The (fantastic) North Carolina Zoo will be closed through the end of the weekend due to a broken water main,

Durham has apparently made the very short list of cities that may get a Tesla dealership. The first dealership for the all-electric sportscar opened on Thursday in Los Angeles. According to Autoweek, the next wave of stores will come to Menlo Park, CA (Silicon Valley), New York, Miami, Seattle, and Chicago. The third wave, however, mentions Washington, Boston, and Durham.

The Tesla is the first wide production all-electric sportscar. It boasts acceleration of 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds and tops out at 125mph. Delivery time is currently 15 months for the $109,000 cars.

Be sure to check out the June Bon Appetit issue. On page 108 is an article by Durham’s Sara Foster called “Pasta In A New Light”. I’m not sure which looks better, the Orzo with grilled shrimp, summer vegetables, and pesto vinaigrette or the Farfalle with chicken, tomatoes, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. (via)

If you haven’t gotten a chance to eat at Foster’s Market in Durham, make some time, especially for a lunch outing. The salads and sandwiches are fantastic. A Tennessee native, Foster went on to do the NYC thing, then on to being one of Martha Stewart’s catering chefs. After a stretch in Connecticut, she and her husband moved to Durham to open a market with “great seasonal prepared foods to eat in or take out, specialty grocery items, locally roasted coffee and select wines”. There is now a location in Chapel Hill, too, but don’t bother with it unless it is decidedly more convenient to visit that location.

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I was sad to read the news that S. Beaumont over at Raleigh Free Press is hanging it up (for now at least). As I’ve repeated, the more local blogging we have, the stronger we are, and the community will no doubt feel this loss. This is a hobby that takes much persistence and can burn one out easily. Hopefully Beaumont will get a recharge of the batteries after a little while and come back to the table.

Primary Election Day is finally here. Hopefully my phone will return to normal as some chick named “Hillary” from South Carolina has been calling me incessantly.

The Brightleaf Square (Durham) location for Taverna Nikos has apparently reopened. This ad appeared in a newspaper yesterday.

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The Navy commissioned its newest member of the fleet this morning, the USS North Carolina. The fast-attack nuclear submarine will join the Navy’s Pacific fleet. The previous USS North Carolina, a battleship, sits in Wilmington as a permanent memorial for the state’s World War II veterans.

It all started back in 1969 when Betty Debnam began publishing “The Mini Page” for Raleigh’s News & Observer. Its popularity grew so much that in 1976, Universal Press Syndicate began the page’s distribution. Eventually over 500 newspapers carried “The Mini Page” and its many explanations of current events and science, puzzles, and games for children.

Last month, Debnam stepped down from her editor post, and will focus more time on writing children’s books, painting, and developing the Debnam-Hunt Literacy Resource Center at ECU.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, is coming June 14. A part of the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world, the Komen Race for the Cure Series has grown from one local Race with 800 participants in Dallas in 1983 to a series of more than 120 Races with more than 1.5 million participants this year alone.

Up to 75 percent of the net income from each Race stays in the community to fund local breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects. A minimum of 25 percent of the net income from each Race supports the Komen Award and Research Grant Program, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific programs around the world.

The 5K teardrop-shaped race route begins in front of Meredith College, proceeds to Brooks Avenue, and returns to Meredith. Five different races proceed with  a staggered starts beginning at 7am on race day. Registration is now open.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Jim Valvano’s death. A few heavy moments from 1993 still weigh heavily in my mind.

For instance, Valvano’s final game announcing (for ABC) in the Dean Dome came in March when #1 UNC hosted Duke. Brian Reese had just made the cover of Sports Illustrated and the Heels, on their way to a National Championship, handled Duke easily that Saturday afternoon. A neighbor scored 4 seats two rows behind the UNC bench for us. While they painted their chests and faces, I took my “Don’t Give Up Don’t Ever Give Up” bumper sticker, hoping to attract the sights of Jimmy V, who sat across the court, 50 feet away. Valvano didn’t seem to notice me, but Phil Ford did, and gave me a thumbs up. Afterward, the thousands of people who descended toward Valvano’s seat, as well as the ovation he received when leaving the court, were both tearjerkers.

Even heavier was Valvano’s final speech at NCSU (YouTube). He spoke in Reynolds Coliseum to a standing room only house. Without a dry eye in the house, Valvano preached his message of optimism and perseverance. Laettner took it to heart and was unstoppable that afternoon, but the State fans knew they had witnessed a far greater display before the game.

