Holiday Meal Options, Virtual Fireplace, Bake Eat Love Giveaway

HOLIDAY MEALS. Durham hotels Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and JB Duke Hotel are kicking off the holiday season with special holiday dining options. Vista Restaurant is serving a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day breakfast menu from 6:30–11 a.m. and a breakfast buffet from 6:30 a.m.–noon. The Fairview Dining Room is accepting reservations for a Christmas Eve Sugar Plum Brunch from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and a four-course, prix fixe dinner from 5–9 p.m. The restaurant offers Christmas Day four-course, prix fixe menu from 1–7:30 p.m.

Raleigh’s Vidrio will be open 4-11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, offering its regular menu plus steak frites a la bordelaise (filet mignon, pomme frites and shallots) for $39.

Mothers & Sons in Durham will be open 5-10 p.m. serving its regular menu and specials such as chestnut testaroli with braised duck, pickled golden raisins and duck skin cracklings. Durham’s Mateo will also be open 5-10 p.m. on December 24.

Catering Works is offering holiday meals at Figs Market. Dinner orders close on Friday, December 16 at noon and are available for pickup or delivery on Friday, December 23, 9-11 a.m. Options include a salmon dinner, steak and holiday pies. Photo courtesy of Catering Works.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is ready to help out with your holiday meal plans by offering The Complete Feast (serves 10-12) and Dinner Feast for larger crowds, while the Ready to Eat Holiday Big Yellow Box is perfect for smaller groups. Each option is available online and via the Dickey’s app.

CONCERT TOUR. Presale tickets for Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken: Twenty | The Tour at Koka Booth Amphitheatre (Saturday, April 29) go on sale online on Wednesday, December 14 at 10 a.m. Use the password IDOLTWENTY. Proceeds from the concert benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Studdard won season two of American Idol in 2003 and Aiken was runner up.

LIGHT SHOW. Magic of Lights at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek presents Waggin’ Wednesday, when guests are encouraged to bring their pet for a photo with the Grinch. Thursday is Vendor Night, when guests can shop for holiday gifts from 5:30-10:30 p.m. Toy donations are accepted every night.

SUSTAINABLE SHOES. Kane Realty Corporation announced Wednesday that Rothy’s, a footwear store specializing in sustainable shoes, handbags and accessories for women and men, will open in the Main District of North Hills between Lilly Pulitzer and Bonobos in early 2023.

DRAWING FOR DOLLARS. Atri Mandal and Medha Balaji won $100 awards for being chosen the winners among more than 900 students in Wake County’s annual conservation poster contest. This year’s theme was “Water: The Cycle of Life.” Mandal, from Kristen Andersons’s fourth grade class at Poe Magnet school in Raleigh, won first place. Balaji, from Suzanne D’Amico’s fifth grade class at Green Hope Elementary in Cary, won second place.

HOLIDAY TUNES. The Raleigh Ringers will perform their annual holiday concert in Meymandi Concert Hall at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh on December 17 and 18 at 4 p.m. This holiday tradition features unique interpretations of sacred, secular and popular music, including a little rock ‘n’ roll. Tickets range from $14–$26 and can be purchased online. Learn more about The Raleigh Ringers in our November/December issue of Midtown.

VERY FINE. Bailey’s Fine Jewelry has opened a new retail concept, Fox & Bailey, focusing on men’s watches and jewelry. The new shop is located in Bailey’s flagship store in Raleigh’s Village District and includes top watch brands including Nomos, Norqain, Hamilton, Gucci and many others. The shop also sells rare vintage records, hats and luxury electric bikes.

GIVEAWAY! Bake Eat Love, a female-founded, veteran-owned business located in Raleigh, was created to make the joy of baking more accessible, offers a monthly subscription or a one-time purchase option for receiving deliveries of easy-to-follow recipes and the ingredients you need to whip up seasonally-themed desserts at home.  Fill out the form on our Midtown or Cary Living website (noting your IG handle in the message section) and follow Bake Eat Love on Instagram for a chance to win a Winter Wonderland Snow Globe Cookies baking kit, which includes a cookie cutter, recipe card and pre-measured ingredients. We’ll select one winner Wednesday, December 21. 

NEW YEAR’S EVE. Glasshouse Kitchen is offering a six-course menu from executive chef Savannah Miller with optional wine pairings with each course at 8 p.m. Tickets are $150 and include a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.

Raleigh’s premier New Year’s Eve Gala, hosted by Rocky Top Catering, is returning to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh, and they’re throwing it back to the ’80s for an epic night! Guests will enjoy delicious passed hors d’oeuvres, a grazing station, gourmet seafood, small plates, late night snacks and amazing dessert displays. There will also be open bars offering fine liquors, wines, craft beers, custom cocktails and champagne. Entertainment includes two dance floors, a fabulous DJ, a 360° Photo booth by ZimZoom and The Breakfast Club—the longest running, most recognized ’80s tribute band in the U.S. The gala kicks off at 8 p.m., December 31, and wraps up at 1 a.m., January 1. Attire is black tie optional, and guests must be 21 years of age or older. Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

Join Barcelona Wine Bar for New Year’s Eve with luxe tapas and a complimentary midnight cava toast. There will be no tickets or door charge for the evening. 

Raleigh’s Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewery will host a cocktail party including a slider bar, flatbreads, charcuterie and dessert. The event includes two seatings, 5:30–8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.–1 a.m. The brewery team will provide a special beer release and a complimentary champagne toast. Tickets are available online.

The Willard Rooftop Lounge at the AC Hotel Raleigh Downtown hosts a New Year’s Eve party from 8 p.m.–1 a.m. with live music from Peter Lamb and the Wolves. The event includes a buffet, cash bars and a champagne toast at midnight.

Alley Twenty Six will offer a prix-fixe five-course tasting menu with cocktail pairings on New Year’s Eve. Reservations are available between 4-10:45 p.m. Vegetarian options are available upon request.

The Studio at Unscripted Durham, a boutique hotel in downtown Durham, will host a Speakeasy New Year’s Eve Party on Saturday, December 31, from 9 p.m.–1 a.m. The event includes hors d’oeuvres, a champagne toast at midnight, and DJ entertainment. Purchase tickets online in advance. 

TECH DONATION. The Boys & Girls Clubs serving Wake County will celebrate the grand opening of the RapidScale Innovation Lab at the Washington Elementary Club in Raleigh on Tuesday, December 13 at 5 p.m. Kids from the club will give a tour of the new RapidScale Innovation Lab, which was made possible by a $20,000 donation from RapidScale and includes new laptop computers, printers, VR headsets, furniture and more.

DRAWING FOR DOLLARS. Atri Mandal and Medha Balaji won $100 awards for being chosen the winners among more than 900 students in Wake County’s annual conservation poster contest. This year’s theme was “Water: The Cycle of Life.” Mandal, from Kristen Andersons’s fourth grade class at Poe Magnet school in Raleigh, won first place. Balaji, from Suzanne D’Amico’s fifth grade class at Green Hope Elementary in Cary, won second place.