Friday, July 20, 2018
Friday Night Bites: TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, Hummingbird's Heirloom Tomato Dinner, Taste of Soul NC, and More
Posted By Lena Geller on Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 4:06 PM
Welcome to Friday Night Bites, your weekly roundup of local food and drink news and events. Have a tip for us? Email food@indyweek.com. NEWS Sean Umstead Advances to Bedlam Vodka Cocktail Competition Quarterfinals Sean Umstead—owner of craft cocktail bar Kingfisher, which is set to open this fall in downtown Durham—is a quarterfinalist in BAR FIGHT!, Bedlam Vodka's first ever cocktail competition. Umstead plans to use North Carolina-sourced produce as the core of Kingfisher's trademark cocktails, and he's applying the same practice to the BAR FIGHT! competition; his latest creation, "Under The Big Top," combines Bedlam Vodka with a simple...
Friday, July 13, 2018
Friday Night Bites: Al's Burger Shack Voted Best Burger in America, PickleFest 2018, the Whiskey Kitchen Supper Club, and More
Posted By Lena Geller on Fri, Jul 13, 2018 at 2:32 PM
Welcome to Friday Night Bites, your weekly roundup of local food and drink news and events. Have a tip for us? Email food@indyweek.com. NEWS Morgan Street Food Hall to Open This August A sprawling European-style food hall—basically, an upscale food court—is finally making its way to the Triangle. With more than twenty different restaurant and retail vendors, a full bar, and abundant indoor and outdoor seating, Morgan Street Food Hall will open in Raleigh in August. There will be fried seafood at Oak City Fish & Chips (calamari, scallops, mussels, shrimp, and more), indulgent stuffed strawberries at Fancy Berries...
Friday, July 6, 2018
Friday Night Bites: Kaiju Bowl & Bao is Open, Hardywood Beers on Tap, and Other Food News You Need to Know this Week
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Fri, Jul 6, 2018 at 4:32 PM
Welcome to Friday Night Bites, your weekly roundup of local food and drink news and events. Have a tip for us? Email food@indyweek.com. NEWS Kaiju Bowl & Bao is Officially Open Today, the downtown Raleigh restaurant Kaiju Bowl & Bao completed its first lunch service. For now, the restaurant will only serve its menu of shareable bowls, bao, and hot or cold bowls at lunch (from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). The bao, Chinese-style steamed buns, are listed under a mix-and-match menu (two for $9) and include classic options like pork belly and fried chicken and the vegetarian-friendly sesame-glazed...
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
At Cocoa Cinnamon, Breaking Bread & Borders Pop-Up Brings New Meaning to Independence Day
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Wed, Jul 4, 2018 at 9:31 AM
Inspired by the injustices happening at our borders, local cook and writer Gabrielle Eitienne has teamed up with Black Joy PopUp and Alerta Migratoria NC for Breaking Bread & Borders, a pop-up dinner with a mission to cultivate a safe, healing space to share stories and find solutions. The event will be held from six to eight this evening at Cocoa Cinnamon's Chapel Hill Street location. All proceeds will benefit Alerta Migratoria NC, which helps reconnect displaced migrant families. Eitienne was inspired to create the pop-up after seeing an Instagram post by her friend, Victoria Bouloubasis, a local journalist,...
Friday, June 29, 2018
Friday Night Bites: Scott Crawford’s Jolie, Christopher Prieto on the Food Network, and Other Food News You Need to Know This Week
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Fri, Jun 29, 2018 at 2:44 PM
Welcome to Friday Night Bites, your weekly roundup of local food and drink news and events. Have a tip for us? Email food@indyweek.com. NEWS Chef Scott Crawford Announces Second RestaurantChef Scott Crawford announced plans to open his second restaurant, Jolie, a French bistro named after his daughter. The restaurant is slated to open this fall and will be located next door to his first restaurant, Crawford and Son, in Raleigh. Chef Teddy Diggs Announces His First Solo Restaurant Teddy Diggs, who served as the executive chef at Il Palio for five years, is striking out on his own with a...
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Chef Teddy Diggs Will Open His First Solo Restaurant, Coronato, a Roman-Style Pizzeria
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Thu, Jun 28, 2018 at 3:04 PM
Chef Teddy Diggs, most recently the executive chef at Chapel Hill Italian restaurant Il Palio, announced plans to open his first restaurant, Coronato, in early 2019, most likely in Chapel Hill. The news comes on the heels of the announcement that chef Adam Rose will return to Il Palio as its executive chef. Coronato will be a Roman-style pizzeria serving pies that are characterized by their cracker-thin crust, alongside trattoria- and street-food-inspired snacks and antipasti. "There’s a lot of different pizzas in the world, and in Italy," Diggs says. "I've been to Rome a few times and I keep going...
