Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen Hosts Official Grand Opening

Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen opened up all its rooms for its official grand opening.

By Jennifer Primrose | Mar 21, 2015

Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

Thursday, March 19, Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen, located in the Marriott downtown City Center, hosted its official Grand Opening.   Triangle Around Town was fortunate to be able to attend this event and Rye Bar did a fantastic job showcasing its menu with items such as Caviar of the South “Deviled Eggs," Cheerwine spareribs, chicken & waffle BLT, pulled pork sandwiches, shrimp & grits ... the list goes on.

Craft breweries, Fullsteam, Crank Arm, Mystery Brewing and Honor Brewing were all on hand with samples of their beers as well as Rye with samples of their Southern Mary, a bloody mary made with moonshine, Rye Southern Mary mix, handcrafted BBQ bitters and garnished with candied bacon. Who can say no to candied bacon? Also available was Rye’s Smokey BBQ Cola. This one is made with pork belly infused rye, smoked Coca-Cola and handcrafted BBQ bitters.  I wasn’t sure if I would like this one or not – but surprisingly – it is tasty!

Executive Chef and General Manager, Michael Rigot, was on hand to greet and welcome guests. Chef Rigot most recently hails from Alabama. He describes his menu as a “refined touch to old southern comfort cuisine.”

Additionally, Rye Bar has also created a spice line to include a Dry rub, a Creole spice and a Buttermilk Ranch spice.  As we made our exit, we were treated to a “swag bag” of these spices along with a couple of recipes for the Cheerwine Spareribs and the Sweet Tea Chicken.  We look forward to trying these recipes at home.

All in all, it was a great night and a great grand opening for Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen. We look forward to having lunch or dinner here in the very near future.

Billy Joel cover band, The Stranger, rocks Raleigh

The Stranger performed at The Ritz in Raleigh on Friday, March 20, 2015

By Jennifer Primrose | Mar 20, 2015
Twitter: TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: trianglearoundtown
 
Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge Billy Joel fan!

I was elated when Joel's tour brought him to Raleigh last February, and excited to see him return to Charlotte later this year. So, when Dathan announced that he purchased tickets for us to see The Stranger, a Charlotte-based Billy Joel tribute band, I wasn't too sure what to think.

First off, no one will ever even come close to the greatness of Billy Joel in my mind – and then it dawned on me – does this mean we are not going to see the one and only Piano Man in December? Nonetheless, we made a night of it on Friday, March 20. After some pre-concert drinks at Kings in North Hills, we made our way to The Ritz concert venue in Raleigh.

The crowd was thin at first, but filled in nicely prior to the band taking center stage. As lead singer, Mike Santoro's ivory-pounding and crooning began, I forgot I wasn't listening to Mr. Long Island himself.

Santoro and his gang of entertainers kept the crowd singing along and dancing to some of Joel's greatest hits such as "Only the Good Die Young," "Movin' Out," "You May be Right," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and of course, "Piano Man."

Santoro, a native Long Islander, who now resides in Charlotte isn't a stranger to Joel's powerhouse vocals and stage presence. Both behind the piano or front and center with the guitar, he rocked The Ritz. This is a band I'll definitely see again.

And an added bonus ... while leaving the venue, we received free tickets to see Liverpool: Carolina's Beatles Experience on April 11. Goo Goo Goo Joob!

Olde Hickory Brewery releases Omega Point

The line at Olde Hickory Brewery at 9:00 a.m. for the Omega Point bottle release.

By Dathan Kazsuk | Mar 8, 2015
Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

So what's it like getting up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready to be out the door by 6 a.m. to go on a beer run at a brewery 3 hours away?

That was the question I asked myself on March 7 when we did just that. 

The answer is one heck of a long day! 

We left our house around 6:15 a.m. to make the long but relatively easy trip to Hickory, North Carolina, for Olde Hickory Brewery first ever bottle release. Omega Point is a rich tasting Barleywine, which has been aged in bourbon barrels for as long 7 years, blended together by OHB’s head brewer Steven Lyerly.

