Triangle Foodie News: H-Street Kitchen expected to open next week

The much-anticipated H-Street Kitchen is aiming to open next week in the former Varsity Theater on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street, A huge congratulations to owner Gary Bryant and chef Adam Rose as this project, which will be a huge boost to the revitalization of Hillsborough Street, has been a long-time coming....but it will be well worth the wait. Rose is planning a menu that will excite your tastebuds. He told WRAL this week that some items to look out for include cheese fries and gravy, ramen noodles with pulled pork and collards and shrimp toast. There will be 16 beers and two wines on rotating taps. Selections will be based on what's in season and what goes best with the menu. Cocktails will be prepared with in-house aged spirits.

Dram & Draught bar will open its doors to the public beginning at 5 p.m. Friday (July 29). As part of their opening celebration, look for food trucks on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Parkside restaurant is looking to open its doors in the old Brewmaster location next week. The concept will feature modern and some healthy takes on comfort food.

Cafe Lucarne, a new restaurant in the former Benelux spot in Raleigh’s City Market, opened this week. The casual, counter-service restaurant is the work of Andrew Shepherd and Will Jeffers, two of the partners in Raleigh’s popular Stanbury restaurant. Cafe Lucarne will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and will be open 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

In related news, it was also reported by the News & Observer that Shepherd and Jeffers are taking over the former Battistella’s space off Moore Square and hope to open that restaurant later this year. We will keep an eye on that.

Jeff Mickel and Michael Thor are targeting the second week in August to roll up the garage doors at downtown Raleigh’s newest watering hole and restaurant, Whiskey Kitchen, according to TBJ. This place looks so cool.

WRAL reported last week that El Taco Cartel, Raleigh's first taco delivery bike, hit the streets for the first time last Sunday. The bike is serving up authentic street tacos.

Got word this week that Raleigh’s North Hills will be home to the newest location of a fast-casual, health food concept called Grabbagreen. The Arizona-based concept will be located near the Sur La Table store in the Lassiter District and is aiming for a September opening. They also have plans to open a Cary location, but no word yet on an exact location.

Chefs James Clark and Bill Hartley have left The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill to open Postal Fish Company restaurant in Pittsboro (you guessed it, in the old post office building). Look for them to open in late 2017. They are participating in a Kickstarter campaign to fund this endeavor, and they have already exceeded their $7k goal!

Speaking of Kickstarters, East Durham Pie Company is more than halfway to its goal to fund a storefront in Old East Durham. The bakery and cafe would serve up coffee, pie and other items.

A quick update on the opening of the second location of The Bagel Bar in Durham. Got word this week on Facebook that Jonathan Collins and Karra Pate are very close to opening their second location (they are now hiring) at 104 City Hall Plaza in downtown Durham. The original location is in Chapel Hill on Weaver Dairy Road.

And we got word from Charlie Farris and Clint Winslow that they have set a date of Wednesday, Aug. 17, for the opening of their third Jersey Mike’s - this one near the intersection of Hwy. 54 and Interstate 40 in the Falconbridge shopping center just down from Mardi Gras bowling. Congrats to Charlie & Clint.

A quick reminder that Monday, Aug. 1, chef John May (formerly with Chef & The Farmer and The Boot) takes over the reigns at downtown Durham’s Piedmont. He will introduce “a new ingredient-driven tasting menu” beginning Aug.10.

And down in Smithfield, WRAL reported that there will be a new restaurant opening called SoDoSoPa. The owner is Mike O'Dowd, who has been the general manager for Outback in Smithfield and Logan's in Garner. Look for them to open in mid-August.

Got word from a reader that the Cary location of Red Hot & Blue Barbecue in Waverly Place has closed. The Facebook page is down and the RH&B website no longer lists the Cary location (just the Raleigh location).

If you want to quickly check out some of the coolest spots to eat on Durham’s Ninth Street, you’ll want to mark your calendar for Saturday, August 6. From 1-4 p.m. the folks over at Bites of Bull City will start you out at Happy & Hale and take you on a tasting frenzy to include 3 other stops. All within easy walking distance. Tickets are $30. Get tickets and all the details here (you even get a car magnet!).

On Aug. 8, both locations of Sassool Mediterranean Cafe will celebrate the birthday of their namesake, Cecilia “Sassool” Saleh. The day will feature lots of activities and special menu items, with a percentage of sales being donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation for cancer. Get info about the Raleigh and Cary locations.

The 10th anniversary edition of Beer, Bourbon and BBQ returns returns to the Triangle August 5th & 6th to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheater - 60 beers, 40 bourbons and all the barbecue you can eat!

The good folks over at the Downtown Raleigh Alliance recently announced the dates for the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant week - it will be held this year August 15-21. Go ahead and mark your calendar.

Got word that Panciuto is hosting an outdoor cookout on Aug. 16 to benefit Girls Rock NC! Noodles, pork tacos, beer and rock 'n' roll - all for a good cause. What more do you want? The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Eno River Farmers’ Market Pavilion and tickets are $50. Reserve tickets by calling Panciuto at 919-732-6261.

Piedmont’s new executive chef John May will welcome chef Jay Pierce of The Marshall Free House in Greensboro for a seven-course celebration of sustainably raised NC shrimp on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m.. The $65 per person menu is also available with beer pairings for $85. Contact 919-683-1213 for reservations.

Tickets to TerraVita are now on sale. And you better jump fast, as many of these events will (and are already) sell out soon. Trust me. If you aren’t familiar with TerraVita, it is arguably the premier “foodie event” in the southeast and it will take place Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 right here in Chapel Hill. In a nutshell, it is a multi-day celebration that brings together top chefs, food artisans, sommeliers, baristas, brewers, educators, distillers, cookbook authors and industry luminaries from across the Southeast to celebrate culinary excellence and sustainability in food and drink.

One final push to reach our 3.3 million meals goal before July 31. Nearly 300,000 children in our 34 counties rely on the free and reduced-cost meals at school to get them through the day. For them, summertime doesn't mean a fun-filled vacation. For them, no school means no meals. Stop Summer Hunger is our annual food and funds drive that provides additional food to feed these children and their families during this season of increased need. Find out more and how to donate here.