From the State Farmers Market, Lion's Mane Mushrooms and Patty Pan Squash Make for Satisfying Summer Dishes
Posted By Debbie Matthews on Thu, Jun 28, 2018 at 9:53 AM
In my ongoing attempt to both buy fresh, local produce and avoid the crack of dawn, I’m visiting a second farmers market that operates in the afternoon. Last time it was the Durham Farmers Market, where I discovered Hakurei turnips; this time, I checked out the Raleigh State Farmers Market. First up, Carolina Mushroom Farm sold me two types of shrooms, King Oyster and Lion’s Mane, the latter of which looks like a cluster of white pom-poms. Most mushrooms are full of vitamin D, but Lion’s Manes are purported to elevate mood and improve cognitive health. On the flavor front,...
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Chef Scott Crawford to Open a Second Restaurant, a French Bistro Named After His Daughter, Jolie
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Wed, Jun 27, 2018 at 2:03 PM
Chef Scott Crawford announced today that he will open his second restaurant, Jolie, this fall, next door to his first restaurant, Crawford and Son. The concept for Jolie, which is named after Crawford's daughter and means "pretty" in French, will be modeled on the classic Parisian bistro. To help bring the cozy-French-neighborhood-restaurant concept to life, Crawford and his family traveled to Paris, where they gleaned inspiration for the decor, menu, and ambiance. “It’s always been part of our plan to bring this iconic restaurant experience to Raleigh," Crawford said in a press release. "We’re excited because we believe this classic French...
Make This: Debbie Moose's Greek Baked Sea Trout
Posted By Debbie Moose on Wed, Jun 27, 2018 at 7:44 AM
This recipe is a favorite at my house and is a great way to serve any flaky, medium-thick fish fillets. Cover the fillets completely with the sauce to keep them moist. You can find good cherry or grape tomatoes year-round, making them a nice choice for the sauce. Of course, the sauce will taste best with summer tomatoes. Alternatives: sheepshead, grunt, flounder, snapper Makes 6 servings 2 cups cherry tomatoes ½ cup chopped white or yellow onion 2 medium cloves garlic, chopped ⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for the baking pan 1 tablespoon dried oregano or marjoram ¼ teaspoon...
Friday, June 22, 2018
Friday Night Bites
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 5:47 PM
Welcome to Friday Night Bites, your weekly round-up of local food and drink news and events. Have a tip for us? Email food@indyweek.com. NEWS Il Palio Welcomes Back Executive Chef Adam Rose Adam Rose, who served as Il Palio's executive chef from 2007 to 2013, will once again lead dining operations at the Chapel Hill Italian restaurant beginning July 1. Current executive chef Teddy Diggs plans to open his own restaurant focusing on Roman pizza and fried snacks. Kaiju Bowl & Bao Will Open July 6 Kaiju Bowl & Bao announced on Instagram that they will open for lunch on...
Thursday, June 21, 2018
The Lakewood Cocoa Cinnamon Hosts So Good Pupusas and Author Deborah Augustin to Raise Scholarship Funds
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 8:44 AM
First Name Unknown: A Benefit Reading Thursday, Jun. 21, 7 p.m. Cocoa Cinnamon (Lakewood), Durham Now more than ever, we need to think about how we treat immigrants in this country. I think that starts by listening. We only fear what we don’t understand, and for me, the best way to understand anything is to listen to someone else’s story. At seven o'clock tonight, the Lakewood Cocoa Cinnamon will host Deborah Augustin, a Malaysian-born author who will read an excerpt from her lyrical essay, "First Name Unknown," which explores themes of immigration, identity, and labels. She will also sell...
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Amuse-Bouche: Viva Chicken Lands in Raleigh with Its Signature Pollo a la Brasa
Posted By Sharon Kurtzman on Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 2:42 PM
Viva Chicken 4361 Lassiter at North Hills Avenue, Raleigh 984-222-7104 Chicken is typically regarded as a ho-hum weeknight dinner staple, but Viva Chicken’s Pollo a la Brasa, a Peruvian dish of herb-rubbed rotisserie chicken, makes the case for elevating it to a crave-worthy lunch or dinner entree any day of the week. Founded by restaurateurs Randy Garcia and Bruno Macchiavello, Viva Chicken first opened in Charlotte in 2013. The business has grown to eight locations, including six in Charlotte, one in Utah, and now, one in Raleigh, which opened in North Hills on June 13. In addition to its...
Make This: Ashley Christensen's Homegrown Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Cheddar and Horseradish
Posted By Ashley Christensen on Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 9:18 AM
I call this Homegrown Tomato Pie, not as a sourcing requirement, but because the tomato pie is most present in the season where friends are pulling tomatoes daily from their own backyards. I imagine it came to be because when a fruit is plentiful, people always find a way to bake it into a pie. Basil is a natural complement for this dish (and I’ve included it as an option), but the thyme is delicious, and bit unexpected. In the months where delicious tomatoes aren’t flooding every backyard, our roasted Roma tomatoes sub in nicely, and equip you to...
