Mamma mia! The first standalone restaurant is coming to Fenton next week—and we’re feeling a little saucy about it. Colletta—and Indigo Road Hospitality Group concept (think O-Ku and Oak Steakhouse)—is officially opening to the public on Friday, Sept. 2.
Translating to “collection” in Italian, Colletta will be just that—“a compilation of lively dining experiences,” aka a mecca of both authentic Italian fare and modern takes on Italian-American dishes. Think pasta made in-house daily (Black pepper tagliatelle! Linguine & clams! Shrimp scampi!), cheeses, antipastis, pizzas and more—plus a lengthy wine list, cocktails, beer and liquor to pair. To boot, a “For the Table” family-style dining experience will be offered nightly.
Cooking up those delectable dishes is Colletta executive chef Oscar Gnapi, who joined the team in June. Born in Paris, Gnapi honed his craft over decades at restaurants and hotels—from Paris, Italy and London to California to Chapel Hill and Cary. One particular notable stint includes working at Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower (!).
“I have such a love and appreciation for the culinary arts and have been lucky enough to learn from some of the most talented chefs of our time,” says Gnapi. “I’m excited to draw on my knowledge of traditional European and Italian cuisine, and deliver a memorable experience at Colletta—a meal any Nonna would enjoy!”
And, obviously, everyone and their Nonna is a fan of the Italian resto. Originally opened in Alpharetta’s Avalon community in 2015, Colletta has racked up plenty of recognition from the likes of Jezebel, Modern Luxury Magazine and Thrillist, which named Colletta one of the best Italian restaurants in Atlanta this year. So come hungry. Bon appetit!
An ode to the smoked brisket birria tacos that nearly broke the internet whenever Wood announced they were on the menu on Lawrence’s Instagram (and brought in throngs of people eager to get their hands on one, though usually sold out after only a couple of hours and thus “got out of hand,” says Wood), Leroy’s Tacos n Beer—anticipated to open in January 2023—will be situated just two doors down from the hip Q spot, and underneath his other Lawrence Food Co. Hospitality Group concept, Lagoon Bar. A taco and BBQ (and cocktail!) down the road at Boxyard? Um, sold.
In addition to Wood’s famed birria tacos—which he conceptualized using three or four different recipes from different regions in Mexico—Leroy’s small rotating menu will feature fun seasonal dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Expect chimichurri fried rice, roasty poblano cheese dip with fresh fried tortilla chips, segmented grapefruit and avocado salad, and “a really fun corn dog that’s kind of like street corn, except the vessel’s gonna be a corn dog as opposed to an ear of corn,” says Wood.
NC shrimp tacos and carne asada skirt steak tacos will be on the feature board more often than not, he adds, and the food will be complemented by a rotating selection of canned Mexican beers like Imperial, Pacifico, Tecate and Modelo—plus over-the-top micheladas, natch.
“We’re not trying to overthink it; we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel with tacos—clearly I’m a white dude,” says Wood. “There are folks within 5 miles of us cooking amazing tacos. We just wanna join; we’re not trying to compete with anybody. I just f*cking love tacos, and I wanna make them. I want folks to be able to come and get the birria tacos and not have to wait in line 30 minutes to be told it’s sold out.” (If it’s happened to you, you know how soul-crushing it is.)
While Wood says expansion this soon after launching Lawrence wasn’t originally in the cards for him or his team, the opportunity to open a new spot at the former Carrburritos space was just too good to pass up. “It just made so much sense that we could expand our footprint there at Boxyard,” he explains. “They’re great folks to work with. We’ve had success since we’ve opened out there, and we just wanna build on that there with a lower overhead entry point.”
NTM that the area is only going to continue to grow, what with the new Hub RTP project, an Apple campus coming, and talks of Google and Nike as well. “We’d like to be there and grow as RTP grows,” says Wood. “I feel like it’s kind of RTP’s time to shine over the next five, six, 10 years—whatever it may be as they grow in that area. Looking back, I think we made the right decision by coming out there and taking a chance with Lawrence.” Those birria tacos surely seemed to prove that.
He adds: “We’re staying in this fun vein that we’re in with Lawrence. We’re not taking anything too seriously other than the food, and just really staying hyperfocused on that. I’m looking forward to it. I love making tacos—I could stand over a flat top and fold birria tacos for 12 hours straight. It’s just fun.” So, in the words of Wood, “Come on over, eff around, and find out.”
It’s all smooth sailing as this startup offers affordable solutions for those looking to experience NC’s many lakes.
