Triangle Foodie News: BREW opening Cary location

RALEIGH, N.C. —

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With the approval of the lease last night from Cary’s town council, BREW, a downtown Raleigh coffee house and bar, is moving forward with plans to open a new location in The Cary Theater in downtown Cary. It is possible they will be open before year’s end.

Got word from Brad and Leanne Stewart that they are opening Stewart’s Bistro in Heritage Station (3652 Rogers Road) in Wake Forest where Blue Fins and One Whirled Cafe used to be. It will offer a full breakfast menu featuring Carrboro Coffee Roasters coffee and a sandwich, soup and salad menu for lunch. Look for a mid-October opening.

Raleigh blogger eatRaleigh reported this week that a new coffee, wine and beer shop called Liquid State is set to open at the end of this month in the former Locopops location on Hillsborough Street next to David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar.

Over in Cary, the Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Guapo's Tacos Arepas Cervezas is now open in Millpond Village at Kildaire Farm and Ten-Ten roads.

Reader Erica Stevens informed me this week that a new Belgian coffeehouse, called Belgian Cafe, is on target to open in the next few weeks in Apex across from Beaver Creek Commons shopping center near Papa John’s. We will keep an eye on the open date.

James Borden reported on Raleigh Public Record that restaurant chain B. Good will be opening their second Raleigh location in the Charter Square building on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. No word yet on a timeline. B.Good already has a location in North Hills.

New Raleigh posted this week that Crisp Salads will be opening a second location at 222 Glenwood South (think Zaky Restaurant and Tutti Frutti). They currently operate in the food court at Crabtree Valley Mall. No word on a timeline.

The newest location of LongHorn Steakhouse opened this past Monday. The location is in Garner at 300 Conservation Road.

And an update on Pie Bird in Raleigh. Owners tell us that they are only closed temporarily and will reopen again after some restructuring.

The much anticipated reopening of Il Palio at The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill will take place next week on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The restaurant closed on June 25 to allow the first renovations in 23 years at an anticipated cost of $700,000. Can’t wait to see what Chef Teddy Diggs has in store for us!

Over in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village we got word from Art Sheppard (aka The Wandering Sheppard) that Captain Ponchos got their final inspection this week and will swing open the doors to their brick and mortar location today, September 25th. As you never know what can happen at the last minute, please check in with them before going. Get the latest on their Facebook page here.

And staying in Southern Village, a quick update on the closing of Merlion. Reader Jason Klaitman updated me that they now have a sign on the door stating they are closed for renovations and will reopen under a new name. However, no news on what the concept will be nor the timeline. We’ll keep an eye on this one.

Durham's newest distillery, which crafts gin and liqueur, is set to open its doors for public tours and tastings Oct. 1. Durham Distillery, owned by Melissa and Lee Katrincic, will sell three varieties of their premium gin as well as three varieties of flavored liqueurs. Tours cost $10 and will be offered most Thursdays and Fridays starting at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The next edition (and final one of 2015) of Cary’s Chatham Street Chowdown will take place on Sunday, Oct.4th from noon until 4:30 p.m. along Chatham Street in downtown Cary. Looks like over 20 food trucks, a few restaurants and a wine and beer garden along with music and entertainment. Get all the details here.

Also, John Huisman (aka Triangle Explorer) informed me about the fact that every Thursday from September through November, the Town of Knightdale is hosting "Food Truck Thursdays" with a new food truck scheduled each week. The weekly truck will be parked at Knightdale Station Park near the amphitheater each Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For a listing of ALL food truck events, head over to Art Sheppard's page, The Wandering Sheppard on all things food truck related here.

Tickets have gone on sale for one of the biggest foodie events around - the TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, which will be held in Chapel Hill Oct. 8-10. It simply can't be missed.

Tomorrow (Sept. 26) downtown Fuquay Varina will host the Fuquay-Varina BBQ, Blues and Brews Festival from 3-8 p.m. There will be live music, 25 barbecue teams competing for a $1,000 prize, plenty of local craft beer and an auction at 5 p.m. for the painted Bengal Tiger statues that are currently displayed around downtown.

Durham’s Gughupf hosts its 6th Annual Rocktoberfest on Saturday September 26 from 4 to 10 p.m. Guglhupf adds its own twist to the traditional Oktoberfest, and this year’s festivities feature even more specialty beers to complement the delicious German cuisine. Throw in live music and a party atmosphere, and you’ve got a family-friendly celebration you’ll not want to miss! Reservations are not needed and there is no cover charge. There will be plenty of overflow parking, plus extra event seating. Guglhupf is located at 2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham.

