gogoraleigh.com » RTP/Dur/CH

Rathskeller To Reopen

Dana — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:15:49 +0000

The Ramshead Rathskeller, a Chapel Hill landmark in the hearts and fatty tissues of many to drink from The Well, will open by the end of the year. Apparently the restaurant will be under new ownership, which is, reportedly, a good thing. The restaurant closed for a while about a decade ago, then closed again in 2008. Perhaps the restaurant should be called the “Cats”keller because it seems to have nine lives.

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Wild Turkey Lounge Honored

Dana — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:32:06 +0000

In the midst of its 50th anniversary year, The Angus Barn has been named an All-American Icon by Nation’s Restaurant News and won its 21st consecutive Wine Spectator Grand Award. Recently The Barn racked up another accolade. Its Wild Turkey Bar & Lounge has been named one of the Best Business Bars in America by Entrepreneur magazine.

The July 2010 issue includes The Wild Turkey Bar & Lounge among 15 American watering holes. It is one of only two bars in the Southeast named as a best bar for doing business.

Stating that the Wild Turkey Bar & Lounge has been “a cross-sectional hotbed of local politicos, big pharma executives and tech tycoons since it opened in 1984,” author Monica Corcoran Harel goes on to write that this is “the best place to strike a deal in the entire Research Triangle.” On any given night, one might run into local and state elected officials, as well as top executives from SAS, GlaxoSmithKline and more.

The review states that the essential attributes of a great business bar include discreet seating, friendly and attentive staff, a compelling crowd, manageable din, a full range of liquor, good lighting, good food, and decent décor.

Superchunk Coming to Nasher for Release

Dana — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:18:55 +0000

Superchunk will release its first new album in nine years with a concert on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. It will be the only North Carolina venue for the Chapel Hill-based band’s national fall tour in support of their new album, “Majesty Shredding” (available 9/14). The concert is open to the public and begins at 8:30 p.m.

Under the Radar Magazine says “Majesty Shredding” displays "a cohesive band scaling the heights of their formidable powers.” Time Out Chicago says the album "puts the pedal to the metal with youthful abandon.”

The Superchunk performance, a complement to the Nasher Museum’s exhibition “The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl,” will take place after a 6 p.m. talk by New York-based visual artist Xaviera Simmons, whose work is part of the exhibition. “The Record” explores the culture of vinyl records through 50 years of contemporary art and features work by 41 artists from around the world who use vinyl records as subject or medium.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for Nasher Museum members and $5 for Duke students with I.D.

Superchunk will have a busy week that week, as they will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon late on the evening of September 20.

(Show)
(Fallon)

Matt and Kim Coming to Cat’s Cradle

Dana — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:18:42 +0000

One of the big indie bands right now, Matt and Kim, will be at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on Wednesday, October 20....

Bon Iver Returning to Triangle

Dana — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:29:14 +0000

According to Pollstar.com, Bon Iver will make his way back to the Triangle for three nights at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham. The dates are 9/17-9/19, but the nature of the event(s) is not clear at this point.

Corinne Bailey Rae Coming to the Cradle

Dana — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:36:53 +0000

On September 9 the Cat’s Cradle will host Corinne Bailey Rae. Tickets are $25 and go on sale tomorrow at 9am.

Wynton Marsalis Coming to UNC

Dana — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:43:18 +0000

Wynton Marsalis returns to UNC for a two-night stint, January 28 and 29, at Memorial Hall. This time he is bringing the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with him, a 15-piece big band! Tickets are $110/$85/$75/$55, but $10 for students.

Cory Doctorow Coming to Chapel Hill

Dana — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:23:26 +0000

Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill will be hosting author/activist Cory Doctorow on Sunday (5/23) at 1pm. Doctorow will be reading from his new novel, For The Win. Doctorow is the noted Science Fiction author as well as open standards activist who recently created much controversy with his BoingBoing piece, “Why I Won’t Buy an iPad (and Think You Shouldn’t Either)”.

