Friday Fun Food Facts - October 25, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

• The N&O’s Andrea Weigl reported this week that Salt and Lime Cabo Grill will be going into the former Amedeo’s North location in Raleigh's North Ridge Shopping Center next to the Harris Teeter. Salt and Lime will be a baja-style bar and grill concept with a “Cabo” flair. The restaurant hopes to open its doors sometime in December. Check them out on Facebook here.

Wake County Restaurant News 

• Weigl is also reporting that just down the road at 5009 Falls of the Neuse Road, a second location of locally-owned restaurant called TerraFin Station will take the place of Falls Tap Room which closed earlier this year. The restaurant will serve American fare with locally-sourced ingredients, including steak and seafood entrées. TerraFin Station currently has a location open in Garner. And Triangle Explorer John Huisman tipped me off to the fact that they will open on Monday, November 4th. Check them out here.

• And in that same shopping center, in the ever-changing world (or so it seems) with It’s a Grind Coffee House (remember the Cary location closing, and then reopening?) the North Raleigh location is no more and is now called DéJà Brew according to WRAL. It appears as if it is a chain, although we couldn’t find a web site.

• We knew the newest location of Chuy’s was slated for next month over at North Hills in Raleigh, but Twitter follower Robert Williams sent us a tweet confirming (via John Kane) that the opening date is November 12th! I can almost taste it now! Check them out here. 

• We also got word this week that North Carolina’s newest Dave & Buster’s location will open its doors to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Dave & Buster’s will be located in Cary Towne Center. Get familiar with this newest fun and interactive dining experience by visiting them here.

• The Twisted Fork at Triangle Town Center has reopened with a reinvented menu and dining concept. The new menu, which focuses on a fun and fresh dining experience, highlights your favorite American foods in a fun way. Check it out here. 

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• This is exciting news. Durham just got their second location of Los Comales. The original location at 2103 N. Roxboro Road has been joined by the newest location near Kroger and Total Wine along 15-501 on Southwest Durham Drive. According to the Chowhound blog, they opened their doors yesterday. I’ll be sure to swing by and check it out.

• According to the Herald-Sun, the former catering manager at Honey’s (which closed in August) is opening a new restaurant called Some Kind of Wonderful that will serve comfort food that will make you think of your grandmother. The restaurant is shooting for a November opening and will be located at 826 Fayetteville Street in the Phoenix Crossing Shopping Center.

• Baguettaboutit, the food truck that sells a variety of sausage-stuffed baked French baguettes, is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Nov. 4. But just prior to the opening, they will hold a grand opening celebration on Nov. 1 from 5-8 that features, you guessed it, a food truck rodeo including Baguettaboutit, Sweet Traditions, Captain Poncho and American Meltdown. Baguettaboutit Cafe will be at 2945 S. Miami Blvd., behind Sheetz and Waffle House in the former Worth It Café location. Get more details here. 

• And if you know of a great location for a really cool café (Café LOVE to be exact) from the folks over at Triangle Raw Foods, please reach out to them. Apparently their original plans fell through and they are looking for a new location. Check out Triangle Raw Foods here.

Closings 

• Downtown Raleigh’s Pop Up Ice Cream Parlour confirmed this week on their Facebook page that November 3rd will be their last day of operations. No word yet on whether they will “pop up” somewhere else. We’ll keep an eye on it.

• We got word first through Chapel Hill Magazine, that Carr Mill Mall’s Panzanella restaurant would not renew its lease and will close their doors at the end of December. Panzanella is operated by Weaver Street Market. Sad to see them go after 14 years, but you still have a couple of months to get by. Do it! Check them out here. 

• And over in Cary, the Cary Citizen reported this week that the Corner Tavern has closed their doors.

Food Trucks 

• The folks over at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market are having a Haloween Pumpkin Party from 3:30 ‘til 6:30 and a Food Truck Rodeo from 7 ‘til 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30th. Food trucks included will be American Meltdown, Baguettaboutit, Foster’s on the Fly, Steel String Brewery and more. Get all the details here. 

• Here is a good "cause" to get behind. The good folks behind KoKyu have launched a Kickstarter Campaign for a brick and mortar location! Sign up here through Halloween to be on their mailing list for their campaign.  

