The Wandering Moose to open first brick-and-mortar
Not all who wander are lost… And this fan-fave food truck has found its new brick-and-mortar home in North Raleigh, expected to open end of June/early July. The tavern-style outpost boasts a batch of rough-cut barn wood details throughout the interior, complete with barstools, tables and chairs sourced from recently shuttered Sawmill Taproom (co-owner Matt Lundgren previously tended bar there for 10 years)—plus pinball machines (!) and a patio area with sunshades, tea lights and plants. The food truck will be stationed outside, dishing all your Wandering Moose faves—with the op to get food to-go—while the full bar will feature 10 beers on tap and five to six signature ’tails (think an old fashioned, margarita, bloody mary, etc.). “We want to have that just kind of simple neighborhood bar feel,” says Lundgren. “We’re not doing anything over the top; it’s gonna be really simplistic. Our goal is to have a bar for everybody.” That includes sports fans… as the entire space—both indoors and out—is littered with TVs, making it a prime game day spot. @wanderingmoosenc
These local brick-and-mortar establishments are taking to the streets to deliver their delish eats and drinks on the go.
Samantha Bechtold
Trophy Trailer
If beer on the go is your thing, enter Trophy Brewing Co.’s brand-new mobile bar and taproom (!). Designed with the intention of serving beer more easily at events (you may have seen it at the likes of Brewgaloo, Gettin’ Piggy With It and Raleigh Fashion Fest), the trailer feats five drafts of Trophy beer, as well as wine and draft cocktails made with Young Hearts Distilling liquor, natch. When it’s not rolling around town, you can find it parked at Trophy Maywood serving up bevs to be enjoyed outside on-property. “We always want people to come visit us at the brewery, but we’ll also put out the beacon and have people try our beer and spirits out in the wild,” says Trophy co-owner Chris Powers. Cheers to that! @trophymaywood
Wandering Wolf Food Truck
Schnitzel on the road? Say less. Capital Club 16 is launching a new food truck this month—painted by local treasure/sign painter extraordinaire Joe Giampino of Spclsigns—with beer garden-style fare parallel with its brick-and-mortar menu. Spot it at the likes of Trophy Brewing, Clouds Brewing, R&D Brewing and more ~three days a week to start. “The food truck is a natural step for us to take our show on the road year-round,” says chef/owner Jake Wolf. “We also hope to stir up some synergy with the Wandering Wolf and our restaurant in Downtown.” Prost!@capital_club_16
Foodies of North Raleigh, rejoice! The highly anticipated Che Empanadas outpost next to TheMixx (drinks 🤝 empanadas: perfect pair) on Duraleigh Road has been in the works for awhile now—and is finally open!
The eatery will be primarily positioned as a takeout and catering hub—with a few stools in case empanada enthusiasts need to grab a quick seat (you can bet we’ll be popping a squat!).
This will be the Argentinian nosh spot’s second brick-and-mortar (see also Che Empanadas’s Transfer Co. Food Hall outpost) aside from its uberpopular food truck—and owner Mark Rossbach has high hopes for what his sophomore spot will bring to Northwest Raleigh.
“With the reputation that we’ve built up Downtown, we plan to hit the ground running,” he says of the new sup spot’s upcoming opening.
Rossbach also looks forward to neighboring TheMixx. “The landlords wanted a nice place for people to be able to order food—and it’s part of a general effort to make that a better area,” he shares. “And we’re there for any partnership and events with TheMixx—we’re thrilled to be next to them.”
Empanada eaters can anticipate the same fare they know and love from the DTR location—plus, Rossbach looks forward to more people coming to check out his restaurant and see “what they’re about.”
“We’re excited to be there,” he says. “There’s no other empanadas in the area at all. I think it’s an underserved area in terms of food—and this is an opportunity for someone to come to a local baker.” … We’re stuffed with anticipation!
WEB EXCLUSIVEThe Inter-Faith Food Shuttle serves up nutritious hot meals while giving back to the community through its new food truck.
“Hunger is unacceptable no matter when, where or why it happens,” says Inter-Faith Food Shuttle President and CEO Ron Pringle. So why—with North Carolina being one of the leading states in agriculture—is it that our state is the 10th hungriest in the U.S.? Currently, 1 in 5 children in The Old North State are at risk for hunger, and 9% of NC seniors experience food insecurity. And the pandemic is only making matters worse. While those are indisputably concerning stats, fortunately, a plethora of organizations are dedicated to spin that data around.
Enter Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s new food truck: The Spinning Plate, a state-of-the-art mobile kitchen serving up nutritious hot plates (think homestyle chili over rice, spaghetti and hearty meatball subs—all of which incorporate fruits and veggies from the Food Shuttle Farm) while providing hands-on education and paid work experience for unemployed/underemployed individuals who want to pursue a career in the food industry via the food shuttle’s Culinary Apprenticeship Program. So, a win-win for the entire community.
In addition to its ability to give back to so many, the truck is capable of serving up just about anything. While “most food trucks are designed around a menu,” says IFFS Director of Culinary and Catering Jim Hinger, “I designed The Spinning Plate to have a variety of ways to cook things. We have an industrial rice cooker on board, a char grill, a flattop griddle, a stovetop, an oven, a steam table and a warming cabinet. It can do everything.”
Since launching in early April, The Spinning Plate has served over 5,000 free meals at community outreach events in all of the seven counties served by the food shuttle (Wake, Durham, Chatham, Orange, Johnston, Nash and Edgecombe). The truck is also designed to be on the frontlines in disaster situations in order to feed responders, volunteers, or those facing natural or man-made catastrophes across the region.
“The seed for The Spinning Plate was planted back in 2019, when we were discussing how we could reach rural communities and how to get them the food they needed,” says Hinger. Hence, the mobile aspect of it—an immediate solution to an immediate problem.
“We envision a healthy and hunger-free North Carolina,” adds IFFS Business, Corporations and Events Manager Rachel Quigley, “and The Spinning Plate is one of our new programs that is really serving our communities in an innovative way.” Be sure to give it a whirl the next time you see the colorful truck hit the streets in order to feed yourself—and those in need.
A new food truck brings Dominican burgers to Raleigh.
For Roberto Diaz, chimis—aka Dominican burgers—were an everyday meal growing up. Now, he’s serving up the traditional street food to the Triangle out of his new food truck, Berto’s Chimis. “They remind me of home,” says Dominican Republic native Diaz. The former manager of now-shuttered Calavera Empanadas and Tequila in DTR, Diaz first realized his dream of starting a chimi food truck in 2018 after years of making chimis for his family, friends and colleagues… who all gave him the same feedback—his burgers were delicious.
Last July, Diaz finally set his dream in motion and bought a truck; Berto’s Chimis hit the streets in January 2021. The menu includes two different types of chimis: the original with a seasoned beef patty, and a chicken chimi with marinated grilled chicken breast, plus sides like yucca fries and tostones. Both chimis are served with pickled cabbage, tomato and special sauce (a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard), plus some additional spices and lemon juice.
Diaz says the key differences between a chimi and a standard American burger are the various seasonings used in the beef patty and the bread. He uses pan de agua (which literally translates to “water bread”), a light and airy bread that achieves a crunchy consistency on the outside and a soft texture on the inside when put in a sandwich press. The resulting chimi is juicy, flavorful and saucy—everything you’re looking for in a burger. Berto’s Chimis food truck can be found at the BaySix parking lot at 414 Dupont Circle Friday through Sunday. bertoschimis.com
