Foodie news: BBQ and burger news (April 15, 2022)

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that we have an opening “date” for the long-awaited opening of Longleaf Swine BBQ coming to the former Oakwood Cafe location in downtown Raleigh. In August, we will see the 1,800-square-foot restaurant open with 36 seats inside and a very cool outdoor space offering 80 additional seats. The restaurant will be located at 300 E. Edenton St. Congrats to owners Adam Cunningham, Marc Russell and Ben Davis. Keep up with their progress on Instagram here.

This is a hard one to share as we lost an amazingly beautiful person this week. Sola Coffee shared the news that beloved coffee shop owner Jeanne Luther passed this week after a nearly 4 year fight with ALS. Jeanne and her husband John opened Sola Coffee on Lead Mine Road in Raleigh in 2013. The coffee shop, which is truly a community gathering place with an amazing family feel, will re-open on Tuesday. Best to see some of the tributes to Jeanne on their Facebook page here. Our prayers go out to John, his family and the entire Sola community/family.

We are hearing that after a successful soft-opening weekend, the folks over at Fine Folk are now open from 5-10 p.m. Thursday through Monday at their location at 2409 Crabtree Blvd. next to Union Special (former Brew Coffee Bar spot). We are also hearing they have plans to extend their hours to Tuesday once they get through the initial opening. The duo behind Fine Folk, Chris Lopez and John Kleinert, ran Cary restaurant Postmaster Bar and Grill until the Covid-19 pandemic forced the restaurant to close. Since then they have hosted pop-up meals at the Foundation bar and more recently at Union Special. You can view the menu and link to their social media through their site here.

CowBar Burgers and Fries shared on Facebook this week that they have opened their second location in North Hills having moved into the former B.GOOD location in the Park District. While CowBar already has a presence in the Raleigh community at Morgan Street Food Hall, the North Hills location features various new menu items – including a vegan burger, Italian beef sandwich, beer floats, and boozy milkshakes. They also offer a full-service bar. CowBar is just one of the many Raleigh restaurants that are a part of Niall Hanley’s Hibernian Hospitality Group. Visit them here.

Reader Chuck Till shared that signage for the new Fresko Greek Kitchen is up at Brennan Station at 8107 Creedmoor Road in north Raleigh. This is the former Pokano and Pokego site. No word yet on an opening date. Looks like this is their second location in Raleigh (first is on Bale Street, just off Wake Forest Road). Visit them here.

Over in Cary, my buddy David McCreary let us know that a Korean-inspired fast casual concept (which is also 100% gluten-free) called Bibibop Asian Grill is now open at 2007 Walnut Street in Crossroads shopping center. This marks their first location in North Carolina. Pay them a visit here.

Some exciting news from the folks over at Cary’s Catering by Design. Owners Philip and Amy Lin have started a nonprofit foundation with the goal of bringing Howdy Homemade Ice Cream to the Triangle. If you are not familiar with Howdy, it was established to train and mentor young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using smiles and amazing ice cream. In order to make this dream a reality, they are holding their first fundraising luncheon on Thursday, May 5th at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cary. Get details on the luncheon here, and learn more about Howdy Homemade Ice Cream here.

Several readers pointed out to us that the Boston Market at the corner of Kildaire Farms Road and Cary Parkway in Cary has closed. That building will become a Fifth Third bank. That also means there are just two remaining Boston Market locations in the Triangle, both in Raleigh.

Happy to share that the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo has announced the dates for 2022 rodeos. They are as follows – May 1, June 12, Aug. 7, Sept 25 or Oct 2 and Nov. 6 (Alternate/Rain Date). 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.

And not to be outdone, Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo has also released their 2022 schedule (their first was last Sunday). T The remainder of the season is as follows: June 5, September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here.

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 here.

On Saturday, April 16 (I think it is in honor of my birthday on Sunday) The Pit’s 12th ‘Cuegrass Festival returns to downtown Raleigh. The event will once again support SAFEchild. For the event, they close down the streets around The Pit and fire up the pig cookers to serve plenty of their famous Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue and a selection of locally made beers. And on the stage they’ll have your favorite bands. Get all the information here.