Events 

• The annual Red & White Food and Beverage Festival is coming up on Tuesday, October 29th from 6-9 pm at The State Club in Raleigh. The event features NC State alumni who are chefs or are otherwise involved with restaurants, farms, breweries, alcoholic beverage companies and/or wineries. Ticket proceeds support Wine to Water. And as a perk, all Triangle Food Guy friends will get $5 off admission by entering “trifoodguy” at checkout. See, it pays to ready my stuff! Get all the details here. 

• Halloween and all of its fun is not just for the children - and that is what the folks at The Daily Planet Café want to make sure of. They will be hosting a Halloween-themed dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 30. All food served during the event will play off Halloween and will be monster-themed cuisine and cocktails. The cost is $50 excluding tax and gratuity and tickets can be purchased here. 

• If there is one way to bring Duke and Carolina together this time of year, it is beer. And the Washington Duke Inn is doing just that with a fun beer dinner planned with Carolina Brewery on November 6th. Executive Chef Jason Cunningham and Chef de Cuisine Murray Healy will present a four-course prix-fixe menu paired with limited-edition Carolina Brewery beers. Carolina Brewery will also unveil a brand new beer at this dinner. Get all the details and ticket information here. 

• Competition Dining's "Final Fire" is coming back to Raleigh November 20-23rd for the big showdown. The final event will feature the winners from earlier competitions in Asheville, Wilmington, Greensboro, Charlotte and of course, Raleigh. Tickets go on sale Oct. 30 but you can check out the brackets now.

• On Sunday, November 17th (from 1-4 pm) the good folks over at Sola Coffee Café in North Raleigh are throwing a “Thank You Raleigh Party” where they will be giving a free drink of choice to all their customers. Proceeds for those who choose to donate will go to Friends of Wake County Guardian ad Litem, a program for abused and neglected children in Wake County. Check out Sola 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.  

Friday Fun Food Facts - October 18, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  It is going to happen. Seriously. I'm not kidding. The long awaited promise (6 years now) that another location of the Carolina Ale House was coming to Glenwood South is really going to happen. This past Thursday, demolition crews began the process of making way for the roof-top version at 500 Glenwood Avenue. The press release schedule shows a fall 2014 opening. Get more details here.

Wake County Restaurant News 

•  If you like coffee, you're going to enjoy these next two nuggets. New Raleigh is reporting this week that downtown Raleigh's Seaboard Station is getting a new coffee shop called Brew. Not much happening yet on their website, but their Facebook page suggests a Spring, 2014 opening. Follow them here.   

• And if that is not enough coffee for downtown Raleigh, New Raleigh also reported this week that another coffee shop called Bitter Sweet is opening on the ground floor of the PNC building on Martin Street directly across from the Mecca. Apparently it has ties to Helios and Foundation. We'll keep an eye on it.  

• The Quality Grocery, an old-time cafe, restaurant and grocery store in Historic Oakwood, near downtown Raleigh is now open. Owners Jay Wellons and Jason Howard, who are behind the Rockford restaurant on Glenwood Avenue, have created a neighborhood country store in the building that has served as an on-again, off-again market since 1909. Quality Grocery is at 701 E. Lane St. Check them out here. 

• The Twisted Fork at Triangle Town Center will reopen next Wednesday (October 23rd) with a reinvented menu and dining concept. The new menu, which focuses on a fun and fresh dining experience, will highlight your favorite American foods in a fun way. Get all the details here. 

• Not sure how I missed this, but the N&O reported a couple of weeks ago that
  the owners of El Cuscatleco in Durham have opened a second location in Cary. The new location is at 1383 SE Maynard Rd. and the menu is essentially the same as at the original location. Get more details here. 

• Over in Cary, just down from the Trader Joe's in the Shoppes of Kildaire, the N&O is reporting that Patrick Jane's Gourmet Pizza Bar has fired up the ovens and opened its doors. The restaurant's unusual name is taken from the middle names of its husband-and-wife owners, Kevin and Ngiare Hubbard. Check them out here.