With a key personality of the E.F.F. right here in the shadows of the House’s 6th District, one could only dream of a head to head debate between Doctorow and Paul Howard Coble (the guy who authored legislation, the DMCA, that makes it illegal for you to rip a DVD for personal use)…but I digress.

Mat Kearney Coming to Cat’s Cradle

Dana — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:08:32 +0000

On Thursday, July 29 Mat Kearney will be returning to the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. Tickets are $20 for this seated show, and go on sale on Friday morning (May 14). This one will sell out, BTW.

Natalie Merchant Coming to DPAC

Dana — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:37:00 +0000

On Monday, August 30 Natalie Merchant will be coming to the DPAC in Durham. She’ll be touring in support of her new CD, “Leave Your Sleep”. No word on tickets yet.

Lewis Black Returning to Triangle

Dana — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:15:41 +0000

UNC alumnus and comedian Lewis Black will make his return to the Triangle on September 10 at the DPAC. Tickets go on sale soon.

Iris DeMent Coming to Cat’s Cradle

Dana — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:48:42 +0000

On Friday, June 18, Iris DeMent will make her way to Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle. Tickets are $28 in advance.

Slew of Musicals Coming to DPAC

Dana — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:38:57 +0000

The Durham Performing Arts Center this week announced the addition of seven touring musicals to their lineup.

Billy Elliot The Musical: November 2-14, 2010 -The National Tour Debut. Winner of 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Music by Elton John.
The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein: December 7-12, 2010 – “Best Musical 2008 Winner.”– Outer Critic Circle Award & Broadway.com Audience Award
Disney’s The Lion King: January 4-30, 2011 – Tony® Award -winning Broadway sensation Newsweek calls “a landmark event in entertainment.”
In The Heights: February 22-27, 2011 – Winner of 4 Tony® Awards Including Best Musical!
Blue Man Group: March 15-20, 2011 – First ever theatrical tour promises an entirely new visual experience.
Shrek The Musical: April 5-10, 2011 – Based on the Oscar®-Winning DreamWorks Film that Started it All.
Hair: May 10-15, 2011 – “The Ultimate American Rock Musical!”– Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Pair of Restaurants Closes in Brier Creek

Dana — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:52:06 +0000

Things have certainly flatted in Brier Creek recently as both the Uno’s Chicago Grill and Salsarita’s have both shut their doors. As of yesterday, though, the Salsarita’s at Crossroads was still open.

Angus Barn Named as All-American Icon

Dana — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:54:00 +0000

Today the leading foodservice industry publication, Nation’s Restaurant News, has named the Angus Barn to its list of 50 All-American Icon restaurants. The Barn has “become synonymous with hospitality and service excellence” according to Nation’s Restaurant News. That’s one of the primary reasons why the establishment made the NRN 50. The Angus Barn is the only North Carolina restaurant on the list, and joins such noted dining institutions as Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis and The Four Seasons in New York City.

This comes as no surprise. The Angus Barn is known for going out of their way to present an outstanding experience. The restaurant has a rigorous training program for its waitstaff, and only hires people who make it their profession. Owner/manager Van will not accept customers waiting unnecessarily. Case in point: I recently stopped by at 5:30pm one day to buy some blue cheese dressing from the gift shop. The refrigerators were out of stock, but the nice, helpful lady who was running the shop went to the kitchen to make a couple for me. When Van found out that I had been waiting 10 minutes for the dressing, she went to the back, got things rolling, and comped my purchase.

If one is paying attention, they will notice some of the many details that go into the experience at the Angus Barn. The restaurant’s Christmas Tree every year is the finest in any restaurant around. The relish station, an unnecessary perk that was put in place decades ago to placate those waiting for a table, is always fresh. Much of the wood from the restaurant was salvaged from barns in the area. Inset in the brick floor of the gift shop is a 6” thick disc of wood from the state’s largest loblolly pine tree. In the last couple of years, The Angus Barn opened The Pavilions, a rustic lakeside special events facility. A trip to the men’s room of the facility is another example of the fine detail that (along with the excellent, consistent food) has earned this restaurant’s status among the nation’s top restaurants.

