A night after we learned they won "The Amazing Race" edition 22, Bates & Anthony Battaglia were on the phone surprisingly early after what seemed to be quite the party last night at Lucky B's, Bates' Glenwood South bar.

From what we can tell, the party hasn't stopped. The brothers sounded...celebratory. Indeed, the comments came so fast, we aren't exactly sure who said what much of the time.

But here's what we got.

How long did you have to keep that million-dollar secret?

"Too long!"

"If one more person asked me, I was gonna ..."

"Since December."

"Actually, it was fun. We like teasing people. Like every week I told people we were losing. And they'd come back and say, 'I thought you lost.'"

Are you still friends with the Blondes?

"Yeah, they're over right now. Want to talk to them?" (We expressed our disbelief.)

"We still talk to the country singers, we still talk to (the newlyweds) Max & Katie."

Even though, they called you old athletes last night?

"They did? I didn't hear that."

"That's OK. We're still extremely good looking. And we still won. They said that and we beat them."

You guys really played the game well. You had the athleticism, but you also took notes. But you also seemed to be able to make people like you enough that they didn't feel threatened.

"Yes, we're not just good looking, we're smart!"

"We're just friendly people. But if we have to beat you in a foot race, we'll do it. We're not going to be mean."

Speaking of mean, Bates, you were awfully mean to your brother during that Titanic task.

"Yeah, well. He didn't know what chartreuse looked like. I didn't know what chartreuse looked like. I was not happy."

"He can be mad at me for a second, but then we just keep going."

The other place you guys struggled seemed to be with navigation. Was that the taxis or do you have some problems with directions?

"We didn't want to look too good."

"It wasn't us!"

"We should have gotten a map every place we went, but we would rely on these maps Bates drew. That wasn't good. We should have gotten a map every time."

"Those maps worked sometimes."

OK, so besides the million, you won two trips and some cash. Do you have to take those trips together?

"I hope not!" (in unison)

Is there any place that you visited during the Race you'd like to go back to visit?

"I'd like to go back to Bora Bora and Africa. This is Anthony, for the record. That's where I want to go."

"I'm not going with you."

"You're not invited to go with me."

"Good, because I don't want to go."

What do you want to do with the million besides inviting everyone in Raleigh down to Lucky B's for a drink?

"That's it. That's all I want to do. Make sure you print that."

"L-G-Ripped"

"Hashtag"

"Yes, LGR hashtag."

"No, it should be hashtag LGR"

OK, guys, thanks. Congratulations again. I guess I'll see you around.

"We're going to have a new show."

"Tell her the name."

"It's 'Battaglia & Battaglia.' Handsome brothers do America! There will be lots of women and lots of drinking. Print that!"

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

It’s early spring and, right on schedule, Irish pubs are sprouting up all over the place. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve written that a pub opened “just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day.”

You can add the newest location of Hibernian (8021 Falls of Neuse Road; 919-803-0290; hibernianpub.com) to the list. The North Raleigh pub opened its doors with ten days to spare in the building that formerly housed Duffy’s for a decade. Owner Niall Hanley has given the space a complete overhaul to match the menu, a mix of Irish and American pub fare that now counts house-corned beef among its attractions.

Hanley is also fervently working on the restoration of the original Hibernian on Glenwood South, which was closed by a fire in December. He hopes to reopen by May with a few improvements, including a rooftop patio. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile in Morrisville, the opening of a second location of Trali (3107 Grace Park Drive; traliirishpub.com) will miss its originally targeted St. Paddy’s Day opening by just a couple of weeks. According to chef-partner Eamonn Kelly, they’re now hiring staff and are shooting for an early April opening.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

Dos Taquitos, longtime favorite Mexican restaurant and watering hole in North Raleigh, opened its much-anticipated second location on Glenwood South last Friday. Dos Taquitos Xoco (410 Glenwood Ave.; 919-835-9010; dostaquitosnc.com) is a joint venture of Dos Taquitos owner Carlos Salamanca and Niall Hanley, whose Hibernian pub across the street should reopen soon after being closed by a fire in December.

"Xoco" is derived from an Aztec term for "little sister," and this newcomer is every bit as brash and playful as her older sibling. Rainbow-hued serapes, piñatas, bar lighting fashioned from glowing green skulls wearing re-purposed sombreros, and ceilings strung with constellations of colorful fairy lights are just a few highlights of a festive decor that has become a Dos Taquitos trademark.

A vintage VW bus is slated to become a private dining room, available by reservation only. The patio - already the most colorful on Glenwood South - should really start hopping as soon as the heaters arrive.

Xoco has faithfully copied her big sister's menu of Tex-Mex and regional Mexican specialties, too, right down to the tricolor enchiladas de Puebla and signature "Carrrrne Assssada!" (It tastes better if you say it that way.) It's a good bet she'll be mixing plenty of margaritas, too.

Dos Taquitos Xoco serves lunch and dinner daily. The bar stays open Thursday-Saturday nights until 2 a.m.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

Carolina Ale House, the Raleigh-based popular sports bar chain, plans to open seven more locations within the next 18 months, including one on Glenwood South in early 2014.

The company owned by successful restaurateur Lou Moshakos already has 20 locations from North Carolina to south Florida. This expansion includes the company's first ventures into Texas and Tennessee.

A press release sent out today announced the upcoming locations:

• Concord, 8695 Concord Mills Blvd – July 2013
• Winston-Salem, Haynes Mall – Aug 2013
• Killeen, TX – August 2013
• Downtown Charleston, S.C., corner of King St. & Calhoun St. - October 2013
• Downtown Raleigh, NC, 500 Glenwood South – early 2014
• Knoxville, TN – early 2014
• Summerville, SC – early 2014

Go HERE to read today's story.

Go HERE to read the story.

I saw this dispute erupt this week on Twitter. My colleagues, Josh Shaffer and Paula Specht, did a story about the controversy. Go HERE to read the story.

Krave Restaurant and Lounge, a new late-night spot in Raleigh's Glenwood South area, will celebrate its grand opening at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The restaurant, which opened at 510 Glenwood Ave. in the former Red Room location, is offering an iPad-based menu of small plates. (Go HERE to see the menu.) The restaurant is open Tuesday-Saturday starting at 5 p.m. The full menu is offered until 4 a.m. on the weekends. Late-night, it becomes more of a lounge atmosphere with deejays.

Here's a little about the owners from the press release:

Michael Rattenni, chairman of Triumph Group Management, an operations and management service company dedicated to fitness and hospitality, has partnered with entrepreneur, Daniel Lovenheim, CEO of Twilight Entertainment Company, who has more than a decade of experience owning and operating hospitality venues.

UPDATE: Rattenni's business parter in Triumph Group Management is Scott Higginbotham, who helped open Unwine'd in Cary. (HERE is a post I wrote earlier about that wine bar.) Rattenni is the owner of all three Rapid Fitness gyms in Raleigh, including a new location downtown.

Prime Investments and Development is breaking ground this afternoon on its 126-room Hampton Inn & Suites in Raleigh's Glenwood South entertainment district.

The hotel at 600 Glenwood Ave. is expected to open at the end of 2012. Plans include a six story, 800 square foot building with 1,000 square feet of retail on Glenwood Avenue.

The hotel's amenities will include meeting rooms, an indoor pool and fitness center.

Construction is estimated to create as many as 200 jobs while the hotel itself will employ about 45 when finished.

Prime Investments is a Greenville-based company, which does business as Glenwood Hospitality Associates.
 

Chef Gamer Rawat, most recently of Saffron in Chapel Hill, is opening Mantra in the space most recently occupied by Vintage Bar and Lounge in Raleigh's Glenwood South.

"I decided to open in downtown Raleigh because there are no Indian restaurants and people love Indian food," Rawat said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

Rawat says he will offer fine-dining Indian fare and pointed out that they will be offering a wide selection of seafood dishes from sea bass to lobster. He said they would be open for both lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and for dinner from 5-10 p.m.

Go to Mantra's website to see the menu.

Rawat hopes to open the second week in August. The restaurant's exact location is 116 N. West St. Suite 100.

Rawat has an impressive culinary pedigree. He trained in New Delhi at what was then the top Indian restaurant in the world, Bukhara. Before he came to the Triangle, he worked as a chef at Tamarind in New York City.

N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox gave Saffron, three out of four stars when he reviewed it in 2006. At that time, the restaurant was in Morrisville.

Click READ MORE to see Greg Cox's review.