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

Charles Tirada, owner of Asian restaurants ShabaShabu and Sushi Blues, is dipping his toe into a new concept with the opening of The Saucy Crab (4020 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.; 919-237-1935; thesaucycrab.com) in Durham.

Or, to be precise, a new twist on an old concept. Inspired by the traditional crab boils of the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the restaurant's house specialty features shellfish steamed with corn and potatoes and tossed in your choice of four sauces.

You can keep it traditional with Louisiana crawfish tossed in a Cajun sauce or Carolina blue crab sprinkled with Old Bay. Or get creative and try, say, shrimp (EZ-Peel or whole, head-on) in a pineapple teriyaki sauce. The menu also offers fried seafood baskets, served with your choice of hand-cut fries or sweet potato fries and slaw. Key lime pie and other desserts are baked in house.

Tirada, who formerly went by the name Charles Meteesatien, has given the building that previously housed Fish House (which he also owned) a complete makeover, replacing neon-accented contemporary Asian with a rustic crab shack style complete with butcher paper on the tables.

Billed as "Durham's only backyard seafood joint," The Saucy Crab is open Monday-Friday from 4-10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.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.

The Fearrington House in Pittsboro is offering a rare dining experience: a chance to meet and dine with renowned chef Thomas Keller.

Keller, whose flagship restaurant is the French Laundry in Yountville, Ca., is participating in McIntyre's Books' cooks and books series. The $250 dinner will be 6 p.m. May 17. It will include wine pairings and five courses based on recipes in Keller's books, including "Bouchon Bakery," which was recently a finalist for a James Beard cookbook award. Dinner guests will receive an autographed copy of the book.

Seats will go quickly for this event so call 919-542-3030.

Information: fearrington.com/event/cooks-books-thomas-keller/

Other upcoming cooks and books' events include:

• 6 p.m. April 11, Chapel Hill cookbook author Nancie McDermott will lead diners through a five-course Thai New Year's dinner based on the recipes in her book, "Real Thai: The Best of Thailand's Regional Cooking." It will cost $100 and diners receive a copy of McDermott's book.
• 6 p.m. April 24, Amy Stewart, author of "The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks," will be the guest of honor at a cocktail party. Diners will enjoy the cocktails and heavy appetizers and receive an autographed copy of the book. The event costs $145.

Information: fearrington.com/village-shops/mcintyres-books/cooks-books/

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

Tham Nguyen, prolific local restaurateur who has owned several restaurants in the area (currently including Sushi Love and TASU locations in Raleigh, Durham and Cary), is at it again. His latest venture is Sake Bomb (4215 University Drive; 919-401-4488; sakebombdurham.com), which opened late last month in the former Eastern Lights space.

Like most of Nguyen's previous restaurants, Sake Bomb explores the pan-Asian theme (with an emphasis on sushi, Thai curries and his native Vietnamese cuisine) in a vibrant contemporary setting with a bar serving colorfully exotic cocktails. The bar at Sake Bomb raises the ