Poole’s Gets Gourmet Mention
It’s good to see Ashley Christensen getting more love. This time it comes from Gourmet magazine which includes Christensen’s
Poole’s Diner
in their “
Restaurants Worth the Money: Southeast
” list. The feature appears in the October issue of Gourmet.
Greek Festival Returns to Fairgrounds
This weekend marks the return of the
Greek Festival
. My favorite ethnic festival of the year, the festival showcases Greek food, clothing, decorating, dancing, and music.
The food
(.pdf) is outstanding, and features a cafeteria line approach to presenting some of the most popular, traditional Greek dishes.
Admission is $3 for adults (under 13 is free), but free admission coupons (.pdf) are available online. The festival is at the Expo Center at the State Fairgrounds and runs through 10pm tonight, and 11-7 tomorrow.
Hurricanes HD Coverage Announced
FOX Sports Carolinas released their schedule (.pdf) of Carolina Hurricanes games that will appear in HD. Unfortunately only 30 of the 65 televised games will appear in HD. They can be found on Time Warner Channel 272, while the SD coverage of all 65 games can be found on TWC channel 50.
This low percentage of games in HD is irritating. According to a recently released survey by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), over half of American households have an HDTV. Certainly that number is even higher for the Triangle area. So not only are the league, the team, and the network disregarding our investments, they are ignoring the best chance they have of showcasing the game to future fans. Common complaints about hockey on TV include the difficulty of seeing the puck in SD broadcasts. It’s a different story in HD, however. Perhaps there is no other sport that benefits from HDTV coverage like hockey does. For the NHL to even allow SD only broadcasts, in 2009, shows what a desperate, needy bunch of followers they are. If the commissioner had any guts, he would draw the line with networks and insist that his outstanding product be presented in the best possible manner.
The games covered in HD have been added to the gogoraleigh Complete Hurricanes Google Calendar (not in the home-only version), so subscribers should see the HD indication in the game’s subject heading.
Down By the Tracks Supports SPCA
On Sunday afternoon The Shops at Seaboard Station will be the site of the eighth annual Down By The Tracks benefit for the SPCA of Wake County. The Swingin’ Johnsons and the Bufffalo Theory Band will be performing. There will also be a silent auction, doggie pools, familty portraits, wine, beer tastings, and more. The cover charge is a minimum $5 donation, and dogs are welcome.
Guy Fieri Roadshow Coming to Memorial Auditorium
On November 21
Guy Fieri
is bringing his roadshow to Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium.
Tickets go on sale today at 10am
.
Mr. Potato Head Comes to Marbles
Marbles Kids Museum is now hosting a new interactive exhibit called The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head. The lovable Mr. Potato Head will lead youngsters and parents on a journey of fun and educational adventures. From trips to outer space to jungle safaris and archeological digs, each activity will provide children with engaging learning experiences.
The exotic and fanciful exhibit is designed to develop school readiness and academic skills for young children, focusing on literacy, problem solving, mathematics, science and social studies. It is based on developmental milestones set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and national academic standards.
The exhibit is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9am to 5pm, Sundays from 12pm until 5pm. Museum admission is $5 per person; children younger than 1 are free. For more information, call 919.834.4040 or visit www.marbleskidsmuseum.org .
The Distillery Hosting Big Benefit
On Sunday, young local theater company The Distillery will be hosting a big benefit at Amra’s. The event will feature music, snacks, silent auction, door prizes, face painting, drink specials, and performances by Cotton, Sea Cow, Lizh, and more. It will be family-friendly until 5:30 when Amras turns back into a bar, allowing only those of age to remain. The event runs from 3pm to 9pm, and admission is $20 (kids free with an adult).
Designbox Running Exhibit Trio
A couple of weeks ago three interesting exhibits began in the area:
Paul Friedrich
Onion Head Monster Poster Exhibition
Thru October 4, 2009
Colony Movie Theater, Six Forks and Millbrook
9 new posters featuring the cartoons of Bus Champion, All-Time Monster Champion and most recently Bug Champion, Paul Friedrich
The Conquerors
Thru October 24, 2009
Artspace
In association with local artist Paul Friedrich, Artspace presents The Conquerors, an exhibition showcasing cutting-edge American artwork. The Conquerors features the work of five nationally known artists exhibiting for the first time in Raleigh: Mark Bodnar, Mari Inukai, Liz McGrath, Bill McRight, and Bonnie Brenda Scott. These artists are recognized as dynamic leaders of the Lowbrow painting style from the pages of Juxtopoz and Hi Fructose magazines.
Originating in California in the early 1980’s and currently moving towards the East Coast, Lowbrow is a rapidly spreading underground art movement that combines traditional painting subject matter with modern ingredients of underground comics, hot-rod culture, and punk rock. The Conquerors reflects current trends in the Lowbrow genre from the East and West Coasts.
Images at
http://www.artspacenc.org/gallery_two.html
2 BIT SHO
Thru October 4, 2009
2 Bit Sho
features work by artists from and inspired by the the Triangle’s game industry. Designbox, along with Spark Plug Games, artists Adam Capps, Chris Norris and Paul Friedrich have recruited local gaming artists for a 2 Bit Sho. The exhibit features video game inspired works and pieces by artists currently working in the Triangle’s video game industry. Never before exhibited in Raleigh, author/collector Dave Ellis will be displaying 5 vintage game consoles from his collection. DJ Scoplecopter has composed exclusive "chip tunes" inspired by video games for the show’s music.
curated by Adam Capps, Chris Norris and Paul Friedrich [db]
SPARKcon Raleigh Begins
Today marks the first day of the 4-day creativity festival,
SPARKcon
. The 4th annual event is a volunteer showcase of the Triangle’s creativity. With an “open source” approach, the festival celebrates many different disciplines including:
- ideaSPARK – help design the future of our communities
- fashionSPARK – see the latest in the area’s fashion and accessory designers
- poetrySPARK – enjoy the works of about 60 different poets
- bazaarSPARK – a collection of artisans, food, fashion, and friends on Hargett Street, Saturday.
- filmSPARK – see independent films, animations, and more from the area.
- tastySPARK – local food presented at various restaurants and food trucks.
- gamingSPARK – a showcase in local video game development talent. Also play the Gears of War 2 tourney.
- artSPARK – local art takes over downtown.
- musicSPARK – celebrates the local music scene, which has gathered much momentum in the past few years.
- storySPARK – hear and see interpretations of “exciting and provocative stories”
- graffitiSPARK – exploring graffiti and its culture.
- danceSPARK – showcases and instruction of a variety of dance disciplines.
- sipSPARK – everything from coffee to cocktails.
Each of the subSPARKs is hosting several organized events, which are well presented in a Google Calendar .
Zoës Kitchen Opens at Oberlin Court
Zoës Kitchen
, a 22-store fast casual chain out of Birmingham opens today in Oberlin Court.
The restaurant’s menu
(.pdf) features “Mediterranean – Southern Style”, with a mix of dinner entrees, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and more.
The restaurant’s space is open, with two sides wrapped by large, south and west-facing windows. So, the restaurant will get a generous dose of sunlight every day. The interior features a hard gray floor with red and yellow coloring on the walls and ceiling. One might expect noise to be an issue, however in a mostly full room, it didn’t seem any noisier than Moe’s at North Hills. The funkiest aspect of the decor is the artwork by local children. The restaurant is supplying local elementary school students with art supplies, and posting their work around the restaurant. Each piece can be purchased for $20, with the proceeds going to the artist’s school. They plan to cycle the collection every quarter, freshening the decor.
I settled on the chicken kabobs for lunch, and they did not disappoint. The pair of kabobs included onions, green peppers, and tomatoes, which is especially rare in a casual restaurant. The chicken was good quality, and the marinade, while a bit heavy on the oregano, was nevertheless excellent. The platter was generously heaped with rice, grilled pita, and a side Greek salad. The rice and pita were fine, but the salad really was the star here. The vinaigrette salad dressing was delicious, especially with bites containing feta cheese.
While a better kabob dinner does exist in Raleigh, Zoës offers an extremely good, large plate of food at the $9 price point. As with the addition of Noodles & Co. to the area, it is refreshing to find good food requiring a fork that doesn’t cost $15. It is entirely reasonable to imagine a family of 4 sitting down and having a good, non-greasy meal here below the ever-vanishing $30 price point.
An interesting offering from Zoës is the menu’s Dinners For Four section. Aimed at the To-Go crowd, the four hot dinners offered can be ordered ahead and picked up at around the $25 price point. They also offer some of their salads and hummus in pound and half-pound tubs, as well as a full catering menu.
The restaurant’s hours, if I recall correctly, are 10am-9pm, 7 days a week. They are located in Oberlin Court, the mixed-use development on Oberlin Road near Wade Avenue.
Feel The Rumble?
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.
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