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

You know those nights when one of you is in the mood for sushi and the other is jonesing for a burger? You're not alone, judging by the already sold-out sneak peek events this weekend for The Cowfish (4208-100 Six Forks Road; 919-784-0400; thecowfish.com) in the Captrust Tower at North Hills.

The restaurant opens to the public on Monday, and will serve lunch and dinner daily. Burgers, made with a half pound of humanely raised Angus beef, are available with just about every topping you can imagine, from fried capers to grilled asparagus to black truffle cheese.

If beef is not your thing, choose from seven alternatives: veggie, ahi tuna, grilled chicken, turkey, grilled portobello, lamb and chipotle bison. And if your mind boggles at all the possibilities, a list of Cowfish signature burgers comes to the rescue with the likes of Granny's Southern Pimento Cheese Burger and The Jalapeño Popper Show-Stopper.

Sushi cravings are catered to just as assiduously with an extensive selection of sashimi and sushi in every form from nigiri to hand roll. House specialty rolls raise the ante on the usual selection with creations such as the The Motherload, which features a slice of every fish on the Cowfish menu (and is priced accordingly, at $24).

Torn between burger and sushi? Check out the Burgushi section, where you'll find an assortment of sandwiches, rolls and bento boxes that incorporate both into the same presentation. The Nature Boy's WOOOOO-shi BuffalOOOOO-shi Roll, for one, an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink tribute to Ric Flair, professional wrestler and favorite son of Charlotte, home of the original Cowfish.

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.

Coquette, a French restaurant at North Hills in Raleigh, will be featured in Thursday night's episode of "Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell" on the Food Network. The show airs at 10 p.m. and repeats at 1 a.m. Before you watch, be sure to read Andrea Weigl's article about Coquette's TV experience.

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

Hotpoint Deli (1718 Walnut St.; 919-460-6299; hotpointdeli.com), the Cary restaurant that rose from the post-kitchen-fire ashes of the original Maximillians on Buck Jones Road nearly 14 years ago, has pulled up stakes. Owner/chef Anthony Scazzero cites a more visible location and improved facilities as reasons for moving around the corner to the former Waffle House building on Walnut Street.

Returning fans will be happy to know that the restaurant's quirky chalkboard menu of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and light entrees has survived the move, and still includes longtime favorites such as Felix the Cat (tortilla-crusted catfish sandwich) and Cry Baby (a grilled chicken calzone that lives up to its name with a fiery "Green Demon" pesto).

Meanwhile in Raleigh, Steve Jones and Sharon Rhue have opened Black Cat Café (4209 Lassiter Mill Road; 919-788-8240; blackcatcafenh.com) in the former Hot Point Café space at North Hills.

Actually, Jones and Rhue bought Hot Point Café - which was once an outpost of Hotpoint Deli, though the two restaurants have long since gone their separate ways under different ownership - last October. But the husband-and-wife team retained the old name for several months as they gradually began to transition to a menu more in keeping with their culinary style.

That style, according to Jones, features "Southern comfort food and Southwestern flavors," with an emphasis on local produce. While the menu retains the Hot Point underpinnings of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and eclectic entrees, an expanded selection of meatless options reflects the fact that both the owners are vegetarians.

The couple plan to increase the number of gluten-free options as the menu continues to evolve. And they're in the process of scheduling a calendar of live music, especially for Sunday brunch.

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.

Target will open three new in-store medical clinics in the Triangle.

The clinics will be in Raleigh at the Super Target at Poyner Place and at North Hills and in Cary at 2021 Walnut St.

Construction in store on the clinics will begin in May and they are scheduled to open Aug. 18.

Target already has clinics in Apex, Wake Forest and Durham, and plans to add three more this year, in Charlotte and Concord. The openings are part of national expansion plan that will see the Minnesota company add 14 new locations in five states, bringing its total to 68.

The clinics are staff by a licensed nurse practitioner or a physician assistant and offers vaccinations, treatment for minor illnesses such as strep, bladder infections and pink eye. Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis and the average appointment lasts about 15 minutes. The clinics most accept insurance plans.

A California private equity firm has acquired the 17-story CapTrust Tower in Raleigh for $98.4 million, a deal that is further evidence of how attractive the North Hills development has become to real estate investors.

KBS Realty Advisors of Newport Beach announced the acquisition Thursday. The CapTrust Tower was developed by Kane Realty and Duke Realty.

Kane Realty, the master developer of North Hills, retains an ownership stake in the building under a new joint venture with KBS. Duke sold its stake in the 300,000-square-foot building, which opened in 2009 and is now 95 percent leased.

“It’s a good number and we’re excited to be in bed with KBS and looking forward to them being a long-term partner,” said John Kane, Kane Realty’s CEO.

KBS also owns three buildings with nearly 250,000 square feet of space in the Crescent office development in Cary and the 127,000-square-foot Colonnade One office building on Six Forks Road in North Raleigh.

Go HERE to read Greg's review.

Yard House, a national restaurant chain with 140 beers on tap, is opening Sunday in the Captrust Tower, a 17-story building in the North Hills complex in North Raleigh.

The chain has more than three dozen locations across the country, primarily in Southern California. This is its first location in North Carolina.  

The move means North Hills is becoming a destination for Triangle craft beer lovers. Yard House restaurant joins World of Beer, a beer-centric bar that opened in the same complex last year. For more information about Yard House, go to www.yardhouse.com.
 

Captrust, a financial advising firm, is hosting a food truck rodeo at North Hills mall from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6.

Ten percent of all sales will be donated to the Payton Wright Foundation, which raises money for pediatric brain cancer research and to support families dealing with this diagnosis.

The event will happen in the parking lot behind Bruegger's. The trucks include Klausie's Pizza, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Captain Ponchos Taco Truck, Gussy's Greek Street Food, Olde North State BBQ, Big City Sandwiches, Big John's Hot & Spicy (although their Facebook page says they are off the road), Kona Ice and Lumpy's Ice Cream.

For more information about the event, go to the Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/OkqV1J.

For more information about the foundation, go to paytonwright.org.

And to see a complete list of the Triangle's food trucks, go HERE.
 

Sharlene Thomas, author of the local blog, mainstreamsolarcooking.com, is a regular vendor at the Midtown Farmers Market in Raleigh's North Hills shopping mall.

This Saturday, Aug. 4, the market is celebrating Solar Cooking Day and Thomas will be unveiling a new solar oven that she has designed called the Solar Chief.

From 10 a.m.-noon during the market, Thomas will demonstrate solar cooking and offering tastings. Then at 2 p.m., she will reveal the Solar Chief which retails for $829 for a table-top model and $979 for a floor model. She'll also be selling copies of her cookbook, "A Month of SUNdays: Solar Cooking at Home."

For more details about the event, go HERE.

Yard House Restaurants is opening a location in the Captrust Tower at North Hills.

The Yard House is expected to open later this year. The restaurant offers a large selection of draft beers, American cuisine and an emphasis on classic rock music. The chain has three dozen locations across the country, primarily in Southern California, and has plans to open a half dozen more, including this spot at North Hills.

The move means the Triangle and North Carolina are becoming a craft beer destination.

"It's an acknowledgment in some ways that North Carolina and the Triangle in general are a significant center for craft beer," says Tyler Huntington, owner of Tyler's Taproom, which has four locations in the Triangle. "It's getting noticed by some of the bigger players - that is guys like Yard House."

The 10,000-square foot restaurant is opening in the Captrust Tower, a 17-story building in the North Hills complex in North Raleigh.

With Yard House and World of Beer, a beer-centric bar that opened in the same complex last year, North Hills is becoming a destination for Triangle beer lovers.