The Angus Barn was already one of the early inductees to the publication’s prestigious “Hall of Fame” list. Magnolia Grill is the only other North Carolina restaurant to receive that honor.

Vowels From Durham

Dana — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:06:02 +0000

Each spring of the past decade has revealed some sort of nationally recognized hero from the area. Whether it was a team going deeply into hockey or basketball playoffs, or an American Idol contestant going far, spring has been a fun season for the Piedmont region of North Carolina. I guess our karma for this coming year was spent when the Tar Heels won it all, the Hurricanes reached the final four, and Anoop Desai reached American Idol’s Top 7.

This year the Hurricanes are near the cellar in the NHL, the Heels may not make the Big Dance, and AI is featuring this mess. There are no words to describe it. In fact, there hardly are any words at all; just vowels. Meet Kenny from Durham.

Norah Jones Coming to Durham

Dana — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:25:49 +0000

On August 8 Norah Jones makes her return to the area. This time she will be at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale at 10am on February 12.

Rey’s Named to Top 50 Most Romantic

Dana — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:46:57 +0000

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.

UNC Staging Another Alumni Game

Dana — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:13:38 +0000

As part of its celebration of 100 years of basketball, UNC is putting together another alumni exhibition basketball game. This time the event takes place at 8pm on Friday, February 12. Tickets are $10 and available online. The game will be at the Smith Center and features alumni such as:

Bobby Jones
Walter Davis
J.R. Reid
George Lynch
Eric Montross
Brian Reese
Kevin Salvadori
Matt Wenstrom
Serge Zwikker
Pete Chilcutt
Scott Williams (‘90)

On the following day, February 13, the Heels host N.C. State. All former players, coaches, and managers have been invited to attend the game and a reunion dinner following the game.

The English Beat Coming to Cat’s Cradle

Dana — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:10:43 +0000

Sooner or later…we knew this would happen. The Beat, The English Beat, is twisting and crawling their way across the pond. On Sunday, May 2, the tour stops at The Cat’s Cradle. the show is at 8pm, and tickets go on sale Saturday (1/16). They are $17 in advance.

Note: This show has been cancelled.

Celebrity Chefs Coming to DPAC

Dana — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:20:49 +0000

A three night-series of celebrity chefs including Food Network favorites Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, and The Neelys is coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center. The schedule is as such:

February 21: Paula Deen and Family (2pm and 8pm)
March 26: Tyler Florence (8pm)
April 17: The Neelys (8pm)

Tickets start at $30 for each event and series tickets start at $112.

RDU Posts Flight Times Online

Dana — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:59:35 +0000

RDU Airport recently unveiled a simple website that posts current flight data for the airport. I’ve added the link to permanent list of Tools (in the left sidebar), as well as to the gogoraleigh iPhone interface’s “Tools” section, for easy access.

Wilco Coming to DPAC

Dana — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:02:28 +0000

On March 27, Wilco will play at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday morning at 10am via Ticketmaster. There is a fan club presale that begins tomorrow (Wed.) morning at 10am via Front Gate Tickets. One interesting feature with the show is the band is taking requests via its website. Click on the Durham show, then on the “Requests” box.

Steve Winwood Coming to DPAC

Dana — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:18:02 +0000

Durham’s Performing Arts Center welcomes one of rock’s biggest figures, Steve Winwood, on February 9. Tickets go on sale thru Ticketmaster outlets at 10am on December 28.

Moody Blues Coming to DPAC

Dana — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:51:29 +0000

On March 24 the Moody Blues will return to the Triangle. This time they will be at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets went on sale today.