Friday Fun Food Facts - August 23, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  After a 10 year run, Porter’s City Tavern on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street has been sold and will reopen as an Irish pub called McDaid’s. This will be the newest venture by Robert Beebe who is a partner in the two locations of Trali (Raleigh & Morrisville) as well as Doolin’s in Durham. Beebe plans to keep much of the Porter’s menu (and key staff) but will add a few Irish dishes. Look for a mid-September opening.

Wake County Restaurant News 

• Look for Ashley Christensen’s newest venture and the much-anticipated Joule Coffee (which is in the former Wilmoore Café spot at 223 S. Wilmington Street) to swing open their doors next Wednesday, August 28th. Check out all of Ashley’s restaurants here.

• We got word this week that Yellow Dog Bakery which will be located at 219 E. Franklin Street (think handmade artisan breads and southern influenced pastries) will “officially” open on August 26th and will hold their grand opening on Sept. 6th from 6-9 p.m. Get all the details on Facebook here.

• Keeping with the good news coming out of downtown Raleigh, we were excited to learn from the N&O that the lease of the Wilmington Street location of Pop Up Ice Cream Parlour has been extended (originally to end at the end of this month) until the end of October. Bring on the pumpkin spice ice cream!

• And speaking of Pop Up Ice Cream Palour, they have just launched a kick-starter campaign to secure funding for a more permanent location. Get all the details and support them here.

• The N&O is also reporting that the Berkeley Café will close on October 1 for a three-month renovation that will expand the kitchen and add an outdoor patio, among other things. We will let you know when the plan on reopening (right now, looking at early January). Check them out here.

• Just after posting last week’s posting, we got an anonymous tip that Cucina di Milano (former Mare / Vino location) in Morrisville’s Grace Park has opened. It is being run by successful Raleigh restaurateur Vincent Barresi, owner of Vincent’s in North Raleigh. 

• Richard Camos (think Camos Brothers Pizza) opened Latin Quarters this past Tuesday near the intersection of Sawmill and Six Forks in Raleigh. Look for dishes from every corner of Latin America. Check them out on Facebook here and their website here.

• Got a note this week from Charlie Ibarra confirming that Jibarra will close this Sunday and will reopen Sept. 2 as Jose and Sons, a Mexican restaurant with a Southern twist. They are located at 327 W. Davie Street. 

• The Triangle Business Journal broke the news this week that Cary will get the 8th location (and first in North Carolina) of Cinebistro, an upscale movie theatre offering a little more than popcorn and candy bars. Look for them to open in the spring of 2014. Good food and good movies sounds good to me! Get a sneak peek at them here.

• Also in Cary, I noticed on the Twitter feed for GoGoRaleigh that Baker’s Dozen Donuts has opened over in South Hills Mall. I can’t find a Facebook page or a website, so you’ll just have to swing by and check them out. 

• Just down the road in Morrisville’s Park West Village, I got word this week that Firewurst, flame-grilled sausages and dogs, with locations in Cary and Raleigh, will open their third location this October. Check them out here.

• Got word this week from Craig Heffley that he will be bringing his popular Durham store concept of Wine Authorities to Raleigh and opening a second location. The new store will be located in downtown Raleigh’s Person Street Plaza, a new development at 211 E. Franklin St. Look for a fall opening. We will keep you posted. Get a peek at his Durham store here. 

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• The Herald-Sun reported this week that Pittsboro will be getting a new Waffle House as well as a Bojangles. That can’t be good news for the waistlines of Chathamites.  

Closings      

• We got word (first) from Triangle Explorer that Weinberg’s The Delicatessen on Falls of the Neuse Road in Raleigh closed their doors this past Wednesday. Sorry to see them go.   

• Well this is interesting, but not terribly surprising. According to the N&O, downtown Raleigh’s two “clubs” are coming together as one club, with one location. The Capital City Club (top of the Progress Energy building) will close and the Cardinal Club (top of the Wells Fargo building) will expand. The $2 million renovation will be complete next June. Until then, both clubs will continue to operate. No name for the new club has been announced. We are lobbying for the Oak City Club.    

Food Trucks 

• There is a food truck event tonight (August 23rd) from 6-9 p.m. at the Carrboro Town Commons to benefit Table, an organization providing emergency food aid to hungry children in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Get all the details here.

• Also, each month there is a food truck rodeo at the RTP Headquarters. The next one is scheduled for August 29th. Get more details here.

• If you’ve been looking for an event that combines Shakespeare with food trucks, we’ve got just the event(s) for you. You’ll want to head on over to the next performance of “As You Like It” with Bare Theatre at Raleigh Little Theatre on August 23rd, 24th, 29th or 30th. Just prior to the shows (at 6:30 pm) they will have two food trucks each night. Get all the details here.

• Got a reminder from my friends over at Pie Pushers that the next Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo will be held on Sunday, September 1st from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. Mark your calendars now and get all the 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 

• Tickets are on sale now 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.

• If you like beer (I know, kind of a dumb opening) then Raleigh is where you’ll want to be next week for Raleigh Beer Week Sunday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 1. WRAL has a great summary of events here, but here is the official website. Cheers!

• Well this is strange. Watts Grocery’s Amy Tornquist, Walking Fish Cooperative and Community-Supported Fishery are hosting a dinner devoted to eating an array of sustainably harvested strange seafood from the North Carolina coast. The five-course meal will begin at 7 pm on September 9th at Watts Grocery. The cost is $70 per person ($100 with wine pairings) with proceeds benefiting Saltwater Connections, a project of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island. To make a reservation, call 919-416-5040.

• Here is an event you probably want to get on your calendar - the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival September 27 & 28 at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater. In addition to the amazing music line-up (with Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickel) there is a massive two-day street festival which will be highlighted by the North Carolina Whole Hog Barbecue State Championship. Get all the details here.

• Thanks to a tip from the News & Observer, we learned that the World Beer Festival returns to Durham on Oct. 5 in a new location: the old Durham Athletic Park. The event will feature two sessions: an afternoon tasting from noon to 4 p.m. and an evening tasting 6-10 p.m. General admission is $45 and VIP tickets -- with a food buffet, special beers and a private hospitality area -- are $75. Get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner   

• It is back for its second year, and it is definitely bigger and better - the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC 24-Hour Telethon. Join the Food Bank and host Gregory Ng for 24 hours of “Awesome-Sauce!”  The 24 Hour Telethon will be streaming here starting at noon on Friday, Sept 13 and going to noon on Saturday, Sept 14 from the Raleigh warehouse located at 3808 Tarheel Drive. The goal is to raise $50k. The event will kick-off with a food truck rodeo, but get the complete schedule here.