Category / Restaurants

by Leo Suarez

Metro Beats Its Way Into City Market

Metro Café and Lounge had their opening party Friday night and will be adding a new beat to City Market. I went over on Saturday and became an instant fan when I walked in. The owner, Mauro, has set up a hip and comfortable lounge that is perfect for a glass of wine or a casual cocktail. You can take a seat at the bar, grab a table or relax on some of the couches. Metro will play house music during its parties and on some weekends host fashion shows, wine tastings, and other local events. If you are craving something outside of the beer realm, make sure to give Metro a try for a coffee or a good wine. For all you First Friday-ers, make a stop at Metro this week and check it out.

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by Leo Suarez

Where Can I Get A Slice at 2 a.m.?

I know some readers were with me on Saturday night and were able to hear my raw, un-edited, and passionate (not so sober) rant about the need for late night pizza in downtown Raleigh. I wish I had that recorded so I’m now bumping an HD camcorder up on the toys-to-buy list. I’ve mentioned this before but every time the topic comes up I usually start ranting. I believe that pizza is a market that has not been fully tapped.

Moonlight Pizza and Mellow Mushroom are great but the type of place I’m talking about will specialize in staying open all the time and slaps the pizza in front of you the moment you order it. I can imagine this hole in the wall pizzeria, with huge ovens and counters taking up most of the space. The people running it are so busy that they come off as being angry at the world; if you’ve ever ordered a cheese steak in Philly, you know what I mean. There are very few tables, but lots of standing room. The line forms out the door and people wait even in cold weather or rain for a slice. You are not supposed to be comfortable, you just get a slice and find some space on a high table, bench, curb, car, anywhere and enjoy. Walk and eat if in a hurry, the pizza is travel friendly.

The cut and dry version of what I am proposing is a by the slice pizza place, open for lunch, dinner, and especially for late night strugglers trying to close the night out. Right now I’m asking for Friday and Saturday nights but if it was every night, I’d buy stock. A place like this could easily set up shop in City Market. I can just imagine a bunch of people at lunchtime or 3am sitting on the street, benches, standing around with slices in hand.

I am patiently waiting for this to open and of course you’ll see it right here on RalCon. Too bad I do not make pizza and am a horrible cook or I’d open it myself.

by Leo Suarez

Winter Restaurant Wave

In case you have not noticed, we are in the middle of another wave of restaurant openings. The convention center may be the reason for fueling the increase of downtown food choices over the last few years. Here is a list of recent openings; some are talked about in the new downtown news section added to the left sidebar.

  • The Pit has opened up in the former Nana’s Chophouse location in the warehouse district. I’ve tried it out and the “upscale” BBQ has such a different feel that in no way does it compete with Cooper’s. I highly recommend it to any fans.

  • Raleigh Times has expanded next door with the creation of “The Smoking Times”. From what I’ve seen in passing, the place has a different feel and look then its neighbor but will easily become a downtown favorite.

  • Poole’s diner has now re-opened with a different look. This N&O article breaks it down. I have put it on the to-do list.

  • The Mint looks very close to opening and their website claims it will open this month. If you pass by it on its Fayetteville St. location, take a look inside.

  • There are plans to split up the old Greenshield’s spot at City Market in order to encourage smaller tenants, rather then a large one. No news yet on who might be moving in.
  • Work on the future sushi restaurant, Waraji that will be located at the corner of Hargett and Salisbury St., has started. Rumors say they will open in February of 2008.

I really think that this wave of restaurants is mostly the result of the convention center. They are preparing for the fall 2008 opening and should see a lot of convention traffic. I’m glad the convention center has helped spur growth downtown but the next wave of growth that I want to see come around are stores and food places that cater to the residents of downtown, not visitors. I’m hoping that the number of condos opening next year will help encourage more shops to open for the new rise in population. This will also go along with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s plans for more shopping downtown.

by Leo Suarez

The State of Glenwood South

The weather was great this weekend so I took the time to go through Glenwood South and check up on all the projects. You get a different view of things during the day compared to at night when I usually have a few pints in me. This list should cover all the highlights and take us into next year.

222 Glenwood

Remember how this seven story condo project was a flat wasteland for so long and progress seemed so incredibly slow last year? Those days are done and 222 Glenwood keeps on taking a new form. We’ve come a long way and the outer façade is being built all around the building. Windows and balcony doors are in place. The parking deck, for the most part, looks finished with a second entrance now off Jones St., next to 518 West. Brick has been going up for the past few weeks and should finish on the Glenwood facing side. Take note that the exterior is not entirely brick. Here is the building rendering off their website.



630 North

This one kind of fell off the radar and the church still sits on the site. The poster for the condo/office building is there so maybe one day we’ll see this one rise up. And yes, this is a church that will be destroyed but read up on the situation first. Sounds like a good deal to me. Website info.