• Also in Cary, we got a little bit more information from the Triangle Business Journal on something we told you about a few weeks ago. The second Triangle location of World of Beer has set an opening date for Dec. 16. It is located at the Arboretum at Weston shopping center in Cary at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Weston Parkway. Like its North Hills counterpart, it will feature over 500 bottled beers and 50 on tap. They won't serve food, but you can order in food from surrounding restaurants. Check out World of Beer here. 

• Apparently there is a lot of beer that is consumed in the Five Points area in Raleigh (I have a theory, but I won't share it here). We got word from our friends over at New Raleigh that Union Square Brewery had signed a lease on a space last week at 506 Pershing Road. No word yet on an open date. But follow them on Facebook here.  

• And one more caffeine nugget for you coffee lovers out there. Over in Garner, the N&O reported that Lorraine Jordan will be opening a coffee shop and live music venue in mid-December called Lorraine's Coffee House and Music. Lorraine's will be at the corner of Vandora Springs Road and Timber Drive, in the former Tom Jones Compounding Pharmacy building.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Il Palio chef Adam Rose is moving just across the county line into Durham to open a series of venues in the former Straw Valley Café complex at the intersection of 15-501 and Interstate 40. Rose is teaming up with certified Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer to open three dining and drinking venues. The first, slated for mid-November, will be Straw Valley Café and Juicebar. That will be followed by two dining establishments. Sanderson House, a casual restaurant and lounge offering small plates and cocktails, will open in December. And then they will open Black House, a fine dining restaurant just next to that. Will follow this as it unfolds. Can't wait! 

• We told you about it last week, and now both the N&O and the Herald Sun have confirmed that Baguettaboutit, the food truck that sells a variety of sausage-stuffed baked French baguettes, is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Nov. 4. But just prior to the opening, they will hold a grand opening celebration on Nov. 1 from 5-8 that features, you guessed it, a food truck rodeo including Baguettaboutit, Sweet Traditions, Captain Poncho and American Meltdown. Baguettaboutit Cafe will be at 2945 S. Miami Blvd., behind Sheetz and Waffle House in the former Worth It Café location. Get more details here. 

Closings 

• Not really a closing, but a "not going to happen right now." We got word this week that chef Chad McIntyre has cancelled the long-delayed opening of his bigger-and-better The Market Restaurant. The good news is Chad is getting to enjoy another business venture and a little more time with his young family. We wish the best to Chad...and maybe we'll see The Market a little bit further down the road!

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. 

• Here is a good "cause" to get behind. The good folks behind KoKyu have launched a Kickstarter Campaign for a brick and mortar location! Sign up here through Halloween to be on their mailing list for their campaign.  

Events 

• Shiki Sushi celebrates 10 years of business in Durham this Saturday (Oct. 19th) with a Shiki Sushi 10-year anniversary with live music, free food, entertainment and activities for children from noon until 4 p.m. Shiki Sushi is in the Homestead Market Shopping Center on N.C. 54 in Durham. Get all the details here.

• This weekend is the annual Oktoberfest party at J. Betski's in Raleigh's Seaboard Station. The party is this Sunday (Oct 20th) from 3 - 8 pm and includes food, beer, great local bands, and your very own J. Betski's beer glass to take home as a memento of the special day. Reservations are necessary and the $65 per person price includes tax and gratuity. Get more information and purchase tickets here. 

• Over in Carrboro, Provence will be hosting TABLE's first annual Empty Bowls fundraiser this Sunday (October 20th) from 4 to 7 p.m. In exchange for a $30 donation, guests will receive a locally crafted pottery bowl and a soup dinner with bread and dessert, as well as live entertainment. Get all the details here. 

• On Tuesday, October 22 at 6:30, the good folks over in Pittsboro at the Pittsboro Roadhouse will have a Mead Dinner with the goodness from Starrlight Mead right in Pittsboro. The cost is $45 plus gratuity. Reservations are required. Get all the details here.

• On Wednesday, October 23, Watts Grocery is teaming up with Four Leaf Farm & Bluebird Meadow to host the Farm to Fork Wine Dinner. Guests will enjoy a five-course meal paired with wines by Drew of the Hope Valley Bottle Shop. Cocktails begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by dinner. Tickets are $55 (tax and gratuity not included) and can be purchased by calling Watts Grocery at 919-416-5040.

• The Garner Rotary Club will host the ninth annual Garner Rotary Club Oyster Fest on Oct. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Fidelity Business Park. For $25, patrons will enjoy an all-you-can-eat affair catered by 42nd Street Oyster Bar of Raleigh. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or in advance from a member of the Garner Rotary Club or at the Garner Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit here.

• Vinnie's Steak House and Tavern has partnered with Hal Parson and Danielle Centeno of Escazu Artisan Chocolates for their next Meet the Maker Dinner on October 24th. This unique event will feature their first-ever guest chef, Danielle Centeno, who will be preparing one of the five courses for this evening. The cost is $50 per person, $65 per person with wine pairings and it begins at 6:30 pm. Get more details here. 

• The annual Red & White Food and Beverage Festival is coming up on Tuesday, October 29th from 6-9 pm at The State Club in Raleigh. The event features NC State alumni who are chefs or are otherwise involved with restaurants, farms, breweries, alcoholic beverage companies and/or wineries. Ticket proceeds support Wine to Water. And as a perk, all Triangle Food Guy friends will get $5 off admission by entering "trifoodguy" at checkout. See, it pays to ready my stuff! Get all the details here.

• Halloween and all of its fun is not just for the children - and that is what the folks at The Daily Planet Café want to make sure of. They will be hosting a Halloween-themed dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 30. All food served during the event will play off Halloween and will be monster-themed cuisine and cocktails. The cost is $50 excluding tax and gratuity and tickets can be purchased 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   

• In its third year, the Creative Food Drive will be on Saturday, October 19, from 3-7 pm on the North Quad at American Tobacco Campus. C.F.D. is a food drive competition/community festival where local businesses and organizations raise non-perishable food items and design and build a sculpture in a competition of epic proportions. All of the food is donated to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Durham nonprofit Housing for New Hope. Also, during and after the build, there's a whole community festival going on, with live music, food trucks, beer from local breweries and a kids zone with pumpkin painting and a bouncy castle. It's a pretty sweet way to spend a Saturday afternoon, so bring your folding chairs and enjoy the festivities. Get all the details here. 

Friday Fun Food Facts - October 11, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

•  The News & Observer shed a little more light on the soon-to-open Quality Grocery, an old-time cafe, restaurant and grocery store in Historic Oakwood, near downtown Raleigh. Owners Jay Wellons and Jason Howard, who are behind the Rockford restaurant on Glenwood Avenue, have created a neighborhood country store in the building that has served as an on-again, off-again market since 1909. Quality Grocery is at 701 E. Lane St. Not much on their Facebook page, but if you want to keep up with them you might want to “Like” them here. 

Wake County Restaurant News 

• After 10 years, Dean Ogan is changing the concept of Twisted Fork with a reinvented menu and dining concept. The new menu, which focuses on a fun and fresh dining experience, will highlight your favorite American foods in a fun way. They are set to close the doors on Sunday, Oct. 13 and will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 23. And don’t worry, chef Richard Smith will still be there whipping up his amazing desserts! Get all the details here.  

• And the Quay (aka Fuquay Varina) is days away (they are shooting for October 18th) from the opening of Hosanna Brewery and Brew Pub located on North Main Street. Check them out on Facebook here and their main site here.  

• The Hibernian Pub over in Cary is celebrating 10 years with an event this Saturday, October 12 from 12-5 with authentic Irish cuisine, various beers on tap, live music and lots of giveaways. Stop by and get all the details here.

• The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that a new TCBY opened at the Shoppes of Kildaire shopping center in Cary, marking the first TCBY location in Wake County. The shop will hold a grand opening from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. this Saturday at 1369 Kildaire Farm Road. Get more information on them here.  

• The News & Observer reported this morning that Cilantro Indian Café is coming into Cary’s MacGregor Village. It will be an Indian take-out restaurant and convenience store.

• And one more bit of Cary news, several media outlets reported this week that Taco Mac Sports Grill is coming to Waverly Place. Get a sneak peek at them here. 

