Bull City Rising

This week's new, new plan for Five Points Cafe: now FM Bistro?

The weird tale of Five Points Cafe -- which closed a couple of weeks ago in advance of what was described as a forthcoming grand opening -- has taken another odd turn.

First, the Steve Matherly joint was expected to reopen on July 12, with a day of celebration to include community theater. Then, we had the reopening set for July 19, per the Five Points Cafe web site (see at right.) Or perhaps Monday, July 21, as the construction paper on the windows said for a while.

As of this weekend, the construction paper's still there, but the gig's different. Signs now herald the coming of F.M. Bistro. F.M. stands for "Farm to Market," and the plan's described as a "warm embrace of locally-owned food, art and culture."

Matherly is still involved, and according to the signs in the windows has engaged one Boo Kaufman as a chef. Kaufman is best known of late on the local scene as a music man, having booked shows at The Basement (a club at what became Ooh La Latte, and which is now Broad Street Cafe) and at his eponymous Boo's Hideaway in Raleigh.

A source notes Kaufman, who'd also been involved in the old Fowler's restaurant (predating Parker & Otis) has moved back to the Triangle and will be connecting with Matherly on the new, new plan for the restaurant. Kaufman does bring kitchen experience to the table, something that may not have been a strength in the first at-bat for the establishment.

No word yet on opening plans or dates. The sign in the window does note that new employment listings will be posted this week, and that current Five Points Cafe applicants will need to "re-apply" for jobs, with "skilled and experienced kitchen and barista" staff being hired by appointment only.

Bill Fields dreams up renovation -- on a budget -- down on Gregson St.

I realize most BCR readers are faithful patrons of Gary Kueber's excellent Endangered Durham blog, but for the couple who aren't -- this is too good to miss.

As Gary noted, Saturday's issue of The Durham News contains a story by David Newton on the inimitable Bill Fields -- Ninth Street property owner, veteran, and self-proclaimed lover of Durham -- and his plans to renovate the long-dormant Medical Arts building.

(This building, featured earlier by Gary at ED, has sat vacant for many years, though it did garner some local attention for its large "Fred Smith for Governor" signs back during the May primary; Fields' son worked for the Johnston Co. homebuilder and one-time gubernatorial candidate.)

B.B. King to headline Durham Performing Arts Center opening

Grand opening news from the folks at the Durham Performing Arts Center: An official opening date is at hand for the $45 million DPAC taking shape in the eastern half of the American Tobacco Campus.

November 30 it is, just in time to welcome legendary guitarist B.B. King for what's being called the "Bull Durham Winter Blues Concert."

We don't get the winter blues in Durham the way one does in the northeast or, heaven forbid, the upper midwest, but look for a night of red-hot blues to keep away any darkness from the shortening days.

Tickets will go on sale Sept. 27 according to the N&O (which has a blurb on the event posted at their web site) and will run $38-$68 a ticket.

American Tobacco Saladelia to open Monday, July 21

Folks working in the Ambacco complex who've been sipping from the free coffee three hours a day will have full-time coffee -- and quick-service dining -- back on the plate on Monday, July 21.

Local outfit Saladelia, which has been rehabbing the ATC Starbucks franchise shop under their own aegis, is targeting that date for the re-opening of the outlet in American Tobacco's Crowe Building.

A new bamboo-style finishing and violet tones now cover the old Starbucks furniture, and a new menu proclaims hot and cold coffee drinks, smoothies and more. A refrigerated cabinet will store to-go sandwiches, salads, wraps and the like, filling a niche that's been missing at the ATC (for quick lunch at the desk and the like) since the complex opened.

Edit: They have indeed opened. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7:30am until 5:30pm.

Durham Farmers Market weekly update

Heading over to the Farmers Market this morning? Don't miss Four Square's Shane Ingram, who'll be cooking a corn pepper and tomato salad as part of the Chef in the Market series this week. Also up: the Blue Tailed Skinks perform "Old-Time songs" on the fiddle, banjo, accordion and more.

Up this week at the Market (new items noted in italics):

Arugula, Asian Greens, Beans (Green, Yellow, Purple, Roma, French Filet), Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Chard, Cherry Tomatoes, Collards, Corn, Cucumbers - Slicing & Pickling, Cut Flowers, Eggplant, Figs, Garlic, Green Onion, Herbs ( Basil, Dill, Chives, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme), Honeydew Melons, Kale, Lettuce, Okra, Onions, Pecans, Peaches, Peppers - Sweet & Hot, Potatoes (Red, White, Yellow, Purple and Fingerling varieties), Purple Hull Peas, Radish, Salad Mix, Shallots, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Turnips, Turnip Greens, Watermelon, Zucchini

Baked Goods, Fresh and Aged Goats and Cows, Milk Cheeses, Handmade Chocolates, Eggs, Honey, Meats (Beef, Bison, Chicken, Chevon/Goat, Lamb, Pork), Wines, Bedding Plants (Annuals, Perennials, Vegetables), Crafts - Stained Glass, Clothes, Pottery, Photographs, Handmade Baskets, Soaps and much more...

