November 1, 2013 · 6:14 am

Weekend Picks! Nov. 1st-3rd

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Weekend Picks! Nov. 1st-3rd

I’ve been busy preparing for my first marathon so this week’s list of picks isn’t as comprehensive as in the past, but I still think I’ve picked some great stuff going on each day nonetheless. I’ll admit I added the City of Oaks Marathon as the lone event Sunday because I want everyone to come out and watch me run – just kidding! This will be my first marathon, but I really didn’t include it because I’m running it. In fact I happen to think being a spectator at a road race is actually a lot of fun and the cheering and encouragement from people along the course is really appreciated by the tired runners. No matter how you choose to spend it, I hope you have a great weekend!

Friday November 1st

Music & Coffee at Oak City Roasters – Downtown Raleigh
Jacob Dixon and Candice Young are the headlining musicians for November’s First Friday celebration at Oak City Roasters tonight. Oak City recently opened their new roastery location in the Boylean Heights Area of downtown Raleigh right next to the Boylean Street Brew Pub. Stop by tonight for an evening of great music and coffee and check out their new place!
https://www.facebook.com/OakCityRoasters

“Last Waltz” Outsiders Art Gallery Closing Sendoff! – Durham
Outsiders Art Gallery is closing and they want to go out with a last hurrah! So, on November 1, they are having their “Last Waltz” which will include an auction of one piece per artist that they’ve shown over the last four years. Please join them a night of art, a food truck mash-up with Only Burger, Pie Pushers & Ko Kyu and music performed by Matt Phillips and the Philharmonic, Katharine Whalen, The Blue Tailed Skinks, The Bulltown Strutters and special guests. $10 suggested donation at the door.
https://www.facebook.com/events/584242534976691/

Baguettaboutit Grand Opening Celebration – Raleigh
Another Triangle Food truck has opened a brick & mortar restaurant (don’t worry they will still do the food truck too!). Check out the Grand Opening Celebration of their Baguettaboutit’s new brick and mortar location Friday from 5-8pm. The event will feature several food trucks in the parking lot out front including American Meltdown, Captain Poncho’s Tacos, and Red Hot & Blue, Chick-N-Que and Sweet Traditions Cupcakes.
http://baguettaboutit.com/

Saturday November 2nd

Pop-Up Market at Sola Coffee & Cafe’ – North Raleigh
Sola Coffee & Café in North Raleigh is hosting their first Pop-Up Market this Saturday from 10am-2pm. At least 12 vendors will be set up in the parking lot outside selling and array of art, jewelry, vintage clothing and other handmade items. While you’re there I recommend popping inside for one of their great lattes made with locally roasted Counter Culture Coffee and trying one of their new gluten free scones.
http://solacoffee.com/

Whisk Grand Opening Celebration – Cary
To help kick off the opening of this locally owned & operated store and in anticipation of the upcoming holiday baking season the folks at Whisk are holding a Grand Opening Event all weekend long (Nov. 1st-3rd) . The event will feature a series of free in-store cooking demonstrations and special discounts on cookware & bakeware. I’m a huge local coffee fan (surprise!) so I am hoping to stop by Saturday for the free coffee cupping being hosted by local roaster Muddy Dog Coffee. For a full list of their cooking demonstrations see the link below.
http://www.whiskcarolina.com/event-classes-calendar/2013-11

Oktoberfest at West 94th Street Pub – Durham
Celebrate Oktoberfest at West 94th Street Pub in Durham this Saturday from 2-6pm. They will hold the event in the parking lot in front of the pub and will have live music, German Style food and local beer from LoneRider, Triangle Brewery, White Street Brewery, and Foothills Brewery. The event is a benefit for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC. Tickets are $5 per sample station of $15 to sample all stations. If you donate 5 canned food items you can sample all the stations for just $10.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-94th-St-Pub/216732515166

Sunday November 3rd

City of Oaks Marathon – Raleigh
Come on out and cheer on the runners of the half and full marathon this weekend! Bring a cowbell! This is a great way to spend Sunday morning outside on what is forecasted to be a beautiful day! I’ll be out there running my first marathon so keep an eye out for a guy wearing maroon Virginia Tech Hokies visor! If you snap a picture of me in the race feel free to tag me in it on instagram so we can all have a good laugh at how funny I look running!
http://www.cityofoaksmarathon.com/

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October 31, 2013 · 5:13 am

KoKyu BBQ Food Truck Needs Your Support – Help them Open a Brick & Mortar Restaurant!