Jen and I have never been anywhere near Hickory, unless you count passing through en route to Asheville. We were surprised by the quaintness and historic feel of downtown Hickory. But not too thrilled with the numbered streets while attempting to find our destination.

2nd St. PL SE two streets in a row? 2nd St. NE.; 1st St. NE.; 1st Ave. NE.; 1st ST NW … all one after another, after another. Talk about confusing. Once we saw a parking lot  filled with cars and dozens of bearded guys walking in groups towards one brick building – we knew we we found our destination.

Mind you, I’ve never been to a bottle release – being that I’m not a fan of standing in line for anything. A line of 6 people to get a bagel is 5 people too many in my opinion. So when we arrived and saw close to 150 people already in line … I was a little shocked.

More shocking was how organized Olde Hickory Brewery was moving the line along. As soon as we got in line, two guys checked our IDs, put on our wristbands, explained what each one was for and told everyone that this was a cash only event. And in under 35 minutes we were inside and paying for our bottles. Kudos!

Once inside we purchased a pint of Omega Point, and drank up while thinking to ourselves that we’re indulging in a 10% ABV Barleywine at 10 in the morning! I usually only do that while on a cruise ship!

We purchased 17 bottles between the two of us, which we kept a couple for ourselves, and others went to friends who paid us in advance. Remember this the next time you hit up a bottle release … and keep us in mind.

Finding Love at SPCA's Bark & Wine With Your Valentine

LOCAL FEATURE

By Jennifer Primrose | Feb 14, 2015

Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

Thursday, Feb. 12 we began our Valentine’s Day celebrating early with the furry ones at the SPCA of Wake County’s 10th Anniversary 2015 Bark & Wine with Your Valentine event, held at the Curtis Dail Pet Adoption Center in Raleigh.  This sold out event to benefit the SPCA of Wake County had food donated by 18 Restaurant Group, Mitchell’s Catering and Trader Joe’s and with wine and beer donated by Mim’s Distributing Company. The evening was abuzz with animal lovers up close and personal with four-legged Valentines.

There was no better way to embark on the holiday weekend of love than with puppy kisses and feline balls of fur!  Upon arrival we promptly affixed our name tags, were handed our 10th Annual Bark & Wine commemorative wine glass sponsored by BottleMixx, served a sample of a 2011 Campo Lindo Tempranillo and went directly to the Cat Adoption wing to visit with the kitties.

What I loved about the event was that it affords one the opportunity to spend time with the pets up for adoption.  However, I am sure that some of the cats would disagree, as their world of quiet and calm just got turned upside down as was evidenced by one grumpy black cat named Miles who promptly turned away from all visitors!  He wasn’t the only grumpy kitty we encountered that evening.  Lucky for us, we’re cat people and understand “cattitude” and just laughed it off!

As we made our way through the Cat Adoption Wing, we met so many wonderful felines looking for their forever home. There was a precious pair, Minnie and her brother Mickey, who, unfortunately had to wear the ”cone of shame” due to a scratched cornea. But what a sweetheart!  Rambunctious kittens were tearing around playing with their toys without a care in the world as they were surrounded by smiling faces peering into their rooms. I also had a mission this evening.  After losing two of my precious feline fur babies in two years, leaving behind our other two ... was it time for us to adopt again? I most definitely had an ulterior motive!  And alas, I found love this Valentine’s Day with a little black and white girl named Nirvana (see below).





We mustn’t forget the dogs and puppies.  Still on my mission for a new companion ... was a dog in our future? The excitement dogs portray is indescribable as they wag their tails and almost smile when they see a new face. Yet again, we met some absolutely amazing dogs up for adoption.  There was Candace, a three year old black lab/hound who is just a love. And then we met Miriam, a 1 year old brown brindle Dutch Shepherd. She was our favorite dog of the night, but apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought so – as I noticed she was adopted the next day! Great news for Miriam! And a decision made for us.

