Foodie News: Popular Chapel Hill bar and grill adds breakfast menu

RALEIGH, N.C. — WRAL shared that this Saturday, Nov. 7, two blocks of Glenwood Avenue from West Jones to West North streets will be closed for extended outdoor dining from 11 am to 9 pm. Part of Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s “Dine Out Downtown” program, local restaurants will be offering extended dining for people to enjoy dishes outside. There will also be live music. To see a complete list of participating restaurants and the music schedule, visit their website here.

Over in Apex, Chris Thorpe with DePersia & Associates shared the news that The Pizza Dude in Apex is under new ownership and a new name. Owners, Vittorio and Lucia Vitolo (you can call them Vic and Lucy!) have opened Mezza Luna Pizzeria at 1763 W Williams St in Apex in the Peak Plaza/Food Lion. Born in Italy, Vic and Lucy previously served the Bronx and upstate New York area for nearly 40 years. This is definitely worth a visit – check them out 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.

The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Yung Nay, the chef and co-owner at Fusion Fish in Chapel Hill’s Meadowmont, is opening a new spot in Carrboro called Iza Whiskey & Eats. They will be serving up Japanese style izakaya serving small plates, sushi and ramen along with cocktails including whiskey and sake. It will be located at 307 E. Main Street in the spot formerly occupied by Tom + Chee and One Fish Two Fish Poke. Nay will operate his successful catering business out of the new space. Fusion Fish will remain open. An official open date will be announced soon, but expect it within the next month. Follow announcements on their Facebook page here.

Over in Durham, the folks at Taste Carolina notified us that Beer Tooth Taproom is opening soon at Homestead Market shopping center doors down from Milk Lab, Zenfish, Bean Traders and Mad Popper. If the wife ever kicks me out of the house, look for me along this strip! Follow them on Facebook here.

Also in Durham, Bites of Bull City reported that Boxcar has reopened its bar and pizza kitchen for table service only. The patio, and indoor seating at 6 feet apart, are available. The arcade remains closed at this time. Hours are noon to 11 p.m. on weekends and 5 to 11 p.m. on weekdays. Visit Boxcar here.

In Chapel Hill, the Triangle Business Journal notified folks that Linda’s, a popular Chapel Hill bar since 1976, is now serving up breakfast. Breakfast service begins at 10 a.m. Check out Linda’s here.

A bit of an unusual “closing” this week as we see the retirement of a “local legend” in the Triangle food scene. After a 25 year stint, the News & Observer’s anonymous food critic Greg Cox announced his retirement this week. He will be missed, but he did hint at an occasional return. Congrats on retirement Greg! You will be missed. A job very well done.

Bites of Bull City introduced us to a new “morning” food truck in Durham called Bull City Eatery. Owner Kishia Swift serves up fresh, homestyle-inspired food for breakfast and lunch and is conveniently located in Downtown Durham right off of East Chapel Hill Street (parked at the little island with the fountain). The menu includes classics like shrimp and grits, a croissant sandwich (scrambled eggs, thick sausage patties, and melted cheese) and avocado toast. You can also get breakfast items a la carte, such as muffins, bagels or grits, and even a kids breakfast. Check it out here.

Food Truck Flix is a recurring event that combines drive-in movies with food trucks for a safer entertainment. They just announced their schedule for the upcoming weekends (Friday and Saturday nights). The events will be taking place at Frontier RTP and at Focus Church at 7000 Destiny Drive in Raleigh. You can purchase tickets in advance for any of the drive-in movies. The price is $25 per car. Of course, you’ll also want to bring money for the food trucks.

Find and stalk your favorite food trucks with Roaming Hunger and Street Food Finder.

Many people are looking to Thanksgiving dining options this year – it is a great way to support our local restaurants. Look to the News & Observer and WRAL to provide links to restaurants offering Thanksgiving packages. Again, this would be a GREAT way to support your favorite, local restaurant. Visit your favorite local restaurant’s social media pages for menus (for instance, here are Boulted Bread’s holiday offerings and here is the offering from ACME in Carrboro).

On Saturday, Nov. 14 from 2-9 p.m., Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro will hold their Third Annual Oyster Roast with live music by Tommy Edwards and Carolina Lightning. Visit Carolina Brewery here.

Like most things in 2020, this year’s Sip+Savor wine and food event is coming at us with a cool little twist – you’ll get to select an at-home food and wine experience for contactless pickup on Nov. 7 at Johnson Lexus of Durham! Each of the four adventure options (Latin, Roots, European and World) includes dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the Triangle and a handpicked wine flight. Your adventure includes: 5 dishes for two, 4 split bottles of wine, coffee and a swag bag. In addition, chef-tells-all video and virtual wine class by Ryan Vet, Sommelier at the Oak House. Cost is $145. See the offerings and get all the details here.

As The Pit in downtown Raleigh celebrates its 13th birthday, the restaurant will be cooking up Thanksgiving again this year, offering guests the opportunity to dine in at the restaurant or order the meal to-go. Guests can also order from an a la carte menu with all the meats, sides and desserts to fill in any gaps on the Thanksgiving table. Their dine-in family-style Thanksgiving dinner is $34.99 a person ($19.99 for kids 12 and under) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26. See their menu here. The Pit’s sister restaurants, Gravy and Sitti, also have Thanksgiving packages.

Since 2013, community members have celebrated their Thanksgiving at Plates Neighborhood Kitchen. To celebrate the restaurant’s eighth annual Thanksgiving charity initiative, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen is partnering with Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina on “Plates for the Community.” This year, Plates wants to make sure they can still provide the same level of satisfaction while keeping everyone safe during this unprecedented time. Through Monday, Nov. 23, chef David Mitchell is offering Thanksgiving meal packages designed to feed six to eight people in the comfort of their own homes. Owners of Plates, Steve Day and Justin Gallus, have pledged to provide a $20 donation to the Food Bank for each package sold. The donation from each package purchased is enough to provide 100 meals for those in need right here in our local community. Get the details on their Facebook event page here. #noonegoeshungry

Sean Lennard owns Triangle Food Guy, the only locally owned and operated corporate catering website, TriangleFoodGuy.com. As a native of Raleigh, Sean 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.