Then there was the funeral. (Oakwood Cemetary site) Many of ESPN’s people from both sides of the camera, and numerous big names in basketball were on hand to say goodbye to a good friend with a big heart. To this day no moment stands as gut wrenching as the moment that one of Bo Roberts’ (Triangle Area YMCA) sons, a friend of Valvano’s youngest daughter, placed a bouquet of flowers on Valvano’s casket. Even the always-bubbly Dick Vitale was in shambles; to the point of not being able to be a pallbearer.

Valvano is long gone, but not forgotten. Somewhere in heaven, he is telling a tale and making friends (but only when my father takes a break:) ) His simple, uplifting message has never given up.

McCall’s Barbecue (no relation) in Knightdale Clayton will reopen on Wednesday, according to a WRAL article. The restaurant has been closed since September 21 when a private airplane crashed into the restaurant.

The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group has done it again. Their already fantastic collection of moderately priced restaurants is now joined by MEZ, the new contemporary Mexican restaurant in RTP. MEZ is at the intersection of Page Road (the exit at the Sheraton Imperial) and Slater Road, just off of I-40 in a new, LEED-certified stand-alone building. map it

The atmosphere reminds me of a cross between 518 West and Winston’s Grille. Its large, airy central bar with hard walls and hard floors looks like it could easily get as noisy as 518, and lacks the level of decorative warmth felt in the restaurant’s siblings.

The menu layout is extremely similar to that at 518 and 411. There is only one weekly special, but there are roughly 8-10 regular entree dishes, several salads, and some delicious looking appetizers. Given the restaurant group’s reputation, I was reasonably expecting a menu that would rival Atlanta’s Nava. While MEZ doesn’t quite reach the level of Nava, it still has its merits.

Greg Cox does an excellent of outlining the building’s place in the market, so I tried MEZ for the first time last night. I started out with the corn chowder which was fine. The two main flavors were cream and corn. The soup honestly needed more flavor from either its green chili pepper, some other smokey source of flavor (like bacon), or plain ol’ cumin.

I kept things basic and got the outstanding chicken enchiladas. While the chicken flavor was good, the dish really shines with its tortilla flavor and its deep red chili pepper sauce. The sauce had just the right amount of zing to kept me interested without overwhelming my palate. The dish is served with some delicious rice and beans that rival those at Rosa Mexicano.

Without a doubt, I plan on returning to MEZ. As Cox mentioned, Jibarra shoots for a higher price point, but MEZ is somewhere in Sedona’s price range, and is a slightly more complete package. The next time I go I plan on delving into some of MEZ’s seafood and beef dishes, though.

It will be interesting to see how crowds are at MEZ. Spanky’s, 411, and 518 have a decidedly urban tilt to them, so they tend to have large crowds after work and on the weekends. In contrast MEZ takes CHRG’s suburban experience way past the domain of Squid’s. RTP restaurants tend to be crowded on weeknights, and empty on weekends. On the other hand, CHRG has such a great reputation in the area, that Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill residents are likely to join the quickly growing RTP population in clogging up the wait list on weekends. Regardless, I’ll be finding more time to eat there.

I received this from numerous sources, and it looks like a fantastic event:

July of 2008 marks the 220^th anniversary of the first ‘planning’ meeting held for Raleigh. That meeting, held at Sir Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, established Raleigh as the new state capital of North Carolina. In honor of this occasion, the Department of City Planning will be hosting a spirited, non-traditional planning charrette to discuss the Big Ideas you have for downtown and the City of Raleigh. This email, and the attached PDF, is a call for our community’s dreamers, thinkers, and critics, imagineers, and designers to come together to share your ideas, no matter how crazy or far-fetched, for what our community can be.

You want a river downtown? Tell us.

An arena surrounded by walkable retail? Tell us.

A zip line between the Two Hannover Tower and Wachovia Capital Center? Tell us.

You get the point.

Please feel free to post the attached PDF on your respective websites, as the success of the event will be influenced by the number of dreamers we have in attendance.

The details:

Where? Tir na nOg Irish Pub (218 S. Blount St., Downtown Raleigh)

When? April 21^st, 2008 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM

What else do I need to do? RSVP thru the planning department website.

Ahhh April 15! The day we all love. Just a couple of tips to faithful readers; most accountants suggest sending your forms via certified mail, so you will have to interact with postal workers:

• The post office at Avent Ferry Road and Gorman Street has outstanding employees. They are efficient, friendly, and well-worth a moderate detour in your day. This is one of Raleigh’s best-kept secrets. map it
• All postal items are eventually sent through the Westgate Road branch of the USPS. Therefore that site has the final pickup of the day. If I recall correctly, their box in the lobby is last-checked at 8pm each weekday, but don’t hold me to it. That location a couple of years ago had a steel drum band in their lobby on April 15. It’s BYOB, though. map it

Tomorrow marks the soft opening of Myrtle Beach’s Hard Rock Park. The brand new 140-acre theme park will feature four roller coasters, many carnival rides, interactive music pavilions, and numerous live music stages, all with classic rock and country themes.