And then there were the puppy kisses!  Oh my! If I honestly thought I could handle raising a puppy as well as an 11-and 12-year old cats and all live in harmony, I would not think twice.

If you are considering adopting a pet, Triangle Around Town recommends checking out the SPCA of Wake County. Whether we embark on that journey of adoption again remains to be seen, but if and when we do, we will be making the trip to Garner in search of our next member of the family.

Triangle Wine Experience celebrates 22 years of fundraising

LOCAL FEATURE

By Jen | Feb 8, 2015

Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.”  – Plautus

And so we did at the 22nd annual Triangle Wine Experience Gala, held on Feb. 7 to benefit The Frankie Lemmon School. The Grand Gala and auction were the finale to three days of wine events – from wine dinners, trade tastings and tastings with the wine makers at select merchants – which all ended with the Grand Gala. The Gala was held in Research Triangle Park, with proceeds of the weekend to benefit the Frankie Lemmon Foundation.

We were unable to attend any of the wine dinners this year, but hope to in years to come. Several restaurants opened their doors on Thursday, Feb. 5, as wineries and sponsors hosted the evening with the Triangle’s finest chefs for a delectable meal paired with the finest wines.

Niles Zacherle was having fun at the Triangle Wine Experience's Grand Gala.

Friday evening, some wine makers took their show on the road, along with some of their finest wines, to local wine merchants who hosted the ‘Sip, Shop & Sign’ events open to the general public and offering an opportunity to sample some outstanding wines from California. 

Triangle Around Town made it out to Raleigh Wine Shop on Glenwood Avenue for the wines of Nile Zacherle. Niles was a fantastic host as he talked about each wine he poured – including at $200 bottle of David Arthur 2012 Elevation 1147. Other shops who hosted were Apex Beverage Co., Chapel Hill Wine Company, Great Grapes, Taylor's Wine Shop, Total Wine & More and Triangle Wine Company. There just wasn't enough time in the evening to get to all of them!

Saturday evening, however, is when it all came together for the Grand Gala. The event was held inside an empty warehouse in Research Triangle Park. The room was lined with wine makers and chefs offering samplings of their food.  We even found the occasional brewery mixed in offering some beer samples. We perused the silent auction items, many of which were also wine related and so tempting to place that bid.

Steve Reynolds with Reynolds Family Vineyards is always a popular man at TWE events.

We began our trek around the room to decide on what wines we would try and we decided to stay mostly with red wines and tried to never indulge too much! One of the first people we ran into was, none other than, Niles from the night before. I have to say, we’ve attended this event a few times now, and all the wine makers we’ve met have been so friendly and talk so highly of this event and of the Triangle in general. Leave it up to good ole Southern hospitality! We ran into Scot Covington of Trione Winery out of California, and talked to him for awhile with his local distributor, Mike Miller of Big C Wines. This was Covington’s first Triangle Wine Experience and was just in awe of what a fantastic event this was.

As we made our way around the room we noticed some familiar faces, from Eliza Kraft Olander, who is the brains behind this event, to NC Attorney General Roy Cooper and restaurateur Ashley Christensen, who is also on the planning committee for this event.  It is so nice to see so many out to support and raise money for the Frankie Lemmon Foundation.

SONO chef Mike Lee, left, and his crew prepared a tasty appetizer for the TWE Gala.

We made our way to our table for the live auction, I was curious to see what items were up for bid this year. The paddles were flying and money was most definitely being raised this night with the highest bid being $40,000. That top bid was an evening with Jonathan Cain, keyboardist for the 80s band, Journey, which included a private concert and dinner at Eliza Kraft Olander’s home.

This event was a collaboration of roughly 49 wineries, with the majority from Napa Valley, 30 restaurants and around 40 sponsors.  I look forward to this event every year – as I will again in 2016.