And we are just under three months away from this year’s edition of Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo (April 22-23) – NC’s largest craft beer festival and 2nd biggest in the US! Voted #1 Best Beer Festival two years in a row by USA Today’s 10Best. The weekend of events features craft breweries from NC and partners with local food trucks, local vendors and local bands. Friday night will be a sampler event from 6-10pm. Tickets are $45 per person. Saturday’s event is 2-10pm and open to the public. Beer is sold by the pint or the taste. The day will feature over 75 NC breweries, over 50 food trucks, dozens of local vendors and bands. Drink tickets will be sold in advance and available for purchase at the festival. Food trucks and vendors accept cash and credit options. Get tickets and all the details here.

The Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative (GSNC) is holding their annual Glenwood Faire on April 24 from 11am to 2pm at Smoky Hollow. They will offer guests a chance to taste the food of 15 of the great restaurants in Glenwood South. Participating restaurants include: Mellow Mushroom, Raleigh Beer Garden, My Way Tavern, Plus Dueling Piano Bar, Vidrio, Ale House, Cortez, Clockwork, Hibernian, Sushi Blues, Plates, La Santa, DeMo’s, The Willard, and Dose Smoothie Bar. Beer will be provided by Clouds Brewing and wine will be served by Raleigh Wine and the Wine Feed. The event will also feature artists selling products, live music from local musicians and dog contests sponsored by West Street Dog. Tickets for a taste of all the food are $25 in advance and $30 day of. Beer and wine sold separately. Get tickets and all the details here.

On May 1st the folks over in Pittsboro will gather under the stars for Local on Lorax: A Farm & Art Dinner from 6-9pm at The Plant at 192 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. It is a pop-up dinner with a super-local twist gathering area farmers, chefs, restaurants, craft beverages, and visual and performing artists for a good time. Tickets are $125. Get all the details here.

The folks over in Cary are proud to announce that Fest in the West, western Cary’s signature event, is back at Thomas Brooks Park on Saturday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are two stages with entertainment featuring some of the best talent in the Triangle. Food trucks will be in three areas, a centrally located beer garden and a fun Kids Corral with activities for families along with a petting zoo. Mark your calendar and get all the details here.

The folks at Bites of Bull City shared the great news that The Glass Jug’s third annual Hops & Blues Fest returns this year on Saturday, May 21st from 4-8pm at Glass Jug Beer Lab’s RTP location (5410 NC-55). Note: the event is capped at 250 people, so get your tickets early. The $45 ticket price gets attendees unlimited samples from the best IPA and hop-forward beer makers in the area along with live music from some of the best local blues musicians: Brett Chambers & The Usual Suspects and The Pheobees. Along with The Glass Jug, other brewery reps on site include Aslin, Resident Culture, New Anthem, Wilmington, Commonwealth, Triple Crossing, Funguys, Durty Bull, Wooden Robot, Grimm, Equilibrium, and Southern Grist. Get tickets here.

The second annual Bubbles and Brisket is scheduled for Saturday, June 4th from 2-6 p.m. at Smoky Hollow in downtown Raleigh. The event is a collaboration of chefs, pit-masters, wine producers, sommeliers and brewers, pairing sparkling bubbles with a variety of cooking techniques and side dishes that feature everyone’s favorite: brisket. Early Bird Tickets on sale for the month of April are $65/person. On May 1, tickets are $75/person. Get all the details and tickets here.

You can make a difference every month! Despite a record amount of food being distributed to individuals, seniors, children, veterans, and families of all kinds who are facing hunger last year, the food bank is still not meeting the increased need in the 34 counties the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina serves. Their partner agencies on the front lines are still reporting a sustained 35% increase in need over pre-pandemic levels. They need your reliable support to nourish all their neighbors in need. Sign up this January and your 1st monthly gift can be matched up to $2,500! Start giving today! #NoOneGoesHungry