Triangle Restaurant News (Oct. 4, 2013)

RALEIGH, N.C. — I feel like we talk about beer a lot, but there are so many new breweries and bottle shops to report on! 

So let's kick this off with the latest brewery – Double Barley Brewing is coming to Smithfield. They are holding a grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 12. VIP tickets are $50 a person and you get food, tours and a special tasting with the brewers. The general admission grand opening is from 4-10 p.m. Their beers include a raspberry chocolate stout and one that contains a "bourbon-soaked vanilla bean" flavor. I see an Out and About field trip in the near future...

More on the bottle shop and tasting room Paddy O'Beers, which plans to open this fall on Fayetteville Street across from Isaac Hunter's Oak City Tavern. The folks at Isaac Hunter's Hospitality, who are behind this exciting project, told me this week that they hope to start construction in the next few weeks. We will keep you posted on their progress. 

Barbecue lovers rejoice – Ed Mitchell's new Durham restaurant, Que, is expected to open by the middle of this month in the American Tobacco Campus's Diamond View III building. Mitchell told the News and Observer that the hogs being used there will be fed a peanut and acorn diet to help accent the flavor of the meat. 

If you have driven by the old Ruben's Downtown Diner location on Person Street, you probably noticed a large bike rack spelling out the word "GRINGO," is sitting in front of it. Construction on this new taqueria has begun and now we know the official name. Gringo A Go-Go is a new project by Ben Shelton, the chef behind Lilly's Pizza in Five Points, according to the News and Observer. Gringo, which is expected to open in a few weeks, will serve authentic Mexican food

Local 22 Kitchen and Bar, a southern gastropub, has opened in Durham in the spot formerly occupied by Vita on West Main Street, according to Triangle Food Guy. They are open for lunch and dinner and serve local, farm-fresh food and drink. Their Bull City Pork Wings look awesome! They are owned by the Giorgios Group, which also ran Vita. 

Jose and Sons, the Raleigh Depot restaurant formerly known as Jibarra, is holding its official grand opening party on Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Listen to live music and try samples of the new menu! 

New Raleigh is reporting that you can now purchase items from Cupcake Stop Shop in the Blake Street Studios in City Market in Raleigh. 

Sad news for fans of Locopops – The locally-made frozen treat company announced plans this week to close their retail stores in Raleigh and Chapel Hill at the end of this month. Their store in Durham will remain open from noon to 9 p.m. daily. More info on the closings.

One more closing to report. Blinco's sports bar on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh has closed. WRAL producer Stephanie Beck told us that their is a "for lease" sign on their door.