• This is not Wake County, but Smithfield is about to get a new brewery - Double Barley Brewery. They are holding their grand opening on October 12th with plenty of beer, giveaways, food and music. The VIP Hour ($50) is from 3-4 p.m. (only 50 tickets) with everyone else joining the fun at 4. Get more details here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• Thanks to the observant eyes of our friends over at eatRaleigh, they scooped the news that food truck Baguettaboutit is planning a brick and mortar location in RTP in the former Worth It Café location near the intersection of T.W. Alexander and Miami Blvd. No word yet on an open date, so we’ll keep an eye on it. Check them out here.

• The students over at UNC-CH will have a little extra help with studying in about a month when Franklin Street welcomes it’s newest tenant in Insomnia Cookies, according to The Daily Tar Heel. And as the name suggests, they will be serving up warm cookies and milk, ice cream, brownies and cookie cakes, among other things. Sounds delicious! Check them out here.  

Closings 

• We got word this week from a reader that Vinny’s Italian Grill and Pizzeria over in Chapel Hill’s Eastgate Shopping Center has closed (I told you they should have never kicked out Sal's!).

• The Herald Sun is reporting that after seven years in business on North Roxboro Road, the Eno River Eatery will close Sunday. What is even more disappointing than that is the fact that construction of a new crappy fast food chain will take it’s place. There are hints that they might re-open in a new location, so we’ll keep an eye on it.

Food Trucks 

• Who would have thought you'd have food trucks at a major golfing event. But that is exactly what we have (and open to the public) at the SAS Championship on Friday Oct. 11 at Prestonwood Country Club. Food trucks in attendance will include: American Meltdown, Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba, Sweet Traditions and Chick-N-Que. The trucks will start serving food at 4 p.m. Parking for the SAS Championship and Food Truck Friday is free of charge and located at Bond Park. Complimentary shuttle busses will bring spectators and families to and from the parking area. Get information on parking here. 

• This is kind of cool - but what else would you expect from the folks over at Rebus Works in downtown Raleigh. This Saturday, October 12, they are doing a pairing dinner of sorts where they will be “pairing” six different food trucks with 6 different New Belgium beers. The event takes place from noon until 4 p.m. Rebus Works is located at 301 Kinsey Street in Raleigh. Get more details here.  

• Sunday, October 13th will be the 4th and final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2013. This one will move back to daytime hours (12-5) and will feature over 50 trucks along 10 city blocks of Fayetteville Street. 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. 

• Here is a good "cause" to get behind. The good folks behind KoKyu have launched a Kickstarter Campaign for a brick and mortar location! Sign up here through Halloween to be on their mailing list for their campaign.  

Events 

• And this is the weekend for the annual TerraVITA food and wine event which runs through Saturday. The highlight of the three-day event is the Grand Tasting on the Green held at the Green in Southern Village in Chapel Hill. Sample delicious food alongside more than 100 sustainably produced beverages from around the globe. Tickets are $65 with alcoholic beverages and $50 without. Get all the details here.

• According to WRAL, North Hills will be the site of the Midtown Barbecue, Bluegrass and Brew this Saturday. There will be a barbecue sauce contest, a pie eating contest and local craft beer samples. Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 at the door. Children 10 and under get in for $5. VIP tickets are $30 and get you access to a special VIP tent with free wine, snacks and reserved seating. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit Diabetes Management Solutions. Buy tickets and get more information here.

• On Wednesday, October 23, Watts Grocery is teaming up with Four Leaf Farm & Bluebird Meadow to host the Farm to Fork Wine Dinner. Guests will enjoy a five-course meal paired with wines by Drew of the Hope Valley Bottle Shop. Cocktails begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by dinner. Tickets are $55 (tax and gratuity not included) and can be purchased by calling Watts Grocery at 919-416-5040.

• The Garner Rotary Club will host the ninth annual Garner Rotary Club Oyster Fest on Oct. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Fidelity Business Park. For $25, patrons will enjoy an all-you-can-eat affair catered by 42nd Street Oyster Bar of Raleigh. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or in advance from a member of the Garner Rotary Club or at the Garner Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit here.

• Vinnie’s Steak House and Tavern has partnered with Hal Parson and Danielle Centeno of Escazu Artisan Chocolates for their next Meet the Maker Dinner on October 24th. This unique event will feature their first-ever guest chef, Danielle Centeno, who will be preparing one of the five courses for this evening. The cost is $50 per person, $65 per person with wine pairings and it begins at 6:30 pm. Get more details here.