If you chose the boat life but the boat life didn’t choose you (read: Owning a boat is a little out of your price range), there’s a local solution that can ensure some quality time on the water before summer’s over. Like an Uber for the lake, startup boating peer-to-peer rideshare marketplace Lake Hop makes boating both affordable and accessible.
Founded by boat enthusiast DJ Boggs in 2021, Lake Hop connects consumers wanting to get out on the water to local private boat owners, eliminating traditional liabilities associated with renting or operating boats since boat owners act only as designated drivers. Knot a bad deal, right?
“Lake Hop is about making memories,” says Boggs. “Some of my favorite childhood memories were going up to the lake. So I think the camaraderie of friends and family and the memories made—those lake memories are memories that are never forgotten.” And you know what they say, a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at the office (!).
While the cost of maintaining a boat ranges from around $5,000 to $8,000 a year—NTM the average gas price of $4 in NC this summer—renting a boat through Lake Hop costs about $20 to $900 an hour. Lake Hop boat owners (the service has recruited more than 300 on lakes in NC to date!) also offer fun experiences like watersports lessons or exclusive fishing excursions on lakes throughout the state—think Lake Norman, Lake Hickory, Falls Lake, Lake Wylie and more.
“Growing up, my parents didn’t have the financial wealth to be able to go and buy an expensive wake boat,” says Boggs. “I’d say there’s a financial barrier for middle- to lower-income people to really ‘lake like a local’ because they don’t have the financial means to buy a boat. Our goal was really to break that financial entry barrier, so now folks can experience the lakes in all different ways.” Sounds like an experience worth seas-ing.
We have a solution to ward off those Sunday scaries. … Simply skip work on Monday (Aug. 15) and join Crank Arm and The Pour House’s Social District Celebration Kickoff! In honor of Raleigh’s first social district, the two DTR establishments are gathering folks for a “Parade of Travelers.” Keep reading for what you need to know—and how you can join in on the fun.
Where?
Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street Social District—starts/ends at Crank Arm
When?
Monday, Aug. 15, from 10:30am to 3pm
Who?
Crank Arm, The Pour House, and you and all your friends!
What’s the plan?
The journey begins at Crank Arm, where paraders can grab a brew to carry as they make their way over to The Pour House (drinking in the street—what a concept!) with a New Orleans-style second-line party band playing tunes along the way. After a beverage and a little record shopping, it’s back to Crank Arm for lunch from Corner Boys BBQ. Now who said drinking on a Monday morning wasn’t allowed? RSVP here.
Your NCRLA Chef Showdown winners are here! After competing in preliminary and regional rounds of competition earlier this year, 20 top chefs and pastry chefs, and six bartenders paired with six distilleries from across the state (narrowed down from a starting pool of 60+ chefs and a dozen mixologists) competed for the winning titles at the grand finale—and (drumroll!) Oscar Johnson of Jimmy Pearls in Charlotte was named the NCRLA Chef of the Year, Lydia Greene of Machete in Greensboro the NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year, David Bowen of The Ginger Fox in Winston-Salem the NCRLA Bartender of the Year, and Broad Branch Distillery in Winston-Salem the NCRLA Distillery of the Year.
Raleigh Magazine got the pleasure of tasting our way through the delectable dishes and bangin’ cocktails at the Performance Food Service People’s Choice Awards on Aug. 8 at Angus Barn—and, boy, was it hard to choose our favorites (it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it…). Some of our top bites and sips were PARA chef Myles Scaglione’s braised rabbit, Machete chef Kevin Cottrell’s grilled and braised beef ribs, and Flying Machine Taproom and Kitchen mixologist Brian Pratt’s Blue Shark Vodka cocktail. … But, really, everything was delicious and they’re all winners in our book (and, ahem, stomachs).
In its sixth season, the NCRLA Chef Showdown (now the longest-running culinary and mixology competition in the state!) was conceptualized by Charlotte-based food and foodcentric travel writer Heidi Billotto in 2016, who continues to contract with the NCRLA to organize the event. “Chef Showdown has become the place to showcase the incredible talent of the North Carolina hospitality industry,” says NCRLA President and CEO Lynn Minges.
The application process for chefs and mixologists begins in February each year, and the competition runs from late March to early April—up until the August Grand Finale. Fun fact: Wake Tech Community College School of Baking and Pastry Arts serves as NCRLA’s “home base” for both the preliminary and regional rounds of competition, a way for the association to “shine a spotlight on the future growth of the hospitality industry and on today’s culinary students who will become working NC chefs and pastry chefs in the years to come,” says Billotto.
And, who knows, maybe next year one of those students will be competing for a prestigious NCRLA title themselves. Until then, congrats to this year’s winners and to all the talented chefs and bartenders who made their way through the competition!