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Where to Watch the World Cup and a Day-Drinking Primer
Posted By Michael Venutolo-Mantovani on Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 1:48 PM
Day drinking is one of life’s great joys. To drink in the morning is to surrender your time to leisure. To drink before noon is to enjoy a day of complete apathy; once your feet begin to feel a bit lighter in their shoes, the rest of the afternoon and a considerable part of the evening has already been spoken for. Which is why, even though team U.S.A won’t see any World Cup action until at least 2022, it’s exciting that the World Cup is not only upon us but is going down in a place so far removed...
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
This Summer’s Tour de Pork Celebrates the Whole Hog—and Ethical, Sustainable Sourcing
Posted By Melody Miller on Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 5:12 PM
Bull City Burger’s “bull nuts”—peanuts tossed in a sweet and salty glaze and studded with chewy bacon morsels, made with bacon from whole-animal distributor Firsthand Foods—are perhaps the perfect snack to munch on while learning about Firsthand Foods’ Tour de Pork, a summer food event taking place throughout Durham from June 4–July 29. Tour de Pork aims to celebrate pasture-raised pork by taking diners on a tour of pork-centric dishes at twenty participating Durham restaurants. By dining and sharing photos of featured dishes, diners earn points to cash in for prizes along the way and earn entries for a grand...
Friday, June 8, 2018
Summer of Frosé: Acme's Rosé Soirée is Back for Round Two
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Fri, Jun 8, 2018 at 7:45 AM
Acme Food & Beverage Co. 110 East Main Street, Carrboro 919-929-2263 First, rosé earned its place in mainstream drinking with monikers like "summer water." Then came #roséallday and #yeswayrosé. Then came brosé, for dudes who embrace drinking pink, so naturally it was only a matter of time before frosé—frozen rosé—became a thing, too. At Carrboro’s Acme Food & Beverage Co., frosé debuted as rosé snow cones at its first Rosé Soirée in April. Frosé will make its return as rosé and blueberry popsicles, along with rosé sangria and a bevy of blush-hued beauties, on June 28, the second soirée...
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
The Triangle’s First Food Hall Will Open This Weekend
Posted By Melody Miller on Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 4:01 PM
Blue Dogwood Public Market 306 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill 919-717-0404 Chapel Hill’s Blue Dogwood Public Market, the first of four food halls slated to open this year—along with Durham Food Hall and Transfer Co. Food Hall and Morgan Street Food Hall in Raleigh—will hold its soft opening this weekend. Food halls are new to the Triangle, but they’re definitely not a new concept. They’re popular in European and many large American cities, house a wide variety of artisan food vendors spanning multiple cuisines under one roof, and attract locals and tourists looking for a quick bite. With our...
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Sip for a Cause: The Triangle's Negroni Week Helps Fund a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 12:17 PM
Surely you've encountered the Negroni by now. It's that moody, amber-hued beverage that turns heads, begging bar-goers to lean forward and ask, "What did they order?" It's the drink that's quietly taken over your Instagram feed in favor of frou frou cocktails, prompting you to Google the name. There's no better time to sate your curiosity—and your thirst—than now. The classic Italian aperitif, made with Campari—an Italian herbal liqueur—gin, and sweet vermouth, has a slightly bitter, citrus-tinged flavor profile that makes it perfect for summer sipping. The equal-parts cocktail also lends itself to endless interpretations, which are celebrated during...
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Where to Savor Our Favorites from the Got to Be NC Festival Year-Round
Posted By Debbie Matthews on Thu, May 24, 2018 at 10:31 AM
For one weekend each May, the N.C. State Fairgrounds becomes the happiest place on earth for fans of local food. From May 18-20, the fairgrounds were home to the annual Got to Be NC Festival, which celebrates the agricultural bounty that’s grown, caught, raised, and made in North Carolina and the imaginative, hard-working farmers, artisans, and others who create them. Ensconced in our sterile, wifi-enabled world, it’s sometimes hard to remember that North Carolina began as and continues to be one of the most agriculturally profitable and diverse states in the nation. According to N.C. State University's College of...
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Amuse-Bouche: Celebrity-Owned Burger Chain Wahlburgers Comes to Downtown Raleigh
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Wed, May 16, 2018 at 2:58 PM
Wahlburgers 319 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh 919-703-0833 Wahlburgers, one of the Triangle’s most buzzed about restaurant openings of 2018, is now open on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. What’s with the hype? It’s the first North Carolina location for the Boston-based fast-casual burger chain created by the Wahlberg family, which includes celebrities Mark and Donnie and their chef brother, Paul. Wahlburgers is also the subject of an Emmy-nominated A&E reality show of the same name, which follows the restaurant chain’s expansion (it's now up to twenty-five locations). Vibe: Sports bar meets fast-food joint. The décor is an homage to the brothers’...
