Foodie News: Raleigh bagel shop named among 'Best in America'

RALEIGH, N.C. — This week chef Scott Crawford announced his next restaurant project, Crawford Cookshop, which will be opening at 401 Main Street in Clayton this summer. It will feature simple and delicious “Americana” style cooking from a wood fired grill — like house-ground burgers, smoked chicken, chicken and duck wings, smoked duck, beef and pork ribs, and seasonal vegetables for salads. Look for Crawford’s fried chicken and prime ribs to make the “weekly specials” list. In the meantime, visit Crawford and Son here and Jolie here.

Saw on RalToday that Raleigh bakeries Boulted Bread and Benchwarmers Bagels received a shout-out in Food & Wine’s recent round-up of the Best Bagels in America. Both are located in downtown Raleigh – Boulted on South Street, and Benchwarmers in the Transfer Co. Food Hall. Read the article here. Visit Boulted here and Benchwarmers here.

Perhaps you are one of the hundreds/thousands of folks that have been following/keeping up with Christopher Lopez and John Kleinart. If you haven’t been following along, here’s an overly-simplified recap. Lopez and Kleinart closed Postmaster in Cary due to the pandemic. They quickly created a takeout menu centered around cheeseburgers and branded themselves as Gov’t Cheeseburger operating out of the Postmaster location. They then took their ‘show’ on the road and started Fine Folk, operating out of the downtown Raleigh bar, Foundation. And now they have landed their short order kitchen inside Union Special in Raleigh’s Gateway Plaza. Probably best to get by in the evenings Wednesday through Saturday. Follow them on Instagram here.

The Triangle Business Journal shared the news this week that this summer Ladyfingers Catering will debut Ladyfingers Market and Eatery at the Sojourn Glenwood Place. Shoppers will be able to purchase Ladyfingers’ signature shaved country ham rolls, gourmet frozen prepared meals, grocery dry goods, baked goods, dairy products, household necessities, bottled craft beer and fine wines. The cafe-style dining will feature fresh-brewed coffee, espresso, breakfast options, baked goods, handcrafted sandwiches, artisanal deli salads and by-the-glass craft beer and wine. Ladyfingers joins the already announced Iron Oaks Taproom and Sushi Mon. Visit Ladyfingers here.

A quick update – at Transfer Co. Food Hall, Burial Beer’s expansion into the new space on the corner with The Exhibit Bottle Shop announced that they will open on March 13th (that’s tomorrow!). The new space will feature new murals, more seating, new two tops, twice the number of existing taps and a bevy of updates. Follow them on Instagram here.

And speaking of openings (or re-openings), the folks over at so•ca, cocina latina in Raleigh’s Village District, announced this week that they will-reopen and begin taking reservations on April 14. Visit so•ca here.

Reader Jane Bell noticed a new sign for Kazu Hibachi at Raleigh’s Brennan Station on Creedmoor Road. It will be located next door to BottleMixx at 8111 Creedmoor Road. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an online presence for them. Stay tuned!

Looking for all the outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.

And as a sign that things continue to meander more towards normalcy, we learned yesterday that Corpse Reviver Lounge & Distillery Tasting Room at 715 Washington St. in Durham announced the return of lounge seating operating at 50% capacity inside with reservations required. Patio seating continues to be first come, first serve. For information on the safety precautions they are taking, click here.

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.

The News & Observer shared the news this week that Chapel Hill’s West End Wine Bar won’t reopen on the other side of the pandemic. Resnick is selling the building to Mediterranean Deli owner Jamil Kadoura, who plans to open an event space.

Here are a couple of sites to find and stalk your favorite food trucks here and here.

It is that time of year again – St. Patrick’s Day and Pi Day. Lots of fun surrounding both of those days and the best place to check out events with each is on the WRAL Out & About page here. Enjoy!

Our friends over at RalToday pointed out a few events you might want to go ahead and get on your calendar. So exciting to think of some of our favorite events actually happening in 2021! First up, Raleigh Veg Fest 2021 scheduled for Sunday, April 4 in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square. The North Carolina Wine Festival is scheduled for May 22 at the Streets at Southpoint. And Brewgaloo scheduled for June 11 and 12 in downtown Raleigh.

Thanks to generous friends of the Food Bank, your gift to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina can be matched – dollar for dollar – up to $340,000. That’s right, through March 31 your donation can provide twice as many balanced meals to neighbors experiencing hunger right now. This 2X Matching Gift Challenge couldn’t have come at a more meaningful time. This month marks one year since the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted our daily lives and caused food insecurity in our service area to soar higher than the Great Recession. After a year of missing paychecks due to layoffs, furloughs, or reduced hours, we know families are wondering how they will continue to afford rent and utilities — and food. Double your gift today here! But because of you, there’s hope. #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.