Friday (Monday) Fun Food Facts - July 1, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  Alright folks, time to put your money where your mouth is (or wants to be). As you know, I’m a huge supporter of local concepts and here is one you can make happen with a small contribution, but you’ve got to act now! Triangle Raw Foods Kitchen / Cafe is seeking funding to make their dreams a reality. They just unveiled the café name - Café L.O.V.E. (Live Organic Vegan Eats). If you love local, please consider supporting this venture. Get more information on Triangle Raw Foods here. 

Wake County Restaurant News 

• We noted this a couple of months ago, but it has been confirmed now with a few more of the details filled in. Chef Ashley Christensen (Poole’s, Beasley’s, Chuck’s, Fox & Joule) is planning to open Death & Taxes, a new wood-fired oven restaurant, and Bridge Club, an event space, in downtown Raleigh later this year in a renovated building at 105 Hargett Street. Sunny Gerhart (formerly of Poole’s and Watts Grocery) will be the chef. Look for an opening in late 2013.  

• I have received invitations to a couple of VIP events at two establishments that are planning July openings in downtown Raleigh. The VIP event for Jimmy V’s Osteria + Bar is on July 23rd (so look for the regular opening very soon after that) and for Pogo (the new restaurant at Marbles Museum) on July 16th (opens to the public on July 18th). Get ready for these two new establishments!

• The Triangle Business Journal confirmed what we told you months ago, there is definitely a Dave & Buster’s coming to the Triangle - and more specifically to Cary Towne Center and it will open sometime this fall. If you are not familiar with Dave & Buster’s, think of an adult version of Chuck E. Cheese. Check them out for yourself here.  

• Heard from reader Katie Page that Sushi Lulu opened in the Shoppes at Bedford at 3607 Falls River Avenue (in the former home of Bedford Sushi). You can see some of their menus on their website here. 

• Got word from the local blog New Raleigh that the Garland has started serving lunch. Get by and check them out. They are located at 14 W. Martin Street in the heart of downtown Raleigh. 

• According to WRAL, a new Mexican restaurant is in the works in Wake Forest called Tlaquepaque Mexican. It will be located in the old O'Charley's location, across from the old Carolina Smokehouse Grill. No word on when they are going to open. 

• Sip Wine & Bistro Bar over in in Holly Springs has opened. Check them out on Facebook here.

• Speaking of eastern Wake County, got word from David McCreary (author of the blog Lunchboy Says) that  Sweet Leaf Café opened last week in Fuquay-Varina. The locally owned eatery serves pastries, soups, salads, wraps, espresso and hot tea. It's located at 1313 N. Main Street in the former Quizno's location. Check them out here. 

• New Raleigh is reporting that Undergrounds, a new coffee shop, has opened in the North Carolina History Museum. They are serving up Raleigh Coffee Company beans.

• New Raleigh is also reporting that a new juice bar called Cold Off The Press is coming to Fayetteville Street area of Downtown Raleigh. No other details are available at this point, but we’ll check back in on this one. 

• Sunset Slush of North Raleigh opens today (July 1) at Pinecrest Pointe Shopping Center on Leesville Road. The shop features over 24 flavors of premium Italian ice made with real fruit and hand scooped ice cream from local farmers in North Carolina. Check them out here.  

• Chatham Hill Winery, which closed its tasting room and wine-making operation in Morrisville in late April, reopened last week in a new building in downtown Cary at 8245 Chapel Hill Road. Get all the details here.  

• Crafty Beer Shop is moving into the old Hayes Barton Furniture Company location in Five Points over in Raleigh (Fairview Road). The shop will specialize in North Carolina craft beers as well as beers from around the world. We’ll continue to keep an eye on it. 

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Bull City Burger & Brewery tweeted last week that they took one more step toward opening their sister restaurant, Pompieri Pizza, by signing the lease at the historic Fire Station #1 at 102 City Hall Plaza. They are looking to open sometime this fall. Get more details here.  

• Two partners behind the wine-focused, fine dining restaurant Six Plates Wine Bar are planning to open a more casual restaurant in southern Durham called Mattie B’s Public House according to the Herald-Sun. It will be located in the former Alfredo’s location in the Hope Valley Commons shopping center and will serve beer, pizza, burgers, wings, sandwiches and gourmet potato chips. Look for a mid-August opening.  

• Also over in Durham, the N&O’s Greg Cox is reporting that Fares Hanna, owner of Gregoria’s Kitchen, had initially hoped to rebuild after the Cuban restaurant was closed by a fire in January. But now he’s looking for a new location, without much luck so far. We’ll keep an eye on this story.  

• And an oldie over in Durham has received a face-lift. According to the Herald-Sun, the Red Lobster restaurant has been remodeled with a new design, expanded seating for larger parties, and while they were at it, a remodeled menu as well. The restaurant is located at 4416 Chapel Hill Blvd.

• And we mentioned it last week, but we now have a targeted open date for the new Topper’s Pizza location in Chapel Hill (former Gumby’s location) thanks to the Herald-Sun. They are looking at a September grand opening.

Closings      

• The Skinny Dip in the Shoppes of Kildaire in Cary closed last week. Looks like the one over in Raleigh at Quail Corners remains open.

• Got word this week in an email that Broad Street Cafe in Durham has closed their doors. Their last day was yesterday.

• This is sort of a closing, but more about a next chapter. It is now confirmed that Klausie’s Pizza will temporarily cease their food truck operation in order to focus on opening their brick & mortar location (still widely believed to be on Glenwood South) and once that is done, a bigger and better mobile unit. So take a quick breather and get ready for bigger and better!

• And in other “not really a closing” stories, we got word from reader Diane Pisano that the folks behind Larry’s Beans will not be coming to downtown Cary with their Lawrence Coffee Bar after all. But word is that the town of Cary is looking for another tenant for that space. 

Food Trucks 

• The only way things could get better over at popular food truck KoKyu BBQ is if there were TWO trucks...and apparently that is in the works according to a hint they dropped on Twitter. We’ll keep an eye out for the second truck making its way around the Triangle! See for yourself on Twitter here.

• The Durham Bulls will host the inaugural DBAP Food Truck Fest on Wednesday, July 10. Throughout the Bulls vs. Charlotte Knights game that evening, eight trucks (Only Burger, Chirba Chirba, Parlez-Vous Crepe, Sweet Stacey Cakes, BaguettAboutIt, Porchetta, The Humble Pig, and American Melt Down) will be on the Diamond View concourse within Durham Bulls Athletic Park (i.e. you must have a ticket to the game to partake...). More details here.

• 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 

• It is out. The listing of chefs for the Fire in the Triangle chef’s competition (July 8 through August 19th) has been released and the events are selling out quickly. Check it out here to see who the chef’s are and to get your tickets now.

• Don’t make the same mistake twice...If you hesitated on joining in on the fun with the first Dishcrawl event in Durham, you are in luck. They have scheduled an encore event on July 9th in Durham’s Five Points neighborhood (4 restaurants in one night for $45). You heard it here first, this will sell-out as well. Jump on it 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.

• You've got just under a month to get your costume together for Chick-fil-A's ninth annual Cow Appreciation Day. On July 12th, if you (and your friends) dress up like a cow, you get a free meal. Come on, you've done dumber things. Get all the details here.

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

• Happy 4th of July week to all. I hope that means time to relax and appreciate all we have in this great country of ours. With that being the case, I’ll next post on Friday, July 12th. Until then, happy eats!