Category Archives: Events

February 5, 2016 · 12:38 pm

Weekend Picks: February 5th-7th

KrispyKremeTrombone

Krispy Kreme Challenge
(Photo courtesy @BeerAndRacing)

The month of February is starting off with a busy weekend. Here are my top picks of things to check out for the weekend of February 5th through the 7th.

Friday

Olympic Trials Send off at Runologie
Meet Raleigh’s 2016 United States Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifiers this Friday, February 5th at Runologie. Sir Walter Running will co-host a First Friday reception/send off, which will be held from 6-8 pm, with a “Question and Answer” panel with the athletes starting at 7pm. Trophy Brewing will provide beverages and Pat Price will have his Prefon (Peach) Saison to sample. Details here.

Artist Opening for Ben Night Art at Rebus Works in Raleigh
Rebus Works is proud to present new works by artist Ben Knight. Join them and Knight for his First Friday Raleigh opening of unique, vibrant paintings on Friday, February 5 from 6 to 9pm. Please note Knight’s work will be on display for First Friday and during the The Saturday Market at Rebus Works only. They will also have beer from Fullsteam Brewery and the Cockadoodlemoo Truck. Details here.

Saturday

Krispy Kreme Challenge
The Krispy Kreme Challenge starts at 8:30am Saturday with a 2.5 mile run from the NC State Bell Tower on Hillsborough Street to the Krispy Kreme store at the intersection of Peace & Person Street in downtown Raleigh. Once there runners eat a dozen original glazed Krispy Kreme donuts and then run 2.5 miles back to the Bell Tower – all in under one hour. Come out and cheer on the runners!

Patchwork Market at Fullsteam
The Patchwork Market is a monthly market with makers and vintage vendors. The market is held the first Saturday of the each month from 12-4 PM at Fullsteam Brewery in Durham. Local makers and vintage vendors will come together to create a unique shopping experience with a diverse selection of high quality and original goods.

Beauty Operators & Bulltown Strutters Play Motorco 
Mardi Gras is next Tuesday, but on Saturday Night The Beauty Operators & Bulltown Strutters kick things off with “Samedi Gras“. Samedi is the Fat Saturday, if you will, on the Saturday before the big Mardi Gras celebration. Music starts at 8pm w/ $10 cover.

Sunday

Big Boss Run Club
My Favorite brewery supported run club meets all winter long at Big Boss Brewery each Sunday at noon. Multiple distance options and all runners are welcome. This weekend they will have the Arepa Culture Food Truck. An Ambassador from the All American Marathon will also be on hand to share news about the upcoming race in Fayetteville on April 3rd. 

Super Bowl Sunday at Breweries
Check out my post from yesterday sharing my pics of five great local breweries hosting Super Bowl Parties.

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February 4, 2016 · 5:05 pm

Five Places to Watch the Super Bowl

Panthers
There are a lot of great places around the Triangle to watch the Super Bowl and I’m sure some may have other picks, but I like the idea of watching it at a brewery surrounded by a big crowd and good beer. Below are my top five suggestions for catching the game this Sunday. 

Neuse River Brewing Company (Raleigh)
Neuse River will host a Reggae Sunday pre-party with steel drums by Sensory Expressions from 3-5pm and Cousins Maine Lobster food truck from 3-8pm. Come game time watch the Panthers take on the Broncos via their 120″ projection screen (with sound). Beer special will be $4 Laila’s Midnight (a dark IPA).

Big Boss Brewing (Raleigh)
Big Boss will broadcast the game on two big screen tv’s at their new bar downstairs in the brewery including sound from large speakers. The game will also be on three tv’s in the upstairs bar area. Tons of beer on tap with wine available too. High Roller IPA will be on special for $3 and FREE PIZZA while it lasts. 

White Street Brewing (Wake Forest)
White street will be showing the game on several big screen tv’s. Pizza Amore, located right around the corner is offering a Super Bowl special for brewery guest: Large cheese pizza and a dozen wings for $21.95.

Ponysaurus Brewing (Durham)
Taproom will have the game on all four flat screens. Pie Pushers are preparing a special Super Bowl menu including their famous pie slices, wings & more! The Pushers start serving at noon when the taproom opens. Super Bowl 50 begins at 6:30pm. Come grab a seat early!

Fullsteam Brewery (Durham)
Fullsteam will have the game up on their Big Screen and popular food truck American Meltdown will be there. During the game Fullsteam will have their famous chip and dip set up for snacking. Fullsteam giveaways every quarter. Preferred seating up front for those who bring their own camping/lawn chairs.

Places to get Buffalo Wings
If you are planning to stay home but want to order Buffalo Wings for your Super Bowl Party I recommend checking out Heavenly Buffaloes in Durham and Lynnwood Grill in Raleigh. Both are currently taking orders, but hurry. I think orders need to be in by Friday.

 

 

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January 27, 2016 · 2:10 pm

Weekend Picks: January 29th-31st

IRIS

NC Museum of Art – Iris Restaurant

Now that the Triangle has thawed out it is time to get out and explore. Here are a few fun events this weekend that caught my eye:

Friday
Peter Lamb and the Wolves Trio returns to the NC Museum of Art for a night of jazz music and art. The museum’s “Art in the Evening” series is free and open to the public. Music begins around 5:30pm. If you need dinner plans check out the Iris restaurant inside the museum. Reservations encouraged.

