Ruth’s Chris Replacing JK’s in North Hills
TBJ reported today
that
JK’s steakhouse
in North Hills is being replaced with the area’s second
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
, opening April 1. Rumors have been floating about Ruth’s Chris coming to anchor the
Renaissance Hotel
(warning: music), but the formula didn’t seem right with JK’s just around the corner.
J.K.’s will close on February 23rd and will move to a new location in Raleigh later this year.
Umstead Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa Earn 4-Star Mobil Status
Cary’s
Umstead Hotel
(
official site
) has been awarded 4-star status by the
Mobil Travel Guide
. The hotel joins other North Carolina hotels receiving 4-star status such as Asheville’s
Inn on Biltmore Estate
and
Richmond Hill Inn
, Charlotte’s
Ballantyne Resort
, and Pinehurst’s
Carolina Hotel
. The
Fearrington House Country Inn
was the state’s only 5-star designee.
Heron’s restaurant (in The Umstead) (official link) also received a 4-star designation. It joins other North Carolina restaurants such as the Carolina Crossroads in Chapel Hill, Charlotte’s Gallery Restaurant , and Pittsboro’s Fearrington House Restaurant . 162 restaruants received the award nationally. No restaurants in the state were among the 17 national 5-star award winners.
According to Mobil:
It seems like an oxymoron—gourmet dining in a suburban hotel, but Herons at the Umstead Hotel is an exception. Tucked inside a large hotel in Cary, a suburb of Raleigh/Durham, Herons puts a Southern spin on American cuisine in a fashionable setting complete with a 2500-bottle wine cellar. The food is seriously good, but far from serious, and there’s even a spa menu designed for those participating in the hotel’s spa program. Of course, decadence is also available, beginning with the restaurant’s homemade cinnamon bun French toast with brown sugar streusel at breakfast and ending with the luscious brownie sundae baked Alaska.
The prestigious 4-star award is the latest for the upscale hotel developed by SAS’ Jim Goodnight. The hotel won 5-Diamond honors by AAA recently.
Midtown 115 Reopens
The former 115 Midtowne in The Lassiter reopened tonight as
Midtown Restaurant & Bar 115
…or is it Midtown & Bar 115…or is it Midtown Metropolitan Cuisine 115??? The restaurant shut down on New Year’s Day and has spent four weeks enshrouded in plywood. Voila!
The restaurant now sports a more open bistro look. It’s facade is largely glass and allows two large red light fixtures to accent the inviting new look. The themes of brown/mocha have been replaced with a somewhat grayer look with accent colors, yet the restaurant still has a warm feel. Upon entering one’s eyes are easily drawn the restaurant’s new stone-draped rear wall featuring various wines. The wall comes alive due to a new all-glass enclosure for the restaurant’s rear room. The room has a projector screen and seats around 24 people comfortably and can be reserved for special events.
While there have been no staff or ownership changes, the menu has been overhauled. The contemporary menu features 10 entrees including 4 seafood and 1 vegetarian entree. Chef Scott James has been with the restaurant since its inception, acting as sous chef for Scott Cole in 115’s first year.
Midtown is open for lunch but dinner , but also features box lunch and late plate menus (.pdf files).
Cary Chipotle Open
The Cary location of the
Chipotle
chain is now open in the former Blockbuster location (
map it
). For those who haven’t been to Chipotle, it is a fast-mexican restaurant which features "fresh" food (ie. stuff hasn’t been sitting there long, salsas are made daily, etc). Pick from one of four meats arranged in one of four styles…you know the deal. Most of what I’ve had there was very comparable to Q’doba.
Now that the lazy people are out of the way, here is the secret: Chipotle’s Carnitas on 4 crunchy tacos. This is one of the most delicious lunches you can have, anywhere. My personal favorite is to get each of the four with a different one of their four salsas. That way the lunch keeps evolving as I eat it. Probably the corn salsa is the best with the Carnitas.
I kid you not, though. This is a seriously awesome meal (many people have heard/read my previous diatribes, gone to Chipotle and deviated from my suggestion, and been disappointed and won’t go back. Don’t be another one!) I’ve also had a crunchy taco with Barbacoa, and it is excellent as well, but not dream-worthy. Additionally, Chipotle’s guacamole is excellent, though some of the chips have tough, not crunchy regions. The guacamole isn’t overloaded with citrus juices; an ingredient that doesn’t appear in real guacamole (Rosa Mexicano’s recipe ).
This is Chipotle’s fifth area location .
Dunkin’ Donuts for 222 Glenwood?
Rumor has it that one of the street-level retail slots in the new 222 Glenwood will have a Dunkin’ Donuts. DD would join the Cinellis’ new family+fine project Gianni & Gaitanos opening in the Summer.
Tryon Village Coming Together
The rerouting of Cary’s Walnut and Holly Springs roads has created another major intersection (for the creation of another brick strip mall and full compliment of stand-alone pharmacies). The intersection’s NW corner features a new shopping center named Tryon Village. The lineup so far is a pretty nice one for a shopping center of its size:
- Yoho Asian Bistro
- Breugger’s Bagel Bakery
- Harris Teeter
- Walgreen
- Starbucks
- Impressions Hair Salon
- Rita’s Ice Cream
- Pinky Toes (girls clothing)
- Jill’s Beach
- Jimmy John’s
- Suncom Wireless
- It Figures
- Pacific Nails
- Ruckus Pizza
- Snap Fitness 24/7
About 2/3 of the center is leased, and it will interesting to see what Harris Teeter, Yoho, and Breugger’s do for the area. ( map it )
Greek Fiesta Coming to Western Blvd.
The former location of Papa Lou’s on Western Blvd will soon become another Greek Fiesta location ( map it ).
Satterly in as Frazier’s New Chef
Recently named one of
Greg Cox’s top 20 restaurants
in the Triangle,
Frazier’s
enters the new year with a new chef, Jeffrey Satterly. The chef “hails from some of the most prestigious and notable restaurants in the country, including The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery in California, The Mansions in Las Vegas, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, Woodlands Resort & Inn in South Carolina, and locally at Herons in The Umstead Hotel and Spa.”
Chick-Fil-A Coming to Cameron Village
It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve confirmed that Chick-Fil-A will indeed be coming to Cameron Village. A year ago word was that they would occupy the old dry cleaners site behind McDonalds (
map it
). There is no indication that anything has changed. The only clue I got was that the plans reveal a two-story store with a very glassy dining area that extends over the drive-thru line.
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