Friday Fun Food Facts - July 12, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  It is coming back out of the ground. After a devastating fire back in December, downtown Raleigh's Hibernian Pub began the rebuilding process this past Monday. Look for an opening by the end of this year. That is great news and congratulations to Niall Hanley! Follow the progress here.

Wake County Restaurant News 

•  Thanks to my friend Chuck Hackney I was reminded that UnVine'd Wine Bar & Tapas will swing open their doors tonight (July 12) at 4 p.m. They are located at 201 W. Chatham Street in Cary. Get more details here.  

• We got word from reader Lorri Ercolani this week that Serena's Restaurant will open tomorrow (Saturday, July 13th) in the Stonehenge Market Shopping Center (7474 Creedmoor Rd.) in North Raleigh. This marks the second location for the Sicilian influenced gastropub. The original location is on South Miami Blvd. in Durham. Check them out here. 

• Thanks to a tip from the News & Observer we learned that the Town Side Café, which opened back on April 8th on Town Side Drive in Apex, will hold their grand-opening event this Saturday (July 13th) throughout the day. Get more details off their site here. 

• We got a little bit more information on the new juice bar called Cold Off The Press that is coming to downtown Raleigh next Monday. It will be in the space next to Bolt Bistro on Fayetteville Street. It will be operated by Amir Sadeghi, son of Bolt's David Sadeghi, who has spent the last year researching healthy juices and cold press juices. The location will open July 15 at 7:45 a.m. Check it out here (and place orders as well).   

• Pogo, a vibrant new downtown eatery, opens July 18 on the campus of Marbles Kids Museum. Pogo will serve both lunch and dinner, featuring seasonal fare prepared with local, farm-fresh ingredients. The restaurant will open in a newly renovated and expanded space and will offer ample patio seating. Tom Meyer, owner of Farmer's Table Restaurant Group, will operate Pogo. Tom also owns The Q-Shack in Raleigh's North Hills, Sprout Café at the NC Museum of Life and Science in Durham and Green's restaurant at UNC Hospital. Get a sneak peak at them here.

• The VIP ribbon cutting event for Jimmy V's Osteria + Bar is on July 23rd and will feature Master of Ceremonies Derrick Whittenburg and hopefully Mayor McFarlane. So look for the regular opening very soon after that. Check them out here. 

• We also got word from a Yelp message board that GoodyBox Cupcakes is days away from opening a retail operation in Morrisville at 9573 Chapel Hill Road in the Park Place Shopping Center. Check them out here. 

• Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour, the "temporary" ice cream shop on Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh announced this week that they will open a second, more permanent location on Person Street next to PieBird. Look for it to open sometime in the next month. The original location on Wilmington Street will close on August 31. Check them out on Facebook here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• According to the Herald Sun, a lease has been signed for a Panera Bread restaurant to open at the Shops at Erwin Mill, a group of renovated buildings on the western side of Ninth Street in Durham.

• The second restaurant for the new 140 West Franklin development in downtown Chapel Hill was announced this week according to the Herald Sun. A sushi bar and Asian fusion restaurant called Spicy Nine is planned to open next year. Tony Zikitsreth, who also owns Sushi Thai Raleigh, Sushi Nine and Sushi Love, is the owner and his son, Michael, will manage this new store. Spicy Nine will join Lime Fresh Mexican Grill (already open), Gigi's Cupcakes (end of August) and Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom (early 2014).

• A little bit further down Franklin Street, the Herald Sun reported this morning that Mixed Casual Korean Bistro has opened in the location that previously housed the Italian restaurant Tedesco's. It is named after the restaurant's signature dish, which allows you to choose different vegetables, meats and sauces, and then mix everything together before eating. Check out this cool concept here.

• Thanks to a tip on a Yelp message board, we got word this week that a new Indian restaurant called Curry Point Express is opening in RTP near the intersection of Miami Blvd. and Highway 54. Touted as "fresh, fast Indian" it is expected to open this week. Not much up yet on their website. 

• And another reader on Yelp noticed a Craig's List posting about a new restaurant in Durham called Skewers Bar & Grill. It will be located at 1013 W. Main Street across from Papa John's. No additional information is available at this time. 

Closings (Just temporarily...thank goodness!)       

• If you are looking to swing by the Carolina Coffee Shop in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill, you'll have to wait until they are done with renovations on August 1st. Thanks to the Herald-Sun for giving us this heads up. Keep up with them on Facebook here.

Food Trucks  

• 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 

• Tickets went on sale today for TerraVITA Food & Wine Event scheduled for October 10-12, 2013 over in Chapel Hill. This is one of the Triangle's "can't miss" food events. Get your tickets today here. And get more information on the event here.

• Today is Chick-fil-A's ninth annual Cow Appreciation Day. For today only (July 12th), if you (and your friends) dress up like a cow, you get a free meal. Get all the details here.

• Not to be shown up by Durham, the Raleigh version of Dishcrawl, which puts on restaurant crawls, is hosting a Moore Square eating tour on July 24. RiAnica Allen-Jones says they will partner with four independent restaurants. Tickets are $45. Get more details here.

• Here is a fun event that my buddy John Huisman told me about. Put on by Larry's Beans and Foundation it is called "The Hard Coffee Throwdown" and it will pit bartenders and barista's against each other coming up with the best concoctions. And here's the best part - you decide who the winners are...that is, if you attend! Get all the details here. Register for the event here. 

• The Red & White Food and Beverage Festival will be returning for a second year on Tuesday, October 29 from 6-9 p.m. The festival will be made up of restaurant owners, chefs, wine & spirit reps, winemakers, breweries, food bloggers and many more who are NC State alumni. Space is limited and booth placement is on a first come first serve basis. Interested vendors can email kelly@thestateclub.org for more information. 

Food Bank Corner   

• The West 94th St. Pub in the Woodcroft Shopping Center in Durham is holding a "Grill Master Cook-Off Competition" on July 27 to raise money for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. It will run from noon to 5 p.m. Contestants will be required to cook chicken and corn on-site with their own seasonings and spices. There is an optional bonus category in which contestants grill their own specialty items. For information or to get involved, call 919-403-0025 or send an email to kbpaw_21@msn.com.

Final Thoughts

• If you own a restaurant, or know someone who does, and are looking for a good cause to get behind, here is one my friends over at Black & Veatch are putting on - the Heat Stroke Invitational to benefit Royal Family Kids. Visit their site here or call Greg Bunn at 919.462.7403 for more details and how to help.