All this and more, 8am to noon downtown at Central Park.

Five Points Cafe closes (briefly?) in advance of "grand re-opening"

As Barry noted at his place yesterday, the saga of downtown's Five Points Cafe took another turn last week when construction paper went up over the windows:

The message on the paper notes a "grand opening celebration" this coming Saturday from 10am-5pm, with activities for the kids and 'community theater.' We'll drive by and check things out this weekend.

I ate there a couple of weeks ago and the sandwiches aren't bad. It was curious that all but a couple of the soda fountain options were marked out of order, and there were some credit card machine hiccups, but FPC still seemed to be doing a bit of business. We'll see what this weekend brings.

H-S: Struever Bros. faces $1m in liens on American Tobacco work

Today's Herald-Sun has a very good two-article story by business reporter Monica Chen on a subject that's been turning up more and more grumbling of late in the downtown community: the financial health of the American Tobacco Phase II renovations, headed by Baltimore developer Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse.

As Chen points out, while other downtown developers have finished up their recent work and gotten their subcontractors paid in a fairly timely fashion, some subcontractors are claiming that SBER still owes them big time for their work since 2006 on the project.

The businesses claim that Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, the Baltimore-based company redeveloping the historic tobacco factory buildings, owed them a total of $1.3 million and more for work done from 2006 to 2008. Of that, the company has resolved about $343,000 with interest and attorneys' fees.

Ken Reiter, senior development director with Struever Bros., said the company will pay the rest upon completion of the Old Bull building. Construction problems there have led to delays -- the source of Struever Bros.' financial problems, he said....

DBAP gets emergency lighting "for next time"

From the That-Didn't-Take-Long Department:

The city soon will install emergency lights in the concourse area of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park after a power outage Friday forced thousands had to exit the stadium in near total darkness.

Friday evening's concert by Kevin Costner-fronted rock band Modern West was cut short by a violent thunderstorm that shut down most of the lights in the 10,000-capacity stadium. Emergency lights in the restrooms, underground tunnels and the seating bowl went on, but there are no such lights in the concourse, said Durham Bulls Vice President George Habel.

Read more over at the N&O's Bulls Eye blog. Silver lining to being sick this weekend: we had tickets to the concert and fireworks but missed the Great Ballpark Blackout as a result. (And I'm sure the friends we gave our tickets to instead are real thankful now.)

Matt Dees of the N&O reports that the Bulls are bringing in emergency generators until the City, which owns the DBAP, can get the lighting installed. (I'm a bit surprised this didn't come up in the building inspection a decade ago. Darn those developers! Oh, wait.)

WRAL has a terrific -- and slightly hilarious -- slideshow of the Costner concert posted, by the way. If you ever saw the website for the J.J. Abrams horror flick Cloverfield, you might remember the technique used of showing photo after time-stamped photo, evolving from a scene of a loft party to the horror of a monster attack on NYC?

Well, this slideshow: same gestalt, less montsters. See at right for an example.

If you're bummed out that natural fireworks crowded out the manmade ones on Friday, you'll get your chance tonight after the Bulls-Tides game at the DBAP. If you have a ticket from Friday's festivities, turn it in for a game ticket; if not, the gates will open after the 7th inning to all comers wanting to see the pyrotechnics.

New owners close on Kings Daughters Inn, start construction this week

It's official: as we hinted at here last week, Colin and Deanna Crossman did officially close on the sale of the Kings Daughters Inn late last week.

The Buchanan Ave. old age home -- which is under covenants requiring the preservation of its historic appearance and prohibit its use for undergraduate housing -- is on its way to becoming a bed and breakfast at the edge of Duke's East Campus.

The list price for the home was a cool $2.5 million. Factor in another $1 million plus for renovations to the aging but grand structure and you're looking at a substantial investment on the west end of Trinity Park.

KeySource Bank here in Durham handled the financing for the project, providing capital funding at a crucial time amidst a national credit crunch.

The Crossmans held a kick-off party for friends and project supporters this weekend, but that'll be the last time the KDI is open to the public until the renovations complete next spring. Expect the so-called "moon suits" to enter in the next few days to begin asbestos abatement and the like as the first phase of renovation.

Eno Restaurant & Market to open at Greenfire's Rogers Alley

Foodies used to celebrating the opening of so many new dining options in and around the heart of the Bull City have another reason to rejoice: there's one more to add to the stable.

Eno Restaurant & Market is slated to open this winter at Greenfire's Rogers Alley development near City Hall, joining Dos Perros to bring a second dining option to the project. The Eno is the brainchild of software entrepreneur and Coon Rock Farm owner Richard Holcomb, Chef Sarig Agasi of Holcomb's popular Raleigh restaurant Zely & Ritz, and Jamie DeMent, a "foodie farmer" enthusiast.

As with Zely & Ritz -- named one of the top 20 organic restaurants in America by Organic Style magazine -- Eno Restaurant & Market will focus on local, sustainable food, particularly those grown at Coon Rock Farm but also including a number of others (including Chapel Hill Creamery, Harris Acres, Cane Creek Farm, and Celebrity Dairy.)