The marquis ride of the park, though is "Led Zeppelin: The Ride", a 150-foot tall, 3,738 foot long, 65-mph, 6-inversion coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard. (video) If any of you have ridden a B&M coaster, you surely remember its smoothness and trademark whir. 

With the addition of the Hard Rock Park, there are now 35 first-rate roller coasters within a 3.5 hour drive of Raleigh.

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This spring, fashion comes to life as top designers display their work during Strut ‘08, a fashion, music, and dance show being held at North Hills. The May 3, 9:00 pm event will feature seven nationally-recognized fashion designers, each with Raleigh roots and a personal or professional tie to the Triangle-area. Models wearing seasonal styles, prominent local talent, and several area boutiques will take to the runway for a televised show.

“Raleigh has never hosted a fashion event like Strut ‘08,” says Brian Williams, creator/producer of the show and president of Brian Williams Television. “The time is right. The Triangle is home to a fashion-conscious, creative class who has a distinct taste for well-designed clothing.”

The fashion designers include:

• Amy Stephenson, who grew up in Johnston County and has a well known line of jeans
• Miranda Laughlin, a graduate of Cary’s Athens Drive High School, known for her Bleighm line of dresses, shirts and pants
• Jewelry Designer Elizabeth Yarborough grew up in Louisburg and still has family living in the area
• Holly Aiken, also a graduate of NCSU, designs handbags in her Raleigh studio called Stitch
• Chuck Stewart, owner of Tumbling Colors, designer of fabrics used worldwide in the fashion industry, will serve as a special consultant for the show
• Victor Lytvinenko, a graduate of the School of Design at North Carolina State University, uses rare, expensive denim spun in Greensboro, N.C., to make his distinct and successful line of Verses Jeans.
• Bruce Wilson, from his Meschantes Couture studio and gallery in Raleigh, resurrects the art of designing the classic, custom-fitted corset for both men and women. 

Local clothiers and boutiques will also feature their designs in the show — NV Clothes for Men, Verses Jeans, Uniquities, Meschantes Couture, Kerry Catherine Jewelry, Scout and Molly’s, Phortiistorm, The Metallic Spiral, J & B Clothing, bebe and SoHo along with a special “Art to Wear” designer from NCSU.

Williams has partnered with Social the Magazine to produce the show that will be held in (most likely) North Hills’ former Storehouse location. The venue will feature a red-carpet entry, a 640-square-foot entertainment stage and a 40-foot fashion runway. Betzi Hekman is the fashion coordinator for the production and Samuel Cole Salon and Salon Moxie are providing all hair/makeup services for the 35 models specified by the designers.

A silent auction held online and auctioned off prior to the show will benefit Interact of Wake County and will feature items personally selected and donated by the designers as well as other items.

For more information visit www.Strut08.com. Online ticket sales will begin March 1 on this site. Ticket prices will range from $25 - $100.

The Raleigh Chronicle announced that it has been purchased by another publication and will shut down tomorrow. This is unfortunate as TRC has done an excellent job of independently covering the fun aspects of Raleigh.

While the site never focused on the parade of crime-riddled psychos that adorn traditional newspapers and TV news sites, it’s ironic that TRC’s best moment just came weeks ago when they were closely involved in solving the Eve Carson murder case. TRC posted the colorized picture of the accused and a link to his MySpace page. It showed that focused websites can do a better job at what they do than traditional media.

One of Raleigh’s attributes is the growing list of local blogs and sites. This was addressed in Sunday’s N&O. Sustaining a local site requires a lot of stamina and creativity, but don’t let that deter anyone out there wanting to do this. We need more sites like The Raleigh Chronicle.

You will be missed!

Jeff Gordinier, author of X Saves the World: How Generation X Got The Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking will be at Quail Ridge Books tonight. The Details magazine Editor at Large will be signing books from 7pm to 8pm

Site plans for a four-story Hyatt Hotel at the corner of Trinity and Nowell Roads in Raleigh were submitted to the Raleigh planning department this week. The site plan (.PDF) shows the footprint for the 123-room hotel and its 123 parking spaces. Because of the hotel’s small size, it will most likely will be a Hyatt variant such as Hyatt Place.

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Katt Williams brings his "it’s pimpin’ pimpin’ tour" to the RBC Center on May 3. Tickets are on sale now.