Friday Fun Food Facts - August 30, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  The Triangle Business Journal broke the news this week that Jason Smith, chef-proprietor of 18 Seaboard in downtown Raleigh, will open his third restaurant in the Triangle in the former Doc Green’s location over in Durham’s Renaissance Village. The new restaurant will be called Harvest 18 and will serve a similar cuisine to 18 Seaboard. Smith also owns Cantina 18 in Raleigh’s Cameron Village. Look for Harvest 18 to open in late December or early January.  

Wake County Restaurant News 

• Thanks to a tip from Chris McLaughlin we got word that downtown Raleigh's Stanbury’s received their first food delivery this week and will have a soft opening this Saturday! Get more information here.

• Ashley Christensen’s much anticipated remake of Wilmoore Café opened this week as Joule Coffee. They will serve coffee and pastries through 2 p.m. today, and will add brunch (10-3) through this holiday weekend (Sat. thru Mon.). Closed next Tuesday, they will reopen on Wednesday with full hours, dine-in breakfast, all-day menu and cocktail service. Check it out here. 

• Got word last week from WRAL that Jimmy V’s Osteria and Bar at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh has opened. Check them out here. 

• Just a reminder that Yellow Dog Bakery, at 219 E. Franklin Street will hold their grand opening on Sept. 6th from 6-9 p.m. Get all the details on Facebook here. 

• The News & Observer reported this week that this past Monday Swad Indian Cuisine opened in the Harvest Oaks shopping center next to Neomonde. The new restaurant is operated by Nawinder Singh (think Dawat in Morrisville) and Jasbir Singh Bola. Check them out here.  

• I made a bit of a blunder last week with the location of the next Firewurst. They are opening soon (looking like late fall), but it is not in Morrisville’s Park West Village, but rather at Harrison Square Shopping Center in Cary. Thanks to David Prestrud for setting me straight on that. In the meantime, check out their other two locations here. 

• Got word from my buddy Derrick Minor that Rudino's at Tryon Woods in Cary (in the Tryon Village Shopping Center next to Brigs) is now called Craft Public House. I don’t have any other details to share at this point nor any information as to what prompted the change.  

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Got word from the News & Observer that Matthew Beason and John Eisensmith, owners of Six Plates Wine Bar, opened Mattie B’s Public House in Hope Valley Commons last night. The menu features local burgers and pizzas along with wings and an assortment of sandwiches. Wash it all down with a selection of over 100 beers and ciders, including 12 on tap. Mattie B’s is located in the former Alfredo’s location. Check them out here.  

Closings      

• Local Yogurt announced that tomorrow (August 31) will be their last day at their original Rockwood location (2501 University Drive). That is the bad news. The good news is that you can still visit them in Durham at their Erwin Road location. Get more details here.

Food Trucks 

• Durham Central Park’s annual Labor Day Food Truck Rodeo is this Sunday (September 1)! More than 60 trucks will be on hand, as well as Durham’s own Fullsteam and Triangle Brewing Company! Everything kicks off at 12:30 p.m. and runs until 4:30 p.m. Get all the details here.

• There is nothing more American than good food and baseball. Be sure to check out this combination next week (Sept. 4) with the DBAP Food Truck Fest - Playoff Edition. Look for Only Burger, Chirba Chirba, Parlez-Vous Crepe, Sweet Stacey Cakes, BaguettAboutIt, Porchetta, The Humble Pig, and American Melt Down to be at the game. 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 

• If you are looking for an announcement to make you start salivating, take a look at the list of participants for this year’s TerraVITA Food & Wine Event that was just announced this week. 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.

• 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.

• Here is another great foodie event to get on your calendar - the March of Dimes Triangle Signature Chefs Auction on November 17 at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Attendees will be able to sample signature dishes from top chefs from around the Triangle while bidding on great auction items/packages during our silent and live auctions. 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.