Foodie News: Two Raleigh restaurants close

RALEIGH, N.C. — We start off with a really cool cause you can get behind. This week the folks that brought us The Sunday Supper (an organization that helped feed those devastated by Hurricane Matthew) unveiled their newest effort called Now Serving. Here is how it works. Local kitchens and restaurants collaborate to prepare two weekend meals that are then distributed through organizations like Meals on Wheels of Wake County, The Women’s Center, New Bethel Food Pantry and Brentwood Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County to 320+ recipients in the Raleigh area. To raise money for the cause, Now Serving is hosting its first charity dinner on Sunday, Sept. 25. Join St. Roch’s Sunny Gerhart and Saltbox Seafood Joint’s Ricky Moore for a collaborative family-style dinner. Book your reservation ($75 a person) or donate here. Get more information on Now Serving here. Kudos to St. Roch, Mandolin, Hummingbird, PoshNosh Catering, HUBB Kitchens and Ladyfingers.

The folks over at RalToday shared the news that Tex-Mex restaurant Superica is opening in Cary’s Fenton on Monday, September 26th. Led by award-winning chef and owner Ford Fry, the eatery will feature wood-fired dishes, margaritas and tacos. Grab a free breakfast taco at the restaurant’s pop-up (25 Fenton Main St.) on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9-11 a.m. This is their third North Carolina location (other two are in Charlotte). Start getting familiar with them here.

Brookside Bodega, a bar, restaurant and shop located between Raleigh’s Oakwood and Mordecai neighborhoods, will offer Sunday brunch starting this Sunday, September 18. Executive chef and co-owner Darrell Brown has created a brunch menu with modern spins on brunch classics as well as vegetarian and vegan-friendly entrees. Brunch also will include coffee roasted by the restaurant’s neighbor, The Optimist. Brunch service on Sundays will start at 10 a.m. Check them out here.

David McCreary notified us that The Gyro Spot, an eatery specializing in authentic Greek food, opened this week at 1005 E. Broad St. near Walmart in Fuquay-Varina. Get to know more about them here.

And this is a fun read. Multiple Triangle restaurants were featured in Eater Carolina’s Most Anticipated Restaurants list. The Triangle’s representation on the list included: Superica, Crawford Brothers Steakhouse and M Sushi in Cary; Rocks + Acid and NoDa Brewing in Chapel Hill; Ekhaya, Queen Burger, Emmy Squared and Seraphine in Durham; and JewFro, East End Bistrot, Leroy’s Tacos n Beers, Longleaf Swine, The Preserve and Village Tavern in Raleigh. Read the entire article here. Thanks to the folks over at RalToday for pointing this out!

Sean Umstead and Michelle Vanderwalker, co-owners of Durham’s award-winning Kingfisher Cocktail Bar and Queeny’s, opened the much-anticipated brick and mortar location of their burger bar, QueenBurger, in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus this week. Umstead also designed a selection of original cocktails to complement the burger menu. Visit them here.

And Chapel Hillians rejoice…the Cookout opened at the end of last week. They are located in the former Burger King location at the corner of 15-501 and Elliott Road. Burgers. Shakes. Drive-thru. Need I say more? Get details here.

This is not officially a closing yet, but the date has been set for the last day of service at St. James Seafood in Durham, It is Oct. 8. There are still chances to get reservations. Visit them here.

Sad to report, but we had two BIG closing announcements this week. First up was Midtown Grille in North Hills. The second was so•ca cocina latina in Raleigh’s Village District. Midtown has already closed. You have a couple of days left to visit so•ca as their last evening of service will be this Saturday, Sept. 17.

And reader Steve Abbott shared the news that Craft Beer Cellar Cary is closing. Their last day will Friday Sept. 23.

The final Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo of 2022 is Sunday, Sept. 25. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

The next Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo is Sunday, Sept. 4. The final one of the year is Oct. 30.

Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder.

The eighth-annual WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards presented by M&F Bank is here! Nominate your favorite local businesses today and help them make it to the voting round in October. Nominations close on October 9. The top five finalists in each category will go on to the voting round October 17 through November 20. Winners will be announced in January 2023 at an event in Downtown Raleigh. Vote here.

This year's Sola Hot Mini 5K will be a special one. Let's work together to make it the biggest one ever. As many of you know, John and Jeanne Luther are the founders/owners of Sola Coffee Café in north Raleigh. Jeanne was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, on Aug. 30, 2019. On April 12 of this year, at age 57, Jeanne went home to be with Jesus. Racegoers will gather on Sept. 17 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop for the 9th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K to raise money to find a cure. Please consider joining the Sola community for an incredible morning in the effort to end ALS. Register and get all the details here.