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KoKyu BBQ Food Truck

The Kokyu BBQ Food Truck is one of my favorite Triangle trucks. For the past three years they have been my “go to” food truck when I visit Durham. They serve unique dishes like “Carolina Carnitas” Sliders, Pekin Duck “TaKos”,  “Unreal Buffalo Chicken” Sliders, and Philly “CheeseFakes”. The people behind Kokyu are now ready to take the next step and are working on opening a brick & mortar restaurant in downtown Durham.  They have an ongoing kickstarter fundraising campaign to help raise the seed money to do this and are so very close to reaching their goal, but they need your support!

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Korean BBQ Taco

I’ve always enjoyed KoKyu’s Korean BBQ tacos. I have many fond memories of scarfing them down between sets when my band played the “garage stage” at Motorco Music Hall where the KoKyu truck was usually set up. It was a great inexpensive way to eat something delicious and unique, which is a big deal when you are dining on a musician’s budget!

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Duck Fat Tots!

Another KoKyu favorite of mine is the duck fat tater tots! At first I was somewhat skeptical of tater tots made in duck fat but I was quickly won over after my first bite. They quickly became a staple that goes very well with a nice cold pint of beer.

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KoKyu

The good news is that KoKyu has plans to keep their food trucks running even after they open their restaurant and they have some neat plans for the restaurant as well. But time is running out and they really just need a little bump from all of us to help them make their funding goal. Their Kickstarter campaing ends in a little less than than 20 hours and they need that last little push to send them over the top! Please consider supporting their quest to open a brick and mortar restaurant and visit their crowd source funding page here and show your support!

About KoKyu
In the winter of 2010, KoKyu BBQ first hit the streets of the triangle in North Carolina. Packing an array of extremely fresh produce and delicate, slow-cooked meats, lines quickly formed in front of the distinctive graffiti adorned trailer.

Lines formed at a number of local food truck hotspots and KoKyu eventually landed on Rigsbee Avenue. The fans followed and KoKyu became an icon of The Triangle food scene while amassing an ongoing list of excellent reviews ranging from local bloggers to the New York Times, so KoKyu decided to stay for a while.

Look out for KoKyu Ondo in the Fall of 2013, the newest addition to the KoKyu family of trucks. Ondo will specialize in the same principles that made KoKyu BBQ a hit- extremely fresh, perfectly cooked street meals, all on a dime budget. Keep us posted if there are any locales you’d like to see us roll up to.

Website: http://www.kokyubbq.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokyuBBQ
Twitter: @KoKyuBBQ

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October 30, 2013 · 12:55 pm

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & 1/2 Course Announcement & October 31st Price Increase

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I wanted to post a quick reminder that the registration price for both the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh marathon and half marathon will go up at 11:59pm PDT on October 31st. So if you have been sitting on the fence about signing up now is a great time to make the commitment and save a few bucks in the process. You can register for the race on their website here http://bit.ly/YPQ2hD

Discount Code for Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh
Don’t forget, you can continue to use the unique discount code I’ve been given to share with my Triangle Explorer readers. Save $10 by using the discount code “TRIEXPLORERAL10” when you Register online at the Rock’n’Roll Marathon website. This code will work as long as you register before April 6, 2014 and is good for both the full and half marathon.

Official Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Course Has Been Announced!
You may have also heard last week that official course has been announced. I’ve shared a picture of the course below but you can also view the official course map on their website here and zoom in and out of the various areas of the course to get more details. The course looks great and features tons of sights throughout downtown Raleigh!

RRroute

More Information about Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh
Date of Race: Sunday April 13, 2014
Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh website: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RnRRaleighNC
Twitter: @RunRocknRoll

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October 30, 2013 · 4:54 am

Competition Dining Series “Final Fire” Battle of the Champions Tickets On Sale Today at 7pm!

Drawing Knives

The regional winners draw knives to determine the bracket for Final Fire 2013
(photo courtesy of Competition Dining)

Final Fire Returns to Raleigh!
The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series returns to Raleigh in November for the “Final Fire” competition. Final Fire will conclude the statewide chef competition and determine NC’s champion. Reservations open Oct. 30 at 7 pm online here.

Location & Dates
The four competitive dinners will be hosted at Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel at 4100 Main at North Hills St., Raleigh (map)

The series begins on Nov. 20 and concludes on Nov. 23. The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Champions from Asheville, Wilmington, the Triad, the Triangle and Charlotte will compete.

“Final Fire” Chef Brackets

November 20th

  • Noble’s Grille, Winston-Salem (John Bobby) vs. Mimosa Grill, Charlotte (Jon Fortes)

November 21st

  • Flights at Renaissance Raleigh Hotel, Raleigh (Dean Thompson) vs. winner of Nov. 20

November 22nd

  • Persimmons Restaurant, New Bern (Gerry Fong) vs. Red Stag Grill, Asheville (Adam Hayes)

November 23rd

  • Battle between winner of Nov. 21 and Nov. 22

At stake in Final Fire is $4,000, a hand-forged set of knives from Charlotte-based Ironman Forge and a trip to Napa Valley, CA to the pro chef program at the CIA Greystone campus, compliments of Kikkoman. The runner-up receives $1,000.