• The annual Red & White Food and Beverage Festival is coming up on Tuesday, October 29th from 6-9 pm at The State Club in Raleigh. The event features NC State alumni who are chefs or are otherwise involved with restaurants, farms, breweries, alcoholic beverage companies and/or wineries. Ticket proceeds support Wine to Water. And as a perk, all Triangle Food Guy friends will get $5 off admission by entering “trifoodguy” at checkout. See, it pays to ready my stuff! 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   

• In its third year, the Creative Food Drive will be on Saturday, October 19, from 3-7 pm on the North Quad at American Tobacco Campus. C.F.D. is a food drive competition/community festival where local businesses and organizations raise non-perishable food items and design and build a sculpture in a competition of epic proportions. All of the food is donated to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Durham nonprofit Housing for New Hope. Also, during and after the build, there's a whole community festival going on, with live music, food trucks, beer from local breweries and a kids zone with pumpkin painting and a bouncy castle. It's a pretty sweet way to spend a Saturday afternoon, so bring your folding chairs and enjoy the festivities. Get all the details here. 

Friday Fun Food Facts - October 4, 2013

Triangle Restaurant News

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

Featured Restaurant News

• This coming week marks one of the biggest food events of the year and there are still tickets to a few of the 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 all the details here.

Wake County Restaurant News 

•  Downtown Raleigh is so lucky. Paddy O’Beers, a craft beer shop and tasting bar, is opening at 121 Fayetteville Street (next to Eye Care Center) at the end of November. Think craft beers (a lot local), bottled beers from all over the globe and a large patio area (or is it paddy-o?). Check them out on Facebook here.

• And speaking of downtown, there is a new cupcake shop in City Market called Cupcake Stopshop located at 300 Blake Street in the Blake Street Studios. Thanks to New Raleigh for the tip on this. Check them out here.

• We got word this week that Jose and Son's (formerly Jibarra) will hold their grand opening next Wednesday October 9th. Stop by from 5-7 p.m. to enjoy some free samples from their menu at the bar area and listen to some great music from the Al Strong Quartet. Get all the details here.

• Over in Morrisville, the Triangle Business Journal has reported that Firebirds Wood Fired Grill has opened at the Park West Village shopping center. This marks the third Triangle area location for the franchise (North Hills and Streets at Southpoint). Get more information on them here.

• And over in Cary, Ray Dorry and his team over at Dorry’s Downtown have extended their menu and hours by adding pizza and new night time hours. Get all the details here.

• This is not Wake County, but Smithfield is about to get a new brewery - Double Barley Brewery. They are holding their grand opening on October 12th with plenty of beer, giveaways, food and music. The VIP Hour ($50) is from 3-4 p.m. (only 50 tickets) with everyone else joining the fun at 4. Get more details here. 

Durham, Orange & Chatham County Restaurant News 

• One is sometimes better when it is two...right? Well, it is definitely the case with One Restaurant over in Chapel Hill that is home to new executive chefs in the form of the couple Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan. Daniel came on board back in June and Kim in July. Be sure to check their new menu offerings and other changes here. 

• The Herald Sun is reporting that Gigi’s Cupcakes has opened at the new 140 West mixed-use development on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Gigi’s is a Nashville, Tenn.,-based cupcake chain. We are still waiting on the opening of Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom and Spicy Nine. Check out Gigi's here.

• We also learned from the Herald Sun that a contemporary Mexican food restaurant called Plaza Azteca will be opening in University Mall in Chapel Hill in early 2014. We will keep an eye on it. 

• The Daily Tar Heel is reporting this week that the Toppers Pizza that is moving into the old Gumby’s' location at 306 W. Franklin St. will open the second week of December. The franchise will try and fill the “Pokey Stix” void left with the closing of Gumby’s with their version called “Topperstix.” Check them out here. 

• The News & Observer reported this week that the next burger joint to hit the Triangle will open in early November. Zinburger, located in the Streets at Southpoint in Durham, will open in early November. Their “twist” on your burger experience is that they are a “burger and wine” concept. Get a sneak peak at them here. 

