DT Raleigh Chatter for January 20th, 2012
Winter 2012 Restaurant Roundup
We’re about two weeks into the year now and if you’ve fallen of the “lose weight” resolution train, eats in downtown Raleigh won’t judge. Last fall, we ran through a few new openings. For winter, work continues on some establishments but there are still a few new places for you to explore.
Tyler’s Taproom is probably the biggest recent opening with their Seaboard Station location finally serving brews and food. It was first mentioned on this blog back in June, 2008 so the opening is very much welcomed by Tyler’s fans. If you’ve been to the other locations around the Triangle, you know what to expect here. The large space and outdoor patio should be popular with families and larger parties.
Other downtown Raleigh restaurant happenings:
- The Indian restaurant in Glenwood South, Blue Mango, continues to take shape. My last “window peek” witnessed a finished, modern looking bar, a few scattered tables, and painted walls. A stone host stand was being built in front of the doors so with a little floor work it looks like they could throw a few tables out, stock the bar, and open for business within the next few months. They are also now hiring.
- The London Bridge Pub has now opened on Hargett Street.
- The first ever tenants of the RBC tower are still working behind the shades. Zinda continues it’s work on Fayetteville Street while construction work is clearly visible on the upcoming restaurant Oro along the windows of Martin Street. Oro’s website claims a Spring 2012 opening.
- The pavilion space in City Plaza formerly occupied by Krispy Kreme has a coming soon sign. Fire Wok will set up shop there and a posted menu shows sushi, hibachi, and Chinese eating options.
Weekend Reel: 2012 Visit Raleigh Video
What do you think of Visit Raleigh‘s new video? It’s much better than the much older “Shine, Raleigh, Shine.” video that came out years ago but I don’t know if these guys were a part of that one also.
DT Raleigh Chatter for January 13th, 2011 I Get Lost In Downtown Part 2
Here’s another round of people getting lost in downtown Raleigh. Like I mentioned in the first edition, navigating the grid of streets isn’t difficult but I’ll cut people some slack if it’s your first time visiting.
The Raleigh Forum Hosts Cocktail Shindig, Shows Off Coworking Goods
Photo credit: Tyler Helikson
Coworking is a concept that I’ve mentioned before on the blog and downtown Raleigh’s coworking space, The Raleigh Forum, brings it right onto Wilmington Street. With Red Hat moving its world headquarters to Davie Street, coworking is important for the small startup community and open source environment that the grand fedora feeds off of.
From my inbox to your screen, here’s an upcoming event that will allow you to see the coworking setup and mingle with the community.
A Night in Raleighwood
The Raleigh Forum and iContact to host an Academy Award-themed party
WHAT: The Raleigh Forum- a downtown coworking space- and iContact- will host an Oscars-themed cocktail attire party on January 26. Attendees are invited to walk the red carpet, pose in front of the step-and-repeat, vote for the winner of awards categories, and bump elbows with locals during this music-infused awards party.
Beer and wine will be provided at the open bar by The Wine Feed. Appetizers are provided by Gravy, courtesy of Empire Eats. Local singer-songwriter Erik Smallwood will be playing acoustic music throughout the event. 50% of entrance fee proceeds will be donated to Change the Triangle, the Triangle’s young professional volunteer organization.
WHO: The event is open to the public but you must have a ticket to enter. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased theraleighforum.eventbrite.com.
WHERE: 133 1/2 S Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601
WHEN: Thursday, January 26 from 7:30-10:30pm
WHY: This party will showcase The Raleigh Forum’s temporary office space, as well as honor loyal supporters of The Raleigh Forum and advocates for the Raleigh community.
CONTACT: Cristina Roman
PHONE NUMBER: 919-452-6381
EMAIL: cristina@theraleighforum.com
WEBSITE: theraleighforum.com
Before and After, Alfred Williams and Company Building Makeover
One of the things that get me excited just as much as new shiny towers is when downtown spaces are reused in a creative way, especially the smaller buildings. Reusing a building before demolishing and building new, especially with so many lots available, will not grow our downtown at all.
The Alfred Williams Company gets a big Cheers! for its work on their building at 410 South Salisbury Street. The completed project is shown above with the previous building state shown below. (picture taken in January 2011)
The 143-year old company started in downtown Raleigh and is now back in town with it’s 50 strong workforce. The company works on the second floor of the building with hopes to lease out the ground floor.
Updated Unified Development Ordinance Now Available
Another draft of the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is now out for public comment. I’ll admit, this is a tough one for citizens to swallow so perhaps after some time, there will be some highlights about it. For now, I’ll try to inspire readers to dive into the documents over at the city’s webpage for the UDO.
If you have time, please watch this video, embedded above, from the city’s Youtube channel that talks about the new code and can maybe clear this up for more people, even if just a little.
DT Raleigh Chatter for January 6th, 2012
