It looks like it is a win-win for fans of Il Palio restaurant in Chapel Hill’s Siena Hotel. Current chefTeddy Diggs will leave at the end of the month to head out on his own, but will stay here locally to open Coronato, a Roman-style pizza concept that will open in early 2019. In the meantime, a series of pop-up dinners are in the works. And far as his “replacement” the news couldn’t have been any better as it was announced that chef Adam Rose will return on July 1. Locals will remember Rose ran the kitchen at Il Palio from 2007 until 2013. He will remain an investor with Luncheonette. Thanks to Matt Clementsfor the initial heads up on this.
Wake County Restaurant News
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The folks behind the renovation of the 707 and 713 N. West St. in Raleigh, which houses The Cardinal, a bar that is known for its upscale hot dogs, have just completed the renovation of the warehouse at 911 N. West St. Two new restaurants have been lined up for that building and will likely open next spring. They are a diner called the Rainbow Luncheonette from The Cardinal owners Jason Howard and Dan Murphy, and Layered Croissant, a bakeshop from husband and wife Mark and Kawsar Chavez.
And if that is not enough going on for Jason Howard and Dan Murphy, theAtlantic Loungewill open this summer below Crawford and Son restaurant at 620 North Person St. This subterranean modern speakeasy will be accessible only to key-carrying members, with first dibs going to residents of the surrounding Oakwood neighborhood in Raleigh.
Also in downtown Raleigh, John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, was the first to notify us that the much anticipated Kaiju Bowl and Baohas set an open date of July 6. They will be located on Davie Street in the former Dickey’s Barbecue spot.
We have an opening date! July 6th and 7th for lunch, and closed Sunday. More info to come.
A post shared by Kaiju Bowl and Bao (@kaijubnb) on
Speaking of opening dates, the highly anticipated Morgan Street Food Hallannounced last week that it will open its doors on July 23. To date, the restaurants confirmed include: Bella’s Wood Fired Pizza & Tapas, Boba Brew, Carroll’s Kitchen, Cocoa Forte, Cousins Maine Lobster, Cow Bar, Curry in a Hurry, Hook & Cleaver, Iyla’s Southern Kitchen, Makus Empanadas, Mama Bird’s Cookies + Cream, MKG Kitchen, Morgan Street Java & Creperie, Oak City Fish & Chips, Raleigh Raw, Raleigh Rolls, Sassool, The Bowls, The Broth, and Wicked Taco.
And with the opening this week of the new YMCA on Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street (227 Fayetteville St.) comes the opening of the third location ofBenelux Coffee.They have another YMCA location within the Alexander Family YMCA on Hillsborough Street and the store location in Cameron Village.
Over in Cary, Michael DePersia of National Restaurant Properties notified me that a concept calledCoreLife Eatery, which opened their first location in Syracuse, is coming to the former Dickie’s BBQ space in Cary Crossroads. This will be the first venture into the Triangle for the national chain. No word yet on a timeline.
Also in Cary, reader Wesley Mays notified us thatAnjappar Indian Restaurantis coming soon to Stone Creek Village in the former Chubby’s Tacos/Guacamaya spot. They are currently doing construction inside. They currently have locations in New York and New Jersey.
Over in Morrisville, readers Kristy Hwang and Brad Parker notified us that the Buffalo Wings and Rings at 4101 Grace Park Drive in Morrisville is now Bison and Bull Tavern. Looks like they had their grand opening earlier this week.
And in Wake Forest,Buku Wake Forest will have their official ribbon cutting on Thursday, June 28 from 4 to 5pm. It is location at 1228 Heritage Links Drive.
Durham, Orange and Chatham Restaurant News
Over in Chatham County,House of Hops opened their second location this week adjacent to the Root Cellar (they share a patio space) in Chatham Park. They have a location in Raleigh and will soon add a third location at McNeil Point in Wake County.
Closings
Sad to report that two restaurants I worked closely with over at Triangle Food Guy have sold and are now closed. Giardino Gourmet Saladsowner Mario Diaz sold his location and has returned to Florida (look for Terra Bonum Salad Café to open in that space). And Steve and Tracey Drotts sold their downtown Raleigh Z Pizza location and have moved to New Hampshire. Look for an Italian/pizza concept to open there. Will miss all of them.
Food Trucks
The Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays went back into full swing this month. Trucks will be on hand for lunch and dinner each Thursday at the Knightdale Station Park. Thanks to Mark Ginsberg for the heads up.
Sunday, June 24 is the date for the next Wake Forest Food Truck Rodeo being held from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Over the Falls shopping center located at 405 S. Brooks St.
The dates have been set for the Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo andDowntown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos. Check out Durham here and Raleigh here.
Two great sites to keep up with your favorite food trucks. Street Food Finder is one, and another, aptly named, is Roaming Hunger.
Events
A Taste of Chathamreturns on June 30 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. where $50 will get you a guided tour and tastings at Starrlight Mead, Fair Game Beverage Co., Chatham Cider Works, and Carolina Brewery & Grill. Bus transportation is included, along with an appetizer buffet from Carolina Brewery, bottled water and a parting gift that includes a six-pack and a koozie.
The 2018 version of Chefs for Change, a fundraising dinner series that pairs the burgeoning Durham food scene with the needs of families experiencing homelessness, is well underway. The first two events (featuring Charlie Deal on March 12 and Scott Howell on May 14) have sold out. And if last year is any indication, the next two dinners will sell out quickly. The July 9 event features Phoebe Lawless (The Lakewoodand Scratch) and the September 10 event features Gocciolina’s Aaron Benjamin. Each night the chef will serve three or more courses at a ticketed dinner with the proceeds benefiting Families Moving Forward. The dinners are held at the Rickhouse and limited to 125 people.
The Rickhouse will host Durham's 4th Annual PickleFest on Sunday, July 15 - a pickle-packed tasting event and market place! The event will showcase North Carolina made products from pickle vendors near and far including locally crafted kombucha and kimchi! Triangle area restaurants sample their unique pickle dishes as well as pickle flavored beers and a Bloody Mary bar to quench your thirst and pucker your lips! VIP tickets are $20 and include a gift and early bird entry from noon - 1pm, plus Home Pickler's Contest Tasting and (1) free drink ticket. General Admission tickets are $10 and include either Session 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. or Session 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Kids under 10 years old are free.
And finally, listen up chefs! The NCRLA Chef Showdown is an annual statewide culinary competition sponsored by the NC Department of Ag. It’s a culinary competition open to chefs (savory and pastry) across the state. There are three regional semi-finalist rounds (New Bern May 22, Hickory June 4 and Raleigh, June 25) that will result in a final competition on Monday, Aug 27 in Charlotte. The final event is in conjunction with the first night of the industry’s Restaurant & Hotel Expo.
Food Bank Corner
As a part of the Stop Summer Hunger initiative, generous friends of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will match every gift – dollar for dollar. Please help them reach their matching goal of $135,000. For every $20 you give, the Food Bank can provide 200 meals!Make your donation here!
Sean Lennard covers the Triangle food scene on his site Triangle Food Blog.