• Our friends over at Bean Trader’s in Durham put up an intriguing post on Twitter this week that suggested new digs for them in the same shopping center. I’ll have to swing by (soon!) to drink some bean and get the full details, but it looks like they keep getting better and better. Check them out here.

• And if you live in Durham and are a sushi lover, another new option is now on the table for you. The Herald Sun noted that the Koumi Japanese Restaurant at 3550 N. Roxboro Street in Durham has added a sushi bar. Get more information here. 

• And this is kind of interesting. Durham is now home (“virtually”) to a new farmers market of sort. GoMarket is a new food hub that helps farmers connect with eaters. For the user, you get to create a “customized CSA box” of sorts. Check it all out here.  

Closings 

• The News & Observer reported this morning that Klara’s, which closed its original Cary location in February, will close its Raleigh location on Hillsborough Street today after only having been there for one year.

• We learned this week that Locopops is closing their Raleigh and Chapel Hill locations as of October 27. The original location on Hillsborough Road in Durham will remain open. They will focus their business more on the mobile end of their business (think events) and they are still being sold at over 20 locations throughout the Triangle. I’m just happy I can still get my Locopops! Keep up with all the changes here. 

Food Trucks 

• Our good friends over at the United Way of the Greater Triangle hold a food truck rodeo every second Wednesday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Perimeter Park in Morrisville (2000 Perimeter Park to be exact). The rodeo is open to the public, and usually has 4-5 food trucks and one dessert truck. Trucks are booked on a quarterly rotation, so there’s always variety from month to month. The next rodeos are scheduled for October 9 and November 13. Check it out here.

• Who would have thought you’d have food trucks at a major golfing event. But that is exactly what we have (and open to the public) at the SAS Championship on Friday Oct. 11 at Prestonwood Country Club. Food trucks in attendance will include: American Meltdown, Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba, Sweet Traditions and Chick-N-Que. The trucks will start serving food at 4 p.m. Parking for the SAS Championship and Food Truck Friday is free of charge and located at Bond Park. Complimentary shuttle busses will bring spectators and families to and from the parking area. Get information on parking here. 

• Sunday, October 13th will be the 4th and final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2013. This one will move back to daytime hours (12-5) and will feature over 50 trucks along 10 city blocks of Fayetteville Street. 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. 

• Here is a good “cause” to get behind. The good folks behind KoKyu have launched a Kickstarter Campaign for a brick and mortar location! Sign up here through Halloween to be on their mailing list for their campaign.  

Events 

• The World Beer Festival returns to Durham tomorrow (Oct. 5) in a new location: the old Durham Athletic Park. Get all the details here.

• This event will be a little more than five loaves and two fish - it is the annual St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Lobster Fest taking place Saturday, October 5th. You can order ahead, pick-up or dine there, but it is best to order ahead. The church is located at 221 Union St. in Cary. Get all the details here.

• Chatham County will again be home to the 6th Annual Amazing Abundance Pepper Fest on Sunday, October 6th from 3-7 p.m. in the Briar Chapel development. The event will feature an endless supply of pepper-themed dishes from some of the Piedmont’s best chefs, brewers and food artisans as well as live music, kids’ activities and interactive displays. Advance tickets are $30. Get all the details here.

• The Neomonde Café & Market location in North Raleigh will have a Day of Giving on Monday, Oct. 7 to help support the 25th annual Walk for Hope. 10% of sales on that day will be donated to the Foundation of Hope.  Also,  Neomonde Café & Market (Strickland Road) will donate $1 for each new Facebook page like received by midnight on Oct. 7. Check out their Facebook page 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   

• In its third year, the Creative Food Drive will be on Saturday, October 19, from 3-7 pm on the North Quad at American Tobacco Campus. C.F.D. is a food drive competition/community festival where local businesses and organizations raise non-perishable food items and design and build a sculpture in a competition of epic proportions. All of the food is donated to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Durham nonprofit Housing for New Hope. Also, during and after the build, there's a whole community festival going on, with live music, food trucks, beer from local breweries and a kids zone with pumpkin painting and a bouncy castle. It's a pretty sweet way to spend a Saturday afternoon, so bring your folding chairs and enjoy the festivities. Get all the details here.