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Foodie news: No, Ole Time Barbecue did not get sold!

Sean Lennard, the Triangle Food Guy, has the scoop on openings, closings and foodie events.

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Raleigh BBQ restaurant marks 25 years with food, friends
By
Sean Lennard
, Triangle Food Guy

Wake County Restaurant News

Alright, need to set the record set on some misinformation that has been circulating out there. I’ll keep it simple. Ole Time Barbecue in Raleigh DID NOT get sold. I repeat, DID NOT. Ownership remains the same. The only thing that sold was the land that it sits on. That’s it. Get in there today and visit Charlotte and Ben and the rest of the crew! That is all. Enjoy the rest of the blog.

Thanks to Whitney Payne for the tip on this.

Fair food! Need I say more? The N.C. State Fair returns Oct. 14-24 to the fairgrounds and they are doing their Weekday Lunch Pass Program again this year. Here’s how it works. Go to Gate 1 or Gate 9 after 11:30 a.m. Pay $10 cash. Gain access to all the food vendors ($10 does NOT include food). Leave before 1:30 p.m. and you are refunded your $10. Want to see what is new at the fair this year?
North Hills shared the news this week that Cucciolo Terrazza Raleigh will officially open this Sunday, Oct. 17. Cucciolo Terrazza Raleigh is the sister restaurant to the Cucciolo Osteria in Durham and also offers modern Italian cuisine with a twist. Their menu is small by design, serving a rotation of seasonal dishes with the focus on pasta. Congrats to Jimmy and Julian Kim!
In downtown Raleigh, Matt Coleman is continuing on his success at The Davie by opening a bar and small plates spot called The Darby just a couple of doors down on Davie Street (180 E. Davie Street to be exact). Check out their menu and all the details on their website here.
Up in north Raleigh, reader Katie Page shared that new signage has gone up for Yaba Mediterranean Grill coming soon in the former Peña Grill (and before that, Chronic Tacos) in the Olive Park development (think Sprouts) on Falls of the Neuse Road near the intersection with 540. Looks like they have a location in Greenville, NC. Get familiar with them here.
Continuing north into Wake Forest, reader Michael Burger noticed that at the former Buku location there’s a sign up for Beer & Wine 101 Gastropub. Looks like the Beer & Wine 101 (wine store and bar) next door is expanding to start serving food. Keep up with any announcements on their Facebook page here.
In Cary, Zambrero, located at Parkside Town Commons at 1151 Parkside Main St. in Cary, will hold their grand opening celebration on Oct. 23. The fast-casual restaurant serves healthy options in the form of customizable burritos, bowls, tacos and more. They have another location in Durham (University Hill) and plan to open more in the Triangle (the Raleigh location closed during the pandemic). They’re offering 1,000 free burritos and bowls for the first 1,000 customers during grand opening weekend.
Down in Apex, reader Adam Fisher shared that Kylin Asian Cuisine has recently opened on Ten Ten Road, just off the US 1 exit (just beyond the Sheetz gas station). Taking a look at their picture gallery got my mouth watering! Looks like a nice addition.
If you are from Southern California, you will be excited to hear the news that reader Peter Egeghy shared with me this week that Del Taco has signed a franchise agreement to bring five locations to the Triangle area. That is all we know at this point, so stay tuned.
This is kind of fun. Visit Raleigh put together a list of restaurant “Icons and Institutions” in and around Raleigh/Wake County. It is a fun list of restaurants and bars that have been around since, well, even before me! How many have you been to? Have fun checking out the list here.
Looking for all the outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