Saturday
Have you been to the Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough? If not this is the weekend to check it out. Plenty of their excellent beers on tap and Curtis Eller’s American Circus & The Wiley Fosters play the taproom. Show starts at 8pm.

Sunday
The Durham Winter Food Truck Rodeo is this Sunday from 12-4pm in Durham Central Park. The event will feature 50 trucks, live music, and local brewers Fullsteam, Ponysaurus, Triangle Brewery, and Bull City Cider.

New Coffee Shop in Durham Opening This Weekend
Thanks to a post by my friend @MetroMonk on twitter earlier this week I learned about a new coffee shop opening on 9th street in Durham this Saturday next Tuesday February 2nd. I don’t know much about the shop yet other than that it is called George’s Java and they appear to roast their own coffee beans. I’m looking forward to checking it out soon!

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January 20, 2016 · 7:05 pm

Nashers Sandwich House in North Raleigh

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Nashers Sandwich House ~ Raleigh, NC

The Triangle certainly has some great places for lunch, problem is not many of them are located very close to where I live. Fortunately that is no longer the case now that Nashers Sandwich House has opened on Durant Road in North Raleigh. They opened over the summer but I only recently had a chance to check them out. So far I have been there three times and I have been so impressed that it is quickly turning into my “go to” place for a great lunch.

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Naskers Dining Room

Nashers has a pretty basic setup inside. You order at the counter and the food is brought to your table when ready. It isn’t a huge space but has several tables in a brightly painted dining room painted with warm colors. The menu focuses on “scratch-made” sandwiches, salads, soups and sides. There are at least 20 different sandwiches and 6 types of salad on the menu at any given time. They also offer  several soups and a bevy of sides ranging from french fries to cast iron corn. As an added bonus I noticed in addition to the typical soft drinks they have a few beers on tap including two from local breweries.

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TK B.L.T. Grilled Cheese

Prices range between $7.99 to $849 for the sandwiches which come in sizable portions. You can add fries and a drink for an additional $3.75. So far I have had the chicken parm sandwich and the TK B.L.T grilled cheese. Both were excellent, but my favorite was the turkey B.L.T. It comes with roast turkey, applewood smoked bacon, sharp cheddar, shaved romaine, tomato, and Nasher sauce on griddled country white. You can view the full sandwich menu here.

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Country Cobb Salad

Salads  will set you back between $8.49 to $9.99. Like the sandwiches, salad portions are quite large. My wife ordered the Country Cobb Salad which comes with mixed greens, roast turkey, Naturally smoked ham, tomato, hard boiled egg, green onions, avocado, crumbled blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. She enjoyed it and had a little left over to take home. You can view the full salad menu here.

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House made fries with sea salt & cracked pepper w/ side of Nashersauce

Nashers might not be the cheapest place for lunch but I found the quality of the food and the size of the portions in line with what we paid. A good choice for lunch is the “Pick Two” combo option where you can get half a sandwich or half a salad and half a soup for just $8.49.  Judging from the lunch crowds I’ve seen during my last two visits word has gotten out how good the food is. If you are up in the North Raleigh area I would definitely add this place to your lunch rotation and check it out for yourself. Nashers is open 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Nashers Sandwich House
10630 Durant Road ~ Raleigh
website: http://www.nasherssandwichhouse.com/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nasherssandwichhouse
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashersandwichhouse/

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January 8, 2016 · 12:33 pm

Some Fun Things To Do in January

Raspberry

Things tend to quiet down event wise around the Triangle during  January, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of fun things to do. A few things on my list to check out this month include the M.C. Escher exhibit at the NC Museum of Art, which has been extended through January 24th. Also worth visiting is the Chinese Lantern Festival in Cary at the Koka Booth Amphitheater which runs through January 17th.

This weekend in Durham the Bulltown Strutters kickoff Mardi Gras season with a show at the new Blue Note Grill location on Saturday, January 9th at 8pm. It will be a night filled with New Orleans inspired music by the Strutters,  Boom Unit Brass Band and MSA Cajun Band. Cover is $8.

You can also find some great music this Saturday night (Jan 9th) at Nickelpoint Brewery in Raleigh. Acoustic guitar player and singer-songwriter Zach Wiley will be playing at the brewery from 6-9pm. You can always count on a great food truck being there as well if you want to get some dinner. Some other local beer destinations to check out over the winter are the recently opened taproom at Oak City Brewing Company in Knightdale. If you are up for driving a little beyond the Triangle I hear that the new Koi Pond Brewery in Rocky Mount is also worth checking out.

Another great place to visit in January is the Durham Farmer’s Market which is open each Saturday from 10am-12pm all winter long. It’s a great spot to pick up seasonal veggies and locally made products. You can also find several food trucks there each morning along Hunt Street. Speaking of food trucks, there will be a Winter Food Truck Rodeo in Durham Central Park later this month on Sunday January 24th.

And finally, if you are just looking to get out of the house to grab a baked good and some coffee January is a great time to visit one of the great local bakeries or coffee shops around the Triangle. Two of my favorites are both in downtown Raleigh. Boulted Bread on W. South Street and Yellow Dog Bread on Person Street.  There are also two “newish” coffee shops I’ve recently visited that I think are worth checking out. The first is Liquid State located on Hillsborough Street across the from the NCSU bell tower. They have great carrboro coffee and also serve wine and beer. The second is Gray Squirrel Coffee on Main Street in Carrboro. They are located inside the Yester Years brewery space. Both are great spots to explore.

If you have additional suggestions for the month of January feel free to add them in the comments section below. Happy exploring!

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