Friday Fun Food Facts - September 13, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  We should change this section this week to the Niall Hanley Hour. First up, the News & Observer announced today that Hanley's newest venture, The Station, a restaurant and bar going into the old Rosie's Plate space near downtown Raleigh (Person Street), is set to open in about three weeks. If that is not enough, in the spring Hanley is turning his office at 614 Glenwood Ave. into the Raleigh Beer Garden, a bar and restaurant that aims to incorporate plants into an outdoor bar space. And last, but certainly by no means least, his Hibernian Irish Pub, which burned down in a December 2012 kitchen fire, is expected to reopen by the end of the year with a lot more space and a new look. I've seen renderings, and it is pretty cool and about twice the size of the original Hibernian. Check it all out here.    

Wake County Restaurant News 

•  Nunzio Scordo, former executive chef at Paparazzi, is returning to Lafayette Village to open his own restaurant called Driftwood Southern Kitchen according to the N&O. Located in the old Antono's Market space, look for a mid-November opening.

• And the N&O noted that Scordo is also helping out his neighbors at Vinos Finos y Picados (also at Lafayette Village) with a new and expanded kitchen and a new menu that will take advantage of the improvements. Check them out here.

• Serena, a Sicilian influenced gastropub in RTP, has opened a second location in North Raleigh at 7456 Creedmoor Road. Visit their website here.

• This week we were able to confirm a rumor that had been brought to our attention by reader and friend Jessica Lobaton. The former Wendy's location at the Lake Boone Shopping Center in Raleigh will become the latest Chick-fil-A location in the Triangle. The approval was just recently given, so don't look for an opening anytime soon (likely late 2014 or early 2015). Thanks to Jessica for bringing this to our attention.

• But here's a good one for the rumor bin this week. We saw a post on a Yelp message board that someone had noticed a sign at the Arboretum Shopping Center in Cary (corner of Harrison Ave. & Westin Parkway) for World of Beer. He noted that it didn't look like it was opening any time soon and we noted that it is not listed on the World of Beer site. We'll swing by and take a peek and keep you posted.

• The Point Restaurant and Bar over in Raleigh's Five Points area, which has been closed for extensive renovations since the end of August, has reopened. Check them out here.

• Your dining options are getting ready to expand at Raleigh's Cameron Village according to the News and Observer. Signing leases at the street-front retail shops housed in the Crescent apartment complex include Faire (a steak and seafood restaurant that's part of Eschelon), Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, and coffee shop Benelux Coffee. We will keep an eye on these.  

• Big Apple Bagels, which we told you about back in April, has opened in the Falls River Towne Center according to my friend John Huisman, aka Traingle Explorer. Get by see them soon. 

• Huisman also tipped us off to the fact that Main Street Grill Pizzeria & Restaurant in Wake Forest is now open. They will have a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept 18th at 2pm. These are the same folks that own Main Street Grille Bakery & Café. Visit them here.

• We got word from our friends over at WRAL (who actually noted it in the N&O) that The Berkeley Café will close on Oct. 1 for three-months of renovations. They are expected to reopen in January. TFG Note: There is more to this story that we can't share at this point, but we will make the announcement here as soon as it is finalized. Stay tuned (trust me, you are going to LOVE it).   

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• I got an update this week that Town Hall Burger & Beer, the new burger joint going in at Westpoint at 751 (near Streets at Southpoint), is looking to have a soft opening next Thursday, with an open date of Monday, September 23. THBB is owned by David Sadeghi, who also owns Town Hall Grill in Chapel Hill and Bolt, in downtown Raleigh.

• The N&O filled us in on what is going into the former Broad Street Café space next to Watts Grocery. Todd Whitney, who was the opening chef at J. Betski's in Raleigh and more recently at Vin Rouge, is teaming up with former Vin Rouge bar manager Greg Demarchie to open Oval Park Grille at 1116 Broad St. Look for a December opening. Next door to that, they're planning to open a bar and wine shop called Tonic.

• The Herald-Sun tipped us off to something we are pretty excited to learn. Provence, a Carrboro restaurant known for its French and Mediterranean cuisine, is now open for lunch. They have served dinner only for years. Lunch will be served 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Check them out here.

• Our friends over at Carpe Durham recently happened to notice that there is a newly opened Mexican restaurant at 3438 Hillsborough Street in Durham called The Patron. We were unable to locate a website for it.

• This is pretty big news in the catering world - our friends over at The Picnic Basket have moved into their new digs on East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill in the old Applebee's/Meat House location. Congratulations to Erik and his team.

• And thanks to a tip from the folks over at Chapel Hill Magazine, a huge kudos goes out to the folks over at The Fearington House Restaurant who received - for the first time - the coveted Five-Star Award from Forbes Travel Guide. Congratulations to the Fearrington team on this huge recognition!

Closings     

• We got sad news via New Raleigh that Oakwood Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour has closed effective immediately. That is the bad news. The good news is that their location on Wilmington Street remains open at least through their lease which is set to end at the end of October. Visit 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 

• 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.

• Kim Hunter over at Kimbap (in Raleigh's Seaboard Station) wrote to tell me about an event she is hosting this Saturday (September 14th - 11 am until 4 pm). It is a "Korean Thanksgiving" festival called Chuseok that traditionally celebrates the bounty of fall harvest. Many of Hunter's local farmers will be present and they'll have a Korean cooking demo and some K-pop dance entertainment along with menu specials. Get all the details on Facebook here.

• The Carrboro Farmers' Market will host a second annual Harvest Fundraiser Dinner at Town Commons on Thursday, September 26th from 6:15 - 9 pm. The event will bring together chefs, market farmers and artisans for a locally-sourced dinner at Town Commons. The dinner will feature potluck-style dishes from the Triangles finest chefs including Andrea Reusing of Lantern, Adam Rose of Il Palio, Sean Fowler of Mandolin, Kevin Callaghan of ACME, Marshall Smith of Glasshalfull, and more. Get all the details and purchase tickets here.

• WRAL tipped us off to a pop-up dinner over in Chapel Hill that is a joint effort between food truck American Meltdown and Market Street Coffee. Botta, an Italian pop-up experience, will take place on Thursday, September 19th with sittings at 6 and 8 p.m. The cost is $50 for the three-course meal. Get your tickets and details here.

• And if you like queso (who doesn't?) then you'll want to mark your calendar for next Thursday, September 19th and visit any of the 16-Triangle area locations of Moe's Southwest Grill for Free Queso Day - a free six-ounce cup of queso goodness. No purchase necessary (although I'd encourage you to grab a burrito while you are there). Get more details and/or find a location near you here.

• 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.

• The News & Observer also reminded us that it is never too early to buy your tickets for J. Betski's annual Oktoberfest party that will be held on October 20th from 3-8 p.m. The event costs $65 per person and space is limited. To purchase tickets, go 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 here. Starting TODAY at noon and continuing through Saturday at noon, it is the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC 24-Hour Telethon. Hosted by my buddy Gregory Ng, the 24 hours of "Awesome-Sauce!" will be streaming here from the Raleigh warehouse located at 3808 Tarheel Drive. The goal is to raise $50k. The events will kick-off at lunch today with a food truck rodeo (stop by!). Get the complete schedule here.