According to the N&O Tasty 8’s Gourmet Hot Dog Co. is hoping to open for business this Friday. The restaurant featuring gourmet hot dogs has completely overhauled the space on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh where Spize Cafe was once located. I’m not a huge hot dog fan, but must admit I am intrigued by the menu which includes 8 different kinds of hot dogs, 8 types of dipping sauces, and yes 8 beers on tap.
I’m looking forward to checking this place out when they open and plan to report back with more pictures and thoughts about the food. I’m also interested to see how their takeout window service operates. Once they open their hours will be Monday-Wednesday from 11am to 10pm and Thursday-Saturday 11am to 3am (note the late night hours on weekends!). In the meantime follow them on their facebook page for updates.
Tasty 8’s Gourmet Hot Dog Co.
121 Fayetteville Street #108
Raleigh, NC 27601 http://tasty8s.com
Wake Forest just got a whole lot more flavorful. Lumpy’s Ice Cream has been serving up some of the best locally made ice cream at events around the Triangle since 2001, but this weekend they make the leap to opening up their first brick and mortar location in downtown Wake Forest. Their grand opening celebration is scheduled for this Saturday, March 24, 2012 with an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 11am.
Lumpy's Ice Cream ~ 306 Wait Avenue, Wake Forest, NC
Earlier this week I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a food blogger preview of Lumpy’s to sample some of their flavors and meet with the owner Buck Buchanan. Buck is a great guy who clearly has a passion for what he does and supports the community by using all natural ingredients from local producers to create his ice cream. All of the ice cream at lumpy’s is made using hormone free cream from Maple View Farms in Hillsborough, NC and contain no artificial coloring, flavors, or corn syrup.
Lumpy's Ice Cream
Lumpy’s currently produces over 200 gallons of ice cream a week and makes over 200 different flavors. At any given time they feature 14 different flavors in the case at their shop with 6 or more flavors offered off their mobile cart at events. One of their operation goals is to maintain a proper balance of production vs. demand so their ice cream is always as fresh as possible.
Of the various flavors I tried on my visit two of my favorites were “Baklava” (with cinnamon, honey, and walnuts) and “Drunken Berry”, a celtic flavor inspired by the Highland Games that features vanilla ice cream with rasberries that have been soaked in 12 year old scotch. Lumpy’s also offers more traditional flavors including “Sally’s Silly Strawberry”, “Kickin’ Kenny’s Chocolate” and “Bernie’s Butter Pecan” (made with real butter).
Seating Inside Lumpy's
I found that I really enjoyed the unique texture and consistency of Lumpy’s ice cream. It isn’t soft serve, but it also isn’t hard like the typical ice cream you buy at the grocery store. Buck explained that they strive to serve their ice cream at just below 5 degrees. Once you get over 5 degrees ice cream begins to start melting, but just below that it is the optimum temperature at which the flavors of the ice cream are fully expressed.
In addition to serving ice cream, Lumpy’s future plans include offering hamburgers and hot dogs made from locally sourced beef supplied by Harris Robinette Farms out of Pinetops, NC. This is a family farm that has been managed by the same family for over 100 years and practices sustainable and environmentally friendly practices to raise 100% grass fed cattle free of hormones and pesticides. The hamburger and hot dog samples I had were very juicy and flavorful. The hot dog is not your traditional type of hot dog but more of an Italian sausage made with flavorful spices.
Lump's Ice Cream Pints
In the future Buck hopes to sell Lumpy’s ice cream through grocery stores throughout the Triangle, but in the meantime you can purchase their ice cream by the pint at the store and find it for sale by the scoop at local restaurants, sporting events, and concert venues (full list of location here). To learn more about Lumpy’s check out their website or watch this cool Hartford Insurance commercial below that features Lumpy’s story as one of their small business clients.
The Triangle Explorer 