Sean Umstead and Michelle Vanderwalker, co-owners of Durham’s award-winning Kingfisher Cocktail Bar and soon-to-open Queeny’s (a restaurant and bar to be located above Kingfisher) announced this week the first brick and mortar location for their wildly successful backyard burger bar, QueenBurger. It will be opening in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus (Diamond View III) in early 2022.
Tamara Lackey shared this week on Facebook that Coco, her new coffee shop, restaurant and bar, is going to be officially open for espresso drinks, coffee, tea and delicious baked goods and pastries on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Coco is located at The Gwendolyn in the historic Glen Lennox area of Chapel Hill at 101 Glen Lennox Drive. You’ll remember they closed Coco Bean at East 54 a few months back to make this move. Once they have finalized all the details in their new kitchen, they will announce their breakfast and lunch plant-based menu.
Speaking of the former space at East 54 where Coco Bean was located, their former neighbors at Old East Tavern shared via Facebook this week that they will move into that space with a coffee shop of their own. The yet-to-be-named hangout will share some space with Old East….lots of comfy places, office space and outdoor seating areas. There will be breakfast, lunch, and bakery options as well. Currently they are looking for ideas on what to name the new venture. Visit their Facebook page here to share your ideas. No word on an open date.
And here are a couple of wonderful resources for those looking to dine in downtown Durham or downtown Chapel Hill – Downtown Durham Inc. has an up-to-date listing of the status of each restaurant in downtown Durham. Check out the list here. And the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership has put together a similar list for Chapel Hill here.

Food Trucks

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.

Events

This Saturday, Oct. 16, The Pit in downtown Raleigh will be celebrating the first National Whole Hog Barbecue Day, where they will honor the history of the Old North State’s signature cuisine on the third Saturday in October (also, the first Saturday of the N.C. State Fair!). They will be celebrating National Whole Hog Barbecue Day by rolling the cooker out front and slow cooking a whole hog! Stop by to “view the ‘cue” and chat with their pitmasters about the age-old tradition of whole-hog barbecue in North Carolina. If you’re hungry for more, don’t forget to try their dine-in features inspired by the N.C. State Fair, including Fresh Street Corn on the Cob, Fried Oreos, and more. After the event, the ‘cue will go to Raleigh firefighters and first responders located in the Warehouse District to thank them for their dedication to the community.
Downtown Durham Inc. announced thatThe Streetery scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9 at Geer Street has been rescheduled for Oct. 23 due to rain in the forecast. The Streetery happens on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Get all the details.
580 Craft Beer in Pittsboro will host the first ever Chatham County Beer Festival on Sunday, Oct. 24 from 3 – 6 p.m. at their location at 354 East St. They will be hosting 15+ beer vendors as well as food trucks and live music. Preorder and get all the details on their Facebook event page here.
Drink Durham. Ok, I’m on board with that – give me more details. The Drink Durham Festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 2-11 p.m and combines beer, live music, food trucks and local vendors to raise money for the CNOTE Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which provides scholarship funds to HBCUs in North Carolina. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the CNOTE Foundation. Get all the details here.
Our friends over at RalToday reminded us that Raleigh Veg Fest 2021 originally scheduled for April 4 has moved to Oct. 31 in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square. Details here.
After to cancel the 2019 and 2020 events, the Town of Cary will hold Fest in the West on Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and will feature food and beer vendors, entertainment, a kids’ zone as well as arts and crafts. Get all the details here.
And there is a new event in the works for the Triangle – our first Triangle Vegan Restaurant Week , which is scheduled for Nov. 1-7 this year. Organizer Karen Pullen has lined up 16 participating restaurants so far and is looking for more. So if your restaurant is interested in participating (a special menu for that week–at least two creative vegan options, or a three-course fixed price meal) reach out to her at karen@triangleveganrestaurantweek.com or visit the site for details.
This week the Downtown Raleigh Alliance announced that this year’s Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week will run from Nov. 5-14. During the week, local restaurants will offer pre-fixe menus at special prices.

Food Bank Corner

Students Against Hunger — If your school community came together to raise meals for our food-insecure neighbors, how many people could you feed? Find out! In the last year, the Food Bank distributed food to almost 500,000 children facing hunger in the 34 counties we serve, and unfortunately, the number of children in need is increasing. With COVID-19 closing schools and school systems struggling to make the adjustments required to serve children, we saw the devastating impact. No child should have to worry when he or she will eat again, and no parent should have to skip a meal, water down drinks or risk not paying a bill so they can put food on the table for their children. Since its inception, Students Against Hunger has provided hundreds of thousands of meals to families with the support of local schools. Now your school can join the mission to nourish, build, and empower our community! Get 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.

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