Also on Sept. 17, kick off autumn with a free Oktoberfest Celebration at Gizmo Brew Works from 12-10 p.m. where you will enjoy live music, food, and craft beer out of a commemorative half-liter boot glass ($20; first pour is free). Get all the details here.

The15th Annual Pepperfest returns this year on Sunday, Sept. 18 at The Plant in Pittsboro. The event is hosted outdoors with live music and pepper-themed food and drink made with locally-grown sweet, hot, and smoky NC peppers. Chefs and craft beverage makers will compete for awards. Guests can taste different dishes made from peppers grown in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Early bird prices are good through July 1, when prices increase. Get your tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau for alerting me about this great event!

And one last event to highlight on Saturday is the 7th Annual Oberlin Village BBQ from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the parking pad under Advance Primary Care (815 Oberlin Rd.). Take this opportunity to learn about the historic neighborhood, enjoy dinner catered by City Barbeque, relax with a jazz performance by John Brown Band and stay for a historic Trolley Tour. You can order to eat on site or take it to go. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

Celebrate Hispanic culture at the La Fiesta del Pueblo Festival this Sunday, Sept. 18 on Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street from 12-6 p.m. It is the Triangle’s largest and most diverse festival of Latin American culture, featuring food trucks, live music and dance  performances, visual and folk art exhibits, educational booths, and activities for the whole family. Mas informacion aqui.

Also on Sept. 18 in Chatham County, 580 Craft Beer Marketplace will host the 2nd Annual Chatham County Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at 354 East Street in Pittsboro. Your $30 pass (until 9/1) gains you access to 15 breweries and over 50 different beers. Food trucks and music will be ongoing throughout the event. Get tickets and all the details here.

On Friday, Sept. 23 (6:30 – 9:30 p.m.) the Museum of Life and Science in Durham is begins a series of curated culinary experiences featuring extraordinary food focused on sustainable hyper local plant-based cuisine in some of the Museum’s most unique settings, served with a side of science. Dine & Discover will allow you to enjoy a multi-course themed meal with one complimentary adult beverage (a cash bar will be available for additional purchases) while supporting the Museum of Life and Science’s mission. Tickets are $125. Get tickets and all the details here.

On Sunday, Sept. 25, The Beagle, a cocktail bar in downtown Pittsboro (53 Hillsboro Street), will hold an End of the Summer Luau that will combine food, cocktails, and live music with a fundraiser for The Boys & Girls Club of Pittsboro. The band El Mirage will provide surf rock and The Beagle will provide a tropical pig roast with island fare, craft beer, tiki cocktails and desserts. Tickets will include the meal, dessert and two drinks. Get tickets and all the details here.

After a two year hiatus, the 30th annual A Tasteful Affair, the tasting event of the season and fundraising event for the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, returns. This year’s event will feature samples from some of the area’s very best from the food and beverage industry, exciting silent auction, incredible live entertainment, and more! The event will take place at at The Carolina Club from 5:30-8 pm on Sunday, Oct. 23. Pro tip: Use code: SOCIAL for a discount on your tickets! Get all the details here.

The Bull City will be celebrating Oktoberfest in Durham Central Park on Friday, Oct. 28 this year, thanks to The Glass Jug Beer Lab. The event is scheduled for 4 until 10 p.m. and includes a live interactive performance by The Little German Band & Dancers, as well as a “kids zone” hosted by Bull City Inflatables. And, of course, there will be beer. The Glass Jug will be serving several German-style lagers both from their taproom and from a rolling mobile beer trailer inside the park. Food will be available from several food trucks on site as well as in the Durham Food Hall. Get all the details here on their Facebook event page.

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will hold their first ever Volunteer Festival Sept. 24 from 10am-2pm at the Raleigh branch location. This festival is free entry, open to the public and come and go as you please. If you are one of the first 120 people to make a $10 donation to the Food Bank, you will receive a FREE beer from Mordecai Beverage Company. They will have an inflatable slide and obstacle course for ALL ages, a balloon twister and face painter will be on site and a variety of food trucks on site for your convenience including a nonprofit the Food Bank often teams up with, Inter Faith Food Shuttle Food Truck! For all you potato sorting lovers, they will have their signature potato sorting outside to meet your volunteering needs! Bring your family, friends and your neighbors to the Food Bank for their day of fun on Sept. 24 10am-2pm!! Get all the details here.

Sean Lennard, a Raleigh native, has been around the Triangle food scene for...well, a long time, but professionally since 2002 with the the Triangle Food Blog, formerly known as Friday Fun Food Facts, in 2008. You can find his blog here. And you don't have to wait until Friday for updates as you can follow Sean throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter.