— The N.C. State Fair is coming up Oct 17-27 in Raleigh so go ahead and load up on Pepto-Bismol and coat your stomach before you go. Yes they will have all the food classics, but new this year includes delights like: JoCo HoHo (basically a jalapeno popper on a stick with brisket); Neomonde's Loaded Lamb Nachos (complete with shawarma spiced ground lamb simmered with onions on a bed of pita chips and topped with fresh pico, feta cheese and harissa yogurt sauce); Cookie Dough on a Cone; Reese's Donuts; Pumpkin Spice Hushpuppies; and The Chickenator (a fried chicken sandwich served inside a cinnamon bun). And don't forget the Weekday Lunch Pass Program - on weekdays only, enter Gate 9 off Trinity Road, or Gate 1 off Hillsborough Street after 11:30 a.m., pay $10 cash, stuff yourself silly, return before 1:30 pm and get your $10 back. Remember, weekdays only and only at those gates. Get ALL the details at their website.

The News & Observer delivered the difficult news this week that the downtown Durham, Southpoint and Carrboro locations of Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken had discontinued with doughnuts altogether. The new menu focuses on the savory side of breakfast, with biscuit sandwiches, many featuring a boneless piece of fried chicken. There are a few sweet biscuits, with blueberries, strawberries or cinnamon, but no doughnuts to be found. There is a new build your own biscuit section of the menu.

Wake County Restaurant News

If you find yourself out in Wendell, do yourself a favor and pay a visit to the newest dining option out that way. It is called Farmhouse Cafe and is the creation of chef Patrick Cowden and Daniel Whittaker who also own and operate downtown Raleigh's Pharmacy Cafe and Green Planet Catering. The cafe features Smørrebrød,' which is a type of Danish open-face sandwich. The cafe is in a large community center building at the Wendell Falls development and is open to the public. Even if you don't find yourself in Wendell, I'd suggest it is worth the drive.

Reader Mike Brown shared with us via Twitter that Fogata Brava Grill and Tequila at Plantation Point shopping center in Raleigh near the intersection of US1 and 540 has re-opened as Mariscos Nayarit, featuring seafood dishes.

And got word via Ashton Mae Smith's weekly email that Ashley Christensen's Poole'side Pies is now open 7 days a week, from 5 pm until 11 pm. Pizza every day? It doesn't get better than that.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

Reader J. Norris shared with us that with a fresh coat of paint and a new sign above the door, Moe's Original Bar B Que looks poised to open in the former Blu Seafood building at 2002 Hillsborough Rd. in Durham, just west of Ninth Street and elbow-to-elbow with Vin Rouge. Moe's sprung up in Tuscaloosa in the late 1980s, and now has about 60 locations - mostly in the Southeast, but as far-flung as Maine, California and Mexico City. Looks like probably counter service, with a menu featuring pork, chicken, turkey, ribs, shrimp and catfish. Norris also noted they may be a ways from opening and they aren't even listed on the restaurant website.

And a reminder from our friends over at Bites of Bull City that this weekend is the grand opening of Crafts and Drafts NC in North Durham at 3117 Guess Road from noon until 10 pm. They will have $5 off all craft kits and will have Pancho's Tacos Y Tortas there on Saturday from 3:30 to 10 pm. This is the perfect spot to meet up for fun, causal D.I.Y. crafting projects while enjoying a local beer, glass of cider or wine.

And speaking of Bites of Bull City, they reminded us that we forgot to give a very well-deserved congratulations to Sister Liu's and M Tempura for having been nominated for Bon Appetit's "Best New Restaurants 2019." A well-deserved honor for two of Durham's (once) hidden gems.

Closings

Got word from the folks over at Offline Raleigh that Cocoa Forte has sadly closed their cheesecake stand at Morgan Street Food Hall. But, they still have their truck.

Food Trucks

The next Wake Forest Food Truck Rodeo happens Sunday, Oct. 27 from noon to 4 p.m. at 405 S. Brooks St. downtown Wake Forest! Just about everything and anything that is served from the back of a truck will be featured from savory food and dessert vendors. In addition, a beer tent will be provided by Brooks Street Bowl, live music, a variety of craft vendors, and a Kid's Zone.

The Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays are held the third Thursday of the month through October at Knightdale Station Park for lunch and dinner. Get all the details, truck schedule and more.

The remaining Durham Food Truck Rodeo is Nov. 3. And the remaining two dates for the 2019 edition of the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo are Oct. 6 from 12 to 6 p.m. with a make-up date on Nov. 10. All are held along Fayetteville Street.

Events

It is that time of year again...time to nominate your favorite people and businesses for the 2019 WRAL.com Voters' Choice Awards. There are a ton of areas/categories, but of course our favorite is the Food & Drink category where you can nominate everything from your favorite deli to your favorite watering hole. You can also nominate things like your favorite Twitter personality (cough, cough) your favorite blogger (again, cough, cough) or your favorite caterer (boy, this cough is bad). Nominations will close on the morning of Oct. 14. The finalists will be revealed on Oct. 21 and voting will be open through Dec. 1. Winners will be announced on Jan. 9, 2020, at a cocktail event for finalists.

The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering will host the eighth annual Porkapalooza Festival at its Chapel Hill restaurant on Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m. The eagerly anticipated porktastic farm dinner will offer eight small plate courses, featuring locally-raised pork from Burnette Ranch in Pittsboro and handcrafted beers from Fuquay-Varina’s Mason Jar Lager Co. This is the eighth anniversary of what has become one of the signature food events in North Carolina. Tickets for Porkapalooza include all food and drink and are $69.

October 5th is the second annual Festa Italiana Raleigh from 12 to 8 p.m. It is a celebration of Italian culture, wine and food! Location: 609 Tucker St (corner of Tucker and North Boylan). Get all the details here.

St. Ann Church in Clayton will host their 11th International Food Festival on Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. featuring foods from 20 countries prepared by parishioners. The family friendly event also includes live international entertainment on stage, children’s games and a silent auction. Admission and parking are free.

Also on Oct. 5, Big Boss Brewing Company will host the 9th Annual Casktoberfest, a mashup of old world beer cultures where European style festival traditions collide and the brewery is transformed into a traditional beer hall while serving a variety of specialty cask ale. This is a pay as you go event, no advance purchase or ticket is required. Taproom opens at 3 p.m., “Beer Hall” opens at 5 p.m. Big Boss is located at 1249 Wicker Drive in Raleigh.

And if that is not enough for one day, the folks over at The Beltline Buzz reminded us that the Tacos N Taps Festival will take you south of the border for some foodie fun. This all-you-care-to-taste beer and tequila festival is Saturday, Oct. 5 from 1-5pm at Cary's Booth Amphitheatre and offers up some of the Triangle's best tacos and Mexican food, the best dancing music from the Triangle area DJs, margaritas, piñata punching, contests and many other surprises. Get all the details here.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8, chef Greg Goldberg will host a Hungarian Wine Dinner at Uninhibited Tapas along with Rooted Selections. Tickets are $95 for the 5 course meal. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here.

On Oct. 9, Locals Seafood and Locals Oyster Bar are hosting a special four-course dinner benefiting Ocracoke Seafood. Ocracoke Seafood was badly damaged as floodwaters from Hurricane Dorian rushed across the island. As the last fish house on the island, Ocracoke Seafood is critically important to the livelihood of local fishermen and their families. Proceeds from this event will be donated to Ocracoke Foundation's efforts to repair Ocracoke Seafood. In addition to the dinner, we're running a special Ocracoke Platter until Oct. 9 The platter features fried fish, shrimp, hushpuppies, and slaw and is available all day. $10 from each platter sold will be donated to Ocracoke Foundation's efforts to repair Ocracoke Seafood. This is a joint fundraising effort by Locals Oyster Bar and Locals Seafood.

John Huisman, aka Triangle Explorer, recently shared via Twitter that the annual Beericana festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12 at Sugg Farm Park in Holly Springs. The event is from noon until 6 p.m. and features nearly 70 breweries (count at this point). It is a craft beer and music festival that brings great beer from breweries from across the state of North Carolina (and some from beyond) for attendees to enjoy. Tickets are $45, or $75 for VIP (2 hour early access).