Now in its second year, The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series has become a statewide movement. Because all people are chefs, farmers, and diners, the event’s mission is to connect and celebrate this community with a dynamic, entertaining experience.

Sponsors include the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, OUR STATE Magazine, Certified Angus Beef®, Pepsi Bottling Ventures and Swisher Hygiene.

How it Works
Paying guests will savor each course in a blind tasting alongside a panel of culinary and celebrity judges in a series of four dinner competitions. Each evening, two restaurants “battle” it out side-by-side in a single elimination format. Guests savor a six-course menu (three dishes from each chef without knowing whose food they’re tasting) created around a “featured” ingredient. For each dinner, the ingredient will come from a North Carolina farmer or artisan producer. The featured ingredient is revealed to the chefs only an hour before they start cooking, and it must be used in each of the three courses.

Diners, alongside culinary and guest judges, will rate each dish and determine who moves on to the next round and who goes home.

Reservation Information
Event reservations cost $119 each excluding beverage, tax and service charge. Diners can attend as many dinners as they like. Reservations open online here on October 30 at 7 pm . Event organizers expect the finals to sell out in 24 hours so don’t wait!

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October 29, 2013 · 11:10 am

Whisk Grand Opening Celebration in Cary ~ Nov. 1st-3rd

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Whisk ~ Cary, NC

Back in September a cool new kitchen & bakeware store opened in Cary’s Waverly Place (map).  I hear from my foodie friends that it is a home cook’s paradise with just about everything you could want for your home kitchen. In addition to all the useful gear, gadgets, and tools for your kitchen they also host a ton of great cooking classes each month.

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Cooking Knives Dispaly

To help kick off the opening of theis locally owned & operated store and in anticipation of the upcoming holiday baking season the folks at Whisk are holding a Grand Opening Event this weekend (Nov. 1st-3rd) . The event will feature a series of free in-store cooking demonstrations and special discounts all weekend long. I’m a huge local coffee fan (surprise!) so I am hoping to stop by Saturday for the free coffee cupping being hosted by local roaster Muddy Dog Coffee.

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Bakeware

I’m also looking forward to checking out the other demonstrations and browsing all the cooking & bakeware gear to get ideas for holiday gifts. I could use a hand at cooking at home too so I look forward to learning more about future classes being offered at Whisk. For a full list of the Grand Opening Event cooking demonstrations scheduled check out their event page here. For more details about the grand opening event see the official announcement from Whisk below.

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Dan and Diana Saklad of Whisk

Whisk Grand Opening Event in Cary – November 1st-3rd
The Triangle’s new store for cooks, “Whisk”, is hosting a three-day Grand Opening Event November 1st, 2nd and 3rd to kick off the holiday baking season. The quality kitchenware store, offering in-store cooking classes, opened this past September in Cary. Whisk has been enthusiastically welcomed by the community and is fast becoming a destination for Triangle cooks.

The Whisk Grand Opening will feature a variety of free, holiday-focused mini-cooking classes. Shoppers can follow their nose to the in-store kitchen classroom and check out what’s cooking. Free giveaways, product demonstrations and sampling will take place all weekend long. A special promotion offering complimentary reusable Whisk shopping bags will allow customers to receive 20% off bakeware items for the 3-day event.

“We have been thrilled with the response since our opening just five weeks ago,” stated owner Dan Saklad. “So many customers have told us that we are the absolute best kitchen store they have ever visited – and that has been our goal from inception. This grand opening celebration is Whisk’s formal debut into the Triangle’s retail scene.”

Open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 am until 6 pm, and on Sundays from Noon until 5 pm, Whisk is located upstairs in the Waverly Place shopping center at 316 Colonades Way in Cary. There are 15 new cooking classes being offered in November, with seven of those focusing on Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving classes cover everything from the perfect pumpkin pie to healthy holiday eating to the clever use of leftovers.

Whisk is a full service, independently-owned kitchen store featuring a spectacular variety of quality kitchenware, as well as in-store cooking classes for all levels and interests. Specialized services at Whisk include knife sharpening, bridal registry, private parties, and corporate team building events.  For more information, visit www.whiskcarolina.com.

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Whisk
316 Coloades Way
Cary, NC 27518 (map)
Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM
Sunday 12-5PM

Website: http://www.whiskcarolina.com/
Twitter: @WhiskCarolina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiskCarolina

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