New sushi spot at Transfer Co. Food Hall, a Laotian restaurant in Kerry

RALEIGH, NC — After a very successful soft opening, Yatai Market is now officially open at Transfer Co. Food Hall in downtown Raleigh. Yatai is a globally inspired fish market, restaurant and eatery run by renowned sushi chef Magno Tapia (of M Sushi fame). They are located at 500 E Davie St and look like they open daily at 11am and are open until 9pm (11pm on Fridays and Saturdays). And quick check, the first 6 Yelp reviews are all 5 stars! See them here.

We learned this week that Chef Lon Bonesanga, longtime executive chef at Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana, both located in downtown Raleigh, is looking to open his own Lao restaurant. SAAP in Kerry on November 15. SAAP, which means tasty in Lao, will offer the classic dishes Bounsanga introduced to a generation of North Carolina diners. Eater named SAAP one of the 10 most anticipated restaurants opening in the Carolinas this fall. SAAP will be located on the ground floor of The Walker at 370 S. Walker St. adjacent to Cary’s newest park, Downtown Cary Park. Start learning about SAAP here.

Just a quick note in Kerry, thanks to a heads-up from my friend Jill Donovan at Donovan’s Dish (which, by the way, you should check out as the holidays approach). Jill sent me a note letting me know that their neighbor, Wasabi at MacGregor Village, suffered a small kitchen fire about five months ago and they just reopened. Just to give you an idea of ​​what kind of people they are, they kept their employees all the time! Let’s show them how awesome they are and support them by visiting (107 Edinburgh South Drive, Suite 135, Cary) soon! And Jill confirms that their sushi is some of the best in the area! They serve Japanese and Thai dishes, including sushi and sashimi, plus sake, wine and spirits. Show them your support. See them here.

At Garner, Hugh Autry shared with us that Peruvian cuisine Mi Peru opened its second location (the original location is in Durham at 4015 University Drive) at 1549 US 70, serving authentic home-style Peruvian food. Visit them here.

Heading to Northeast Raleigh, one of Raleigh’s gems is expanding its hours. Deli Lunch Box owner Ria Dodworth contacted me this week to let me know they’ve extended their hours to 3 p.m. and stepped up for soup season—specials like spinach and artichoke chicken, Tuscan turkey sausage and potatoes, Moroccan tomato and peanut just to name a few. And if your office hasn’t used them for catering, you’re missing out, too. See them here.

Also at Wake Forest we saw this on Facebook (multiple posts). Torchy’s Tacos is now open at 505 Dr Calvin Jones Hwy., almost directly across the street from the new Wegman’s (near the intersection with US Highway 1). Their other Triangle location is in Raleigh’s Midtown East. Meet them here.

And a correction to our post last week re Beow’s Books & Brews. Owner Jim Ranieri clarified that their first location will open later this month at 8111 Creedmoor Road, Suite 153, in Brennan Station (in the old BottleMixx location). Their second location will open in February in the Falls River Towne Center at the site of the old 24/7 Fitness. Meet them here.

In Chapel Hill, Chapelboro shared the long-awaited news that Snooze, AM Eatery, will open their doors at Eastgate Crossing on Wednesday 8 November. The Chapel Hill location is now Snooze’s fourth in North Carolina, but the first in the Triangle (the other three are in Charlotte). Including its first day, Snooze will be open from 6:30am to 2:30pm on weekdays and from 6:30am to 4:00pm on weekends. Snooze will use several soft openings to benefit two non-profit organizations — PORCH and Best Buddies North Carolina will be fundraising partners, with Snooze leading up to the grand opening on November 8th. Get to know Snooze here.

UPDATE: West End Kitchen the grand opening, originally scheduled for Thursday, October 12, has been POSTPONED. We don’t have a new date yet, so stay tuned. They are moving into the former Angelina’s Kitchen space on Rectory Street in Pittsboro and describe their establishment as a chef-driven gastropub where they plan to offer breakfast and lunch. Meet them here.

Looking to find your favorite food truck (or chasing it and just don’t want to admit it)? We understand. Find them at Street food finder here.

Raleigh International Wine Festival is this Saturday, October 21st from noon to 8pm at City Plaza in the 400 block of Fayetteville St. Enjoy wine, beer, food, desserts, vendors and performers. The event will feature 25 wine suppliers and admission is free. Early bird tickets are available for $45 (plus convenience fee and tax), which gets you 10 samples and early access (ie, skip the lines). See all the details here.

Now Serving, a non-profit group that distributes healthy meals from restaurants, caterers and commercial kitchens to the local community, will host Now serving food + wine this Saturday, October 21st from 2-6pm at Smoky Hollow. The nonprofit has successfully donated 72,000 meals since its inception in February 2022. Vendors will include Madre, Midwood Smokehouse, Cheeni Indian Food Emporium, Hummingbird, Stanbury, Mandolin, St. Roch et al. Attendance is free, but a $75 ticket will get attendees a sample of each of the 12 food stands, as well as wine, spirits and beer. In addition to delicious bites, attendees will enjoy local music and cooking demonstrations. See all the details here.

The City Market in downtown Raleigh hosts it Annual Fall Festival this Sunday, October 22nd from 1:00pm to 5:00pm The event includes fall carriage rides (additional charge), shopping with local artisans in the Market Hall, local food trucks and a pop-up pumpkin patch in The Grove at City Market . Entrance to the festival is free! See all the details here.

Kitty Keenin reminded me that NC Wine Festival will take place this year on Saturday 28th October at the beautiful Koka Booth Amphitheater in Kerry. For over 20 years, the North Carolina Wine Festival has brought you local North Carolina wineries, artisans, music, food and fun! Buy tickets and get all the details here.

The Acme folks are back Salt and smoke on Saturday, October 28. This year’s event will be held at The Barn at Sonark Media (located right next to Old 86 in Hillsborough). If you’re not familiar with the event, it’s a full afternoon and evening of live music, whole hog barbecue, raw oysters, baked clams and plenty of proper drinks to wash it all down – local beer, wine and cocktails. And if you get your tickets now, there’s $25 off all tickets purchased through the end of this month (just use the code FINALLY at checkout). Get all the details and tickets here.

This is really great. Raleigh’s Brookside Bodega is hosting a family campout on Nov. 4 at Haven Farm, a wedding and special event venue in Knightdale. Tickets are now on sale for the camp, which includes activities for the whole family. The family-friendly camp is a BYO tent, but includes a catered dinner and breakfast, s’mores, live music and more. Get tickets and all the details here.

All three Cape Fear Seafood Company locations in the Triangle area are hosts True Bayou, a seafood and wine experience in the French Quarter on Tuesday, November 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $65 and each seat is limited to 24 reservations. To reserve your spot, you must call your specific location (Village District – 984-200-5455; Spring Forest – 984-242-4600; Wake Forest – 919-295-2455). See the full evening menu and pairings on their Facebook page here. Pro tip: they’ll sell out fast, so act fast. Pro tip 2: they will make more of these.

Think you can’t change someone’s life? Think you don’t have enough money to make a difference? Would you believe me if I told you that just $1 equals 5 meals through the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina!?! It’s true. Nearly 510,000 people face hunger in our 34-county service area. And thanks to your generosity, the Food Bank provided over 81 million meals to families and individuals last year! Make a donation today!