Friday Fun Food Facts - May 31, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  Triangle Restaurant Week’s summer event starts Monday and goes through June 9. More than 85 restaurants in Raleigh, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill will be offering three-course lunches for $15 and three-course dinners for $20 or $30. And speaking from experience, I’d highly encourage you to secure reservations before heading out (and you can do that via Open Table for 54 of those restaurants here). Get all the details here.   

Wake County Restaurant News 

• After some pretty significant delays, Randy’s Pizza announced last week via their Facebook page that they will officially swing open their doors at their newest location (Lake Boone Trail in Raleigh - former Bear Rock location) on June 3rd. Check them out here on Facebook.  

• The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Kai Sushi & Sake Bar restaurant has opened in the Greystone Village shopping center at the intersection of Lead Mine and Sawmill roads. Kai Sushi is filling the corner space that was previously occupied by the Stella Mare Ristorante & Pizzeria that closed last year.

• The Triangle’s second location of PDQ will open to the general public this Sunday, June 2nd at 10:30 a.m. in Wake Forest. PDQ is a fast casual restaurant specializing in chicken tenders, salads, sandwiches, fresh cut fries and milkshakes. The address is 11690 Northpark Drive. Get all the details here.   

• Last week we told you that the Fuhgeddaboudit Pizza in Cary at 3450 Kildaire Farm Road was becoming Camos Brothers Pizza. Their website now says that they are open! They also have a location on North Raleigh. Get more details here. 

• Also in Cary, I got word this week from my buddy Shane Phillips that Alison Rocker has bought Unwine’d on Chatham Street in Cary and is changing the name to Unvined. Look for it to open on or about the first week in June. It will be a wine and tapas bar where they will also be selling the wine they serve by the bottle or case. We will keep you posted.  

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• A big shout out to my friends over at Spartacus Restaurant in Durham as June brings about their 20th anniversary! Congrats to John and his entire team. As details of the celebration unfold, we will share them with you. Check them out here.  

• Known as a great lunch spot, Tracy’s New York Deli has recently extended their morning hours to accommodate people discovering it as Chapel Hill’s newest breakfast spot. The deli is now open at 8 on weekdays and 7 on Saturdays. Check them out here. 

Closings   

• Got word this week, and confirmed with a drive-by, that Mare Restaurant in Grace Park in Morrisville has closed. The sign on the door reads, “Under Construction and New Management.” We’ll keep an eye on it and see what appears next. Mare had only been open since January, 2013.

Food Trucks 

• Here's a food truck rodeo for animal lovers...Food Waggin', a food truck rodeo to benefit the SPCA of Wake County. It will be held on Saturday, June 1st from 1 - 5 pm. Bring your friends (two-legged and four-legged), and enjoy good eats and the company of fellow animal lovers. Enjoy fare from local Triangle food trucks, live music and a children's play area. Confirmed food trucks include: Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Klausie's Pizza, Captain Ponchos Tacos, Chick-N-Que and Porchetta. Each participating food truck will donate 10% of their sales to the SPCA, and Wilkinson Supply Company will match their donations dollar for dollar! Get more details here.

• And if your food truck palate is not satisfied after that event, head on over to Rebus Works for their popular food truck event couple with Gouge Wrestling from 5-9 pm on Saturday, June 1 at their Boylan Heights location in downtown Raleigh. Look for about 8 trucks to be in attendance, but get all the details here.

• One down and three to go. The first of four Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos is in the books and the feedback was generally very strong. In fact, they've already announced that the truck count will climb from 42 to somewhere in the mid 50s for the next one on June 9th. That is when they will again 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.  

• And the Herald-Sun turned us onto the fact that Durham will host another huge Food Truck Rodeo at Durham’s Central Park on Sunday, June 16th from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. Go ahead and mark your calendar. More details to come here.

• Thanks to our friends over at WRAL we learned this week that there is a new truck in town that does cupcakes! How sweet is that!?! And the truck’s name? Joy! Check them out here and look for them at all the big upcoming food truck events.

• If you run so you can eat, here is the event for you. The Bull City Race Fest & Food Truck Rodeo. Set for October 20th, over 700 runners have already signed up. They'll have a half-marathon, a five-mile run and a 1-miler. But the best part, they are all followed by a Food Truck Rodeo, Beer Garden, Kids Zone Experience and tons of fun. Register today. 

Events 

• Krispy Kreme is giving away one free doughnut of any type per customer on June 7 in recognition of National Doughnut Day. No purchase is necessary, but you have to get 'em while supplies last. Krispy Kreme has 5 locations here in the Triangle. Find the one closest to you 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.

• Got a note this week from Susan White, co-owner of Foster’s in Chapel Hill, that
  they are having their 2nd annual Porkapalooza Farm Dinner on June 13. This year’s event will feature Cane Creek Farm and Bluebird Meadows and will celebrate everything we love about the pig! This year the dinner is being served tapas style - giving you more tasting opportunities. The cost is $35 per person and reservations are required. Get more details here. 

• The Western Wake Farmers' Market will host a Farm-to-Fork dinner on Thursday, June 13th at the Umstead Hotel & Spa. The evening will feature a multi-course dinner prepared by Chef Scott Crawford using all locally-grown ingredients from the farmers at Western Wake. Even the farmers themselves will be at the dinner. That's cool! Tickets are $100 and include beer (Full Steam) and wine (Sip). Get your tickets today.

• The Fire Pit BBQ & Smokehouse in Wake Forest is hosting a Farm-To-Table fundraising dinner on Monday, June 24th at 6:30 p.m. to benefit the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market. The cost for the 5-course dinner is $65 per person. Get all the details here.

• Can you say free cheese? If so, mark your calendar for June 29th (1-4 pm) and head on over to The Cookery in Durham for the Artisan Cheese Fest hosted by The Cookery and American Meltdown. At the free event you’ll enjoy a sampling of cheeses, charcuterie, bread, wine and even cheesecakes. Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner 

• The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is launching their Stop Summer Hunger Campaign this week and the big kickoff is this Saturday, June 1.  If you'd like to support the effort by walking, here is additional information.