Abundance NC's 8th annual Pepper Festival will be from 3-7 p.m. on Sept. 27 in Briar Chapel, located between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro. More than two dozen chefs will be serving samples of dishes made with locally-grown peppers. Chefs include chefs Angela Salamanca of Raleigh's Centro, Colin Bedford of Fearrington Inn in Pittsboro, Marshall Smith of Glasshalfull in Carrboro, Jason Smith of 18 Seaboard in Raleigh and John Childers of The Umstead Hotel in Cary. Tickets are $20-$30 in advance, $35 at the door.

It is that time of the year again for the Southern Ideal Home Show at the NC State Fairgrounds. This year it will be held Sept. 25 - 27 and it will again feature their popular Brews and Bites event each day which highlights food and drinks from local restaurants, breweries and wineries. Lots of great choices and giveaways each day.

The Carolina RailHawks will be hosting the 4th Annual RailHawks Homebrew Soktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 26. The pre-game festivities will begin at 5:30 pm at WakeMed Soccer Park and will run until 7:15 pm, followed by the RailHawks NASL match against Ottawa Fury FC. Soktoberfest is the RailHawks take on a German Oktoberfest, but with a focus on local craft and home brewers. A combination of German-themed food samples and traditional North Carolina fare, live music presented by ReverbNation, local craft beer, and homebrewed beer.

Academy Street Bistro and TOPO Distillery are partnering to host a cocktail party to benefit the Interfaith Food Shuttle on October 1st at 5:30 p.m. Attendees will enjoy four different cocktails, each with a different aged spirit from TOPO and heavy hors d'oeuvres. The cost is $20 per person. Make reservations by calling 919-377-0509.

This sounds like a lot of fun. The Raleigh Wine Shop in downtown will host a pop-up dinner called Wine & Swine on Thursday, October 1st featuring legendary pit-master Ed Mitchell and winemaker extraordinaire André Mack. The cost is $40.

On Sunday, Oct. 4 from 1-4 p.m., the guys behind the soon-to-open Picnic in Durham (Wyatt Dickson and Ben Adams) will be joined by Texas (and soon to be South Carolina) pit-master John Lewis on Green Button Farm for a Sunday afternoon picnic. This is an opportunity to get up close and personal with these barbecue legends! In addition to the whole hog and beef brisket, they’ll also serve up seasonal sides, alongside chilled wine & beer from Wine Authorities, Ponysaurus and Fullsteam.

You’ll want to go ahead and mark your calendar for the 2nd Annual Triangle Oktoberfest coming to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre on October 3rd and 4th. There will be some great authentic German fare as well as some amazing breweries.

The 30th annual International Festival of Raleigh will take place Oct. 9 through Oct. 11 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The event features food from 27 different cultures and countries and a biergarten with cask beer tastings. Get all the details and purchase tickets in advance here. Use promo code “WRAL15” and get $2 off adult ticket purchase.

The town of Holly Springs is holding their 6th Annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Holly Springs Farmers Market from 9 - 12:30 p.m. This is a wonderful community event, where both amateurs and professionals compete for both the judges’ approval as well as their fellow citizens with the People’s Choice award.

And if you are into eating healthier, you might want to go ahead and get this event on your calendar - the 2015 Triangle Vegfest which will be held at Moore Square and City Market in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, Oct. 17 from noon until 5 p.m.

While you’re at it, make sure you mark your calendar for Saturday, Oct. 17 (4-8 p.m.) for Knightdale's Drafts & Crafts Festival. This event will be held at the Knightdale Station Park and feature local wineries, breweries, vendors selling beer/wine related crafts/artwork, music and food trucks.

The town of Garner will hold their second Downtown Garner Trick or Eat Food Truck Rodeo on Oct. 25 from 12-5 on Main Street. They’ll have 14 food trucks, 3 craft brewers, and some activities for children. You can find more details here or on their Facebook event page here.

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the Carolina's food, agriculture and culinary talent, is gearing up for its Battle of Champions series in which five top regional chefs will battle it out to take home the coveted annual championship title. Foodies from the Carolinas and beyond are invited to attend the four live dinner events Oct. 28 to 31 in Raleigh, savoring the full-service, six-course meals and serving as judges. Tickets to these interactive battles are on sale now.

And finally, this event isn’t until November, but I’m here to tell you if you wait much longer you won’t be able to get a ticket. Acme Restaurant in downtown Carrboro will host its 3rd Annual Salt and Smoke event on Sunday, Nov. 8. They describe it as “oysters and barbecue, music and friends."

Congratulations to Gregory Ng and a whole cast of staff, amazing volunteers and extremely generous donors that raised over $45,000 (providing over 225,000 meals) during last Friday's #FoodBank24 New Media Telethon! Talk about people making a difference in our community! And as Greg wrote on his blog after the event - Do something. Compassion is no longer enough. Read his thoughts here.