Foodie News: North Hills is getting a new wine bar, restaurant

RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh Magazine broke the news this week that there is new life coming to the former Midtown Grille spot in the Lassiter District in North Hills. Foxcroft Wine Co., which was founded in Charlotte, will operate as both a retail bottle shop and full-service restaurant. You will be able to enjoy bottles of wine in store or take them home with you. Wine by the glass will also be available for diners. Look for a total upfit of the space that will showcase wine selections from around the world, along with an enlarged patio space. Their full-service kitchen will serve small plates as well as full plates featuring pasta made in-house, burgers, steak, scallops and fish. This will be their fifth location (with a sixth on the way in Lake Norman). Start getting familiar with them here.

Downtown Raleigh’s renowned Brewery Bhavana is expanding into Cary’s Fenton development with a second location. Look for them to open in early fall of 2024. This version will be about 1/4 the size of the current location, and will feature an expansive patio space. Like the original version, this location will also include a book store and a flower shop. This location will focus mainly on dim sum and the restaurant’s Belgian-inspired beers. Visit them here.

And speaking of downtown, saw on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance website that Alex Ricci’s Prospects Craft Kitchen and Cocktail Bar has opened in the former Rainbow Luncheonette space at 911 N. West St. Best to get familiar with them on Instagram here. And Axios added that the former bar next door, the Pink Boot, is also being revamped by the restaurant into a new neighborhood watering hole called Devereux, a nod to the former downtown Raleigh baseball stadium.

Got word this week that Playa Bowls is opening on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street (2526 Hillsborough Street) this Saturday (January 13) at 11 a.m.! This marks the second Triangle location of the concept (the other is on Durham’s Ninth Street). The new shop will be offering free bowls to the first 50 guests in line, plus T-shirts and other swag on the morning of the 13th! The Raleigh shop is owned and operated by local entrepreneur David Pokorny, who recently opened Playa Bowls Durham location and is set to open an additional location this year. The new shop specializes in bowls such as acai and pitaya, oatmeal, chia, smoothies, juices, cold brew and more. Pay them a visit here.

RALToday shared that Mon Macaron will open their third location today (Jan. 12) at 5249 Capital Blvd. in north Raleigh. They also have locations in downtown Cary and at Seaboard Station in Raleigh. Stop by today and get your macarons, espresso and wine!

One of my readers anonymously shared with me that a new Mediterranean kabab spot called Mr. Kabab has opened in Poyner Place at Triangle Town Boulevard and Old Wake Forest Road in Raleigh (behind Triangle Town Center). Get to know them here.

And one last Raleigh “note”…RALToday shared that the mobile espresso cart Quarter Note, has opened a permanent location just inside the beltline on Glenwood Avenue (3700 Glenwood Ave. – just across from the former Sushi Mon and Iron Oaks). Get to know them here.

Over in Cary, reader Michael Hord shared with us that Rita’s Italian Ice is now open at 921 N. Harrison Ave. They serve up three things there: ice, custard and happiness. Works for me! They now have over 600 locations across 31 states. Visit them here.

Got word this week that Flying Bull Beer Company is opening their brand-new location on Morris Street in the Durham Innovation District this Sunday, January 14th. Moving forward, Flying Bull will be open for full cocktail and dinner service, pub food/Bull Bites are available all day, and serving their award-winning beer as well. They will be open daily from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., with their elevated menu running from 4 until 10 p.m. Keep up with them here.

Also in Durham, Karl-Christian Vanmoerkerque shared with the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook group that there is signage up in the New Hope Commons shopping center for a KPOT coming soon (5454 New Hope Commons Dr.). They are known for providing a unique, hands-on, all-you-can-eat experience that merges traditional Asian hot pot with Korean BBQ flavors. They also have a location on Capital Blvd. in Raleigh. Check them out here.

And over in Mebane, the Mebane Enterprise reported this week that Jay Starnes, owner and pit master for Fat Man & His Food truck, plans to open Pig Pin by Fat Man inside the Buffaloe Lanes Mebane Family Bowling Center. He is hoping to open by the end of this month. Best to follow along on Facebook to keep up with his progress and pending announcements.

Chapelboro shared the news that Craftboro Brewing Depot in the South Green Shopping Center in Carrboro will be closing February 17. You have a little over a month to get by.

Reader Michelle Canfield shared that the Arby’s at Fairbanks Road in Raleigh has closed. We still have 10 Triangle-area locations.

Reader Zan Bunn shared that the Panera at Crabtree Valley Mall has closed.

Not a “food truck” exactly, but a mobile unit. The awesome folks over at 321 Coffee announced this week that they have launched a mobile version of their coffee concept. The 321 Coffee Cart is custom-designed and thoroughly equipped with a full service espresso bar to seamlessly bring the entire 321 Coffee experience to you (think conferences, kickoff meetings, weddings, parties, employee appreciation events and recurring office visits to name a few). Check them out here and book them for your next gathering!

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.

My buddy Neha M. Shah, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau, shared that the annual Farm to Fork Picnic, celebrating local food and local farms, will take place Sunday, June 2 from 4 to 7 p.m., again at Fearrington Village. Get details and tickets here.

Hard to believe, but tickets went on sale this week for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll at Meadow Lane Farm, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region’s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. Get tickets and all the details here.

This holiday season, families all over our community will be sitting down for delicious meals with their loved ones, enjoying good company, good food, and a good time. But for some, these meals may not be a given. Many of our friends and neighbors are having to decide between stocking their refrigerator and pantry or paying their bills. You can help bring comfort, joy, and hope by making a generous gift now to provide more holiday meals this year. Give $10 now and have double the impact, providing 100 meals.