Also on Oct. 12, Durham Bowls, a project pairing local chefs with school nutrition managers to develop new, delicious, and "school food"-compliant recipes for school lunch, are hosting their 2nd annual Durham Bowls Food Fest on Oct. 12 at the Scrap Exchange in Durham. Tickets ($6 and $3) include a tasting of each of the 10 new recipes, a chance to vote for the People's Choice award, live music, lots of great organizations tabling, and more. It's super fun, and people leave full!

On Tuesday, October 15 Katie Parla is traveling to Coronato in Carrboro for a special collaborative pizza party with chef-owner Teddy Diggs. Parla is a Rome-based food and beverage educator and journalist who came out with a cookbook earlier this year, "Food of the Italian South." In her book, 85 authentic recipes and 100 stunning photographs capture the cultural and cooking traditions of the Italian South, from the mountains to the coast. During the upcoming dinner, Parla and Diggs will be serving delicious dishes from her book or inspired by the Italian South.

This is it. Your last chance. I’ve been touting this amazing event that Colleen Minton dreamed up 10 years ago and now we are at the 10th and final Terra Vita Food & Drink Festival in Chapel Hill Oct. 16-19. Yep, you read that right. This is the grand finale. There will be no more. And heed my last (and final) warning – tickets will not last. If you’ve never been – GO! If you’ve been, don’t miss the last one. If you don’t know, it is a multi-day celebration that brings together top chefs, food artisans, sommeliers, baristas, brewers, educators, distillers, cookbook authors and industry luminaries from across the Southeast to celebrate culinary excellence and sustainability in food and drink.

Triangle Oktoberfest, a two-day beer, food and music festival celebrating German culture and benefiting local and international charities, will hold its 6th annual event on Friday, October 18, from 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, October 19, from noon to 9 p.m. at Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre. The festival is organized by Apex Sunrise and Cary MacGregor Rotary Clubs in collaboration with the Town of Cary.

On Wednesday, October 23rd, Walter Magazine will host Taste of the Wild in Transfer Co's brand new event space honoring the outdoors with a locally-sourced dinner. Locals Oyster Bar and Longleaf Swine BBQ are joined by Fullsteam Brewing and Wye Hill Brewery to discuss sustainability, wild-foraged ingredients and the importance of eating local. Enjoy hors d'oeuvres, a three-course dinner, beer and wine pairings, along with signature cocktails. Get all the details and sign-up for the event here.

On Nov. 3, more than 30 of the Triangle’s finest restaurants will be paired with world-class wines at the third annual Sip + Savor – A Wine, Food and Music Experience. Sip + Savor will showcase 30+ culinary all-stars, sommeliers, on-stage experience with live music, VIP lounge, and more.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will hold their Brewer’s Ball on Nov. 8, 2019 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at The Rickhouse in Durham. The Ball is an evening celebrating the Triangle's “finest” young professionals and features food, beer, live music, live and silent auctions, and a chance to mingle, all while being a part of a great cause: helping move us closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis. This one-of-a-kind beer tasting event has grown each year with the 2018 event hosting over a dozen different vendors including local craft breweries, and food from several Triangle area restaurants. The event will be capped at 300 people and tickets have sold out every year!

If you are looking for the recipe for a perfect fall day, here's a tip: Salt & Smoke VII presented by chef Kevin Callaghan and his team at ACME on Saturday, November 9th from 1:30 to 6:30 pm. Join the nearly 300 people who've already bought their tickets to the seventh annual celebration of southern food and drink and music at the beautiful Rock Quarry Farm in Orange County. Visit their Facebook events page here and get tickets here. Isn't it time you #GetYourSouthOn? Thanks to the folks over at Taste Carolina for the reminder.

Sunday, Nov. 10 from 12 to 2 p.m. is the annual Triangle Chili Challenge that brings out some of the best restaurants, food trucks, caterers, businesses and organizations as they compete for the title of "Best Chili in the Triangle". Triangle Chili Challenge will donate a portion of this year's proceeds to Special Olympics North Carolina. Get all the details on their Facebook event page here.

Food Bank Corner

We mentioned the NC State Fair above, but don't forget that Food Lion Hunger Relief Day at the N.C. State Fair is Thursday, Oct. 24. Bring six cans of Food Lion brand food to the N.C. State Fair on that day and exchange them at any gate for one free admission ticket. Since 1993, more than 5 million pounds of food have been donated by fairgoers to feed neighbors in need. Get all the details.