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Thrive NC Taps Top Culinary Talent to Drive Critical Food Conversations
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Tue, May 8, 2018 at 4:45 PM
On May 10 and 11, chefs, activists, and volunteers will gather at City Market in downtown Raleigh for the inaugural Thrive NC, a two-day event that will feature a summit, day of service, and a two-night culinary festival of tastings, chef demonstrations, and live music. The event is presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, which created it in the belief that communities thrive when they are healthy and active. “Blue Cross N.C.’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities. Simply stated, we want to see our state thrive,” says Patrick Conway,...
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Taste the Rainbow: lucettegrace Brings Back the Gay Bar for Out! Raleigh to Raise Money for the LGBT Center of Raleigh
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Thu, May 3, 2018 at 10:38 AM
Lucettegrace has earned a reputation for its whimsical and meticulously crafted pastries, and while you can find macarons in every hue of the rainbow year-round, every year, pastry chef-owner Daniel Benjamin creates a special rainbow-inspired treat for Out! Raleigh. The annual event, taking place this Saturday, May 5, celebrates the LGBT community and raises funds to support the LGBT Center of Raleigh. This year, lucettegrace is bringing back the Gay Bar, which features its perennially popular candy bar cake (and one of Benjamin’s personal favorites), in which the almond brown butter cake, layered with crushed wafers and milk chocolate, hazelnut...
Friday, April 27, 2018
Now in Its Seventh Year, Brewgaloo Celebrates Not Only N.C. Craft Beer, but the Rise of Women in the Industry
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 5:46 PM
When Brewgaloo launched in 2011, the craft beer festival was the new kid on the block. Craft beer was young then, too; you couldn’t find it on shelves and in restaurants and bars like you can now, and festivals were often one of the only marketing tools breweries had to promote themselves. The challenge the breweries faced, though, was that most festivals expected them to donate their beer. Jennifer Martin sought to change that. As the executive director of Shop Local Raleigh, Martin’s mission is to highlight local businesses and connect consumers to those places so that they think,...
J. Cole is Launching a Music Festival in Dix Park, Scheduled for September 15
Posted By Allison Hussey on Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 12:58 PM
Raised in Fayetteville, J. Cole is arguably one of the biggest rappers to ever come out of North Carolina. In a few months, he'll return to his home state for the Dreamville Festival, slated for September 15 at Dorthea Dix Park in Raleigh. That adds another music festival to an already packed September. If you're keeping track: that's Hopscotch September 7-10 , Beats N Bars September 22 and 23, Art of Cool from September 28-29, and the International Bluegrass Music Association's Wide Open Bluegrass on the 28th and 29th, too. There's also Sparkcon (September 13-16) and Centerfest (September 15-16), two...
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Making Sunday Funday Plans? A $20 Sunday Supper Durham Ticket Buys You Brunch and Bottomless Brews While Helping to End Food Insecurity
Posted By Layla Khoury-Hanold on Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 4:18 PM
I might be new in town, but I don’t know of any restaurant where you can get a multi-course brunch and bottomless beer for $20. But at the first-ever Sunday Supper Durham, taking place this Sunday, April 29, from twelve p.m. to three p.m. at the American Tobacco Campus Amphitheater, it’s a delicious reality. Even better, 100 percent of the event’s proceeds will benefit two local organizations fighting food insecurity in Durham: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, which will soon open a food pantry in the Lakewood Shopping Center that aims to conquer the estimated one-million-pound annual food...
Thanks for publishing the recipe! I made it for an office lunch this week. It smells wonderful as it is …
by chuck02 on Make This: Ashley Christensen's Homegrown Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Cheddar and Horseradish (Food)
Where do yall find buttermilk cheddar?
by David Glover on Make This: Ashley Christensen's Homegrown Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Cheddar and Horseradish (Food)
Deliciously written, Sharon. I want some of that chicken right now!
by Bernie Bro Brown on Amuse-Bouche: Viva Chicken Lands in Raleigh with Its Signature Pollo a la Brasa (Food)
Sounds terrific, Sharon! Thanks for the review. Gonna check it out next time we are over that way. …
by Mary Susan Klein on Amuse-Bouche: Viva Chicken Lands in Raleigh with Its Signature Pollo a la Brasa (Food)
I was just looking for a tomato pie last night. Didn't see what I was looking for; I didn't want …
by momsequitur on Make This: Ashley Christensen's Homegrown Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Cheddar and Horseradish (Food)