West at North

I reported earlier about the progress at West. It is cool to see this one top out before the end of the year. See for yourself!

Solas

You know, I’m a fan of the dark, gray brick. Once the glass gets put in it will really start to look like the rendering. If I was the developer I would get this thing up and running before it starts to get warm in the spring.

The Lofts at Glenwood South

I posted before that no activity was happening. I guess I spoke to soon because there is now foundation work occurring at the site. I think they were planning for phase I to open in summer of 2008. I would bet against this unfortunately. Website info.


Glen on Peace

Nada.

Peace Street

Peace St. still looks like crap. The Streetscape project cannot come any sooner.

Retail

  • A nutrition store has opened right on glenwood, very convenient to anyone that works out at Peak Fitness. All Pro Nutrition has opened this newest location at 402 Glenwood.
  • I’m really not into fashion or trendsetting but if you are, Catch 22 seems like the place for you and I believe this store recently opened up. This sort of reminds me of the late night boutiques on south beach Miami or what I would imagine in trendy Los Angeles. After researching a bit, I was right. The website states, “Inspired by LA boutique style, Heather Long bridges the gap between Raleighwood and Hollywood.” I think Heather Long is bold for opening up her shop here in downtown. At this point, any retail in Glenwood south is a pioneer and I hope success for Catch 22.
  • I have always thought that The Paramount was a condo only building. I stumbled upon a very small retail store, maybe 250-300 sq. ft., on the corner of Boylan and Johnson St. I have no idea what kind of store could work here. It is currently empty. Maybe if RalCon takes office space, this might be something worth looking into.

Bars/Restaurants

  • The restaurant, Globe, has opened up in the space next to Red Room. From what I can see, it looks very nice. They do not have a website but the Downtown Raleigh Alliance describes them as “Eclectic, New American”. I’ll add it to the to-do list.
  • The George still has an “Opening Soon” sign. Zspotlight claims that they will have a New Year’s Eve party. Not sure where to go with this one.
  • The Pourch and The Bassment have taken over the old Aura and Rush spaces. Every night I’m out there, I continue to see emptiness. Has anyone seen differently?

by Leo Suarez

Wednesday News Quickies

Here are a couple of news updates related to downtown. Click the links and catch up on the buzz.

  • NBC17 reports that the shaky housing market across the country may be affecting some of downtown’s projects. While this could be true, Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver sounds confident and the article states that “Realtors say the only slowdown so far is people delaying their move to the Triangle because houses out of state are tougher to sell.”

There are more than two dozen condominium and mixed use developments planned in downtown. They include more than 1,000 condominiums along with apartments and townhouses. Housing is the key to downtown’s redevelopment and so far the nationwide slowdown hasn’t hit.

“We believe that projects with their funding in place months ago are doing fine,” Silver said. “More recent projects arehaving to adjust their financing and plans but all indications are projects are moving forward.”

Realtors say the good news for downtown Raleigh is the Triangle’s economy remains strong, the area is attractive and the living is still reasonable.

  • Nana’s Chophouse is no more and has quickly turned around and become The Pit. There is a great article at New Raleigh [UPDATE: Broken link] about the new restaurant in the warehouse district. For any BBQ lovers out there, it is a must read.
  • WRAL reports that a naming deal for the new Convention Center is in the works. Read the article.

“We have an offer,” convention center director Roger Krupa said.

…………..

Krupa said he expects a deal to be finalized within 90 days.

…………..

Fewer than 10 convention centers in cities nationwide have corporate naming deals, ranging from $250,000 to $850,000 a year. Carrow predicted Raleigh’s deal would fall somewhere in the middle of that range.

by Leo Suarez

RalCon Vacation

It seems news is a little slow and I’ve become a bit lazy. My Miami trip last weekend has thrown off my blogging rotation and I’m busy this week. So I’m taking a short vacation but expect some better stuff next week, including another walking tour update and I’m taking ‘Project Skyline’ in a new direction. I’ll leave just these news shorts for you to investigate on your own.

  • RBC Plaza seems to have slowed down. It looks like they are currently working on the transition floor and condo floors will soon start to take shape.
  • More work continues on the parking deck and the block that will contain the yet unveiled ‘The Edison’ project. Check the webcam.
  • The Mint looks close to completion and according to their website will open next month.
  • The Veteran’s Day Parade is this Saturday.

I was down in Miami last weekend to visit family and I went to the NC State vs. Miami game. It was the second to last game for Miami to play in the legendary Orange Bowl. Having grown up a Miami fan, but now a pack fan, this is my small tribute to a stadium that I have been to since I was a kid. Check out this wide shot from my seat; it probably won’t be there anymore next year.