The City of Raleigh is accepting nominations for the 2010 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance. The annual awards recognize outstanding new development, building rehabilitation efforts, and natural resource conservation within the Capital City. The awards program was established in 1983 to commemorate exemplary achievement in enhancing the city’s appearance. More than 200 projects, sites, and individuals have been honored.

Awards are offered in 11 different award categories, including new residential, commercial, or institutional construction, plus historic preservation, sustainable design, and tree and landscape conservation. The award for “Maintained Outstanding Appearance” honors appearance contributions by projects 5 years old or older. The “Individual” award is presented to a citizen who has consistently worked to preserve or improve city appearance.

The deadline for entries for the 2010 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards is Friday, July 9. Nominations for the can be made online at or by completing a printed form available at City government offices. In addition to project information, six or more digital photos of each nominated project or individual, submitted on CD or flash drive, are also required.

An independent jury will meet in July to review the nominations. Award winners will be selected based on specific criteria, including exhibition of a new standard of excellence, awareness of land stewardship, innovation, conservation of natural and/ or historic resources, and exceeding applicable ordinances. The Raleigh City Council will confirm the jury’s selections in August. Awards will be presented in October.

OpenTable has named Rey’s to its list of 50 Most Romantic Restaurants in America. The restaurant features “fine dining with a French Quarter flair”, and offers some of the best table service in the area. Rey’s is open for dinner nightly, except for Sunday, and is located in the old Ruth’s Chris location on Buck Jones Road.

No other restaurants in North Carolina made the list, although The Melting Pot chain, with locations on Wake Forest Road and at Southpoint in Durham, was named to the list.

That’s the sound of the Nancy Grace freight train. It most certainly has its eyes on Raleigh right now. That’s all I will say about this senseless, nauseating tragedy. For goodness sakes the rest of the media will deliver more than we want.

The area’s first Tijuana Flats (Warning: Music) is coming to the former 7-Eleven space in Quail Corners shopping center this fall (Falls of Neuse and Millbrook). The 73-store fast-casual Tex-mex chain is based in Winter Park, FL, and claims to stock over 700 hot sauces from around the world.

Woody’s Bar-B-Q will soon be opening in the former Hardee’s space in North Ridge Shopping Center. The 31-store, Jacksonville, FL-based chain appears to be presenting a direct challenge to nearby Red Hot & Blue. So, it will be interesting to watch this one as I have recently documented the curious moves occurring in Falls Village.

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TBJ is reporting that the Great Outdoor Provision Co. will close its Falls Village operation. Apparently they and the center’s owner, Bell Properties (a top-notch REIT out of Greensboro), could not agree to terms on a new lease.

This is a curious situation. I assume that Steve Bell would never explain the real story to me if I asked, but it seems rather odd that a shopping center that has lost its grocery store anchor, its nice restaurant anchor, and a slew of small stores in the back would play hardball in this economy with a high-end tenant who claims that they wish to keep their store open.

Perhaps a partial demolition of the complex is in the works. The 35-year old center’s original section is designed like a hook and has terrible frontage for stores in the rear of the property as well as on the back side of GOPC (near Chick-Fil-a). Also next door is an apartment complex that is pushing 40 years old. All of this is in an affluent area, but the risk of seeing the area slide in the way that North Hills Drive has is very real with aging rental properties (anyone notice the rise in crime, dead bodies found, and graffiti near 440 and Glenwood Ave lately?). Perhaps a reorganization of the shopping center property as well as the adjacent apartment property would be a fantastic injection of new life for the North Ridge area.

The Yves Delorme store in North Hills is closing. The last day for the store is Saturday, and the remaining stock is being discounted 40%.

Greensboro-based Taste of Thai has closed their Raleigh store. The restaurant was located on Falls of Neuse (next to the Carolina Ale House), an area of Raleigh that has seen dramatic turnover in restaurants over the past decade. The site was originally The Cooker. Gift Certificates for Taste of Thai will be honored at their Greensboro locations.