they are calling "Fosters on the Fly." While they project is in the early stages, they have secured the truck and they're waiting on inspections and licenses. Stay tuned!

• The second food truck rodeo at Fairview Garden Center in Raleigh is just around the corner. It will be held on April 20 and followed by a third on 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. 

• If you like food trucks and beer (stupid question, right?), mark your calendar for April 27 (3 - 9 p.m.) and plan on being in downtown Raleigh's city plaza for Brewgaloo - an event featuring 24 local craft beers, 12 food trucks (including Klausie's Pizza, Cafe' Prost, Baguettaboutit, Big Al's & Chirba Chirba, Lumpy's Ice Cream, Hibachi Xpress, Only Burger, American Meltdown, Sweet Stacey Cakes and more) and eight bands . Get all the details here.  

• Can you say Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo? Can you say four dates? Can you envision food trucks lined up the length of 3 football fields down Fayetteville Street? Mark your calendars for May 12th, June 9th, August 11th and October 13th. On those dates, they'll start lining them up at the State Capital on Fayetteville Street (single file) and stretch out...forever! And, with electricity provided, no generators! Get all the details here.  

Events

• In celebration of their four-year anniversary, our friends over at Taste Carolina have put together a series you don't want to miss. They are offering six Durham/ Chapel Hill/ Carrboro/ Hillsborough events featuring food artisans and chefs showcasing how artisans and chefs partner with local farmers to use seasonal ingredients in their products and dishes. The events are intended to be experienced as a series, and tickets are on sale in packages of six events ($249), five ($215), four ($180), or three ($138). Remaining tickets for each event will go on sale one week prior. Register and get all the details here.  

• A big shout-out and congratulations to our friends over at Sola Coffee Café who are celebrating their one-year anniversary this weekend (4/5 & 4/6) by
  donating $1 from every sale of a dozen Hot Mini donuts and giving away a dozen free Hot Mini Donuts a day for a year to two lucky winners. Get all the details here.  

• The second annual Pepper's Chilibrewfest is this Saturday at Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Taste over 75 craft beers, try 10 different types of chili, sample 10 different cheeses from all over the world, witness a chili cook-off, and enjoy live music. Tickets range from $25 to $49. Get all the details here.  

• You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream...and even better, free ice cream! That's right, April 9th is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. Mark your calendar now and plan a visit to your nearest location in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill.  

• The Cary Downtown Farmers Market opens their 22nd season this Saturday, April 6th (8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.). The market is located at 301 S. Academy Street, Cary, across from the downtown Cary library. Get all the details here. 

• The Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market will kick off its 4th season in downtown Raleigh's City Plaza on Wednesday, April 24 (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) with a pig pickin' featuring authentic North Carolina barbecue from The Pit. 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 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. 

Final Thought

• Our friends over at The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina need your help to secure a $45,000 grant from Walmart to provide funding for five of their Kids Cafe locations. If you're so inclined, please give them a much-needed vote here. You can vote once a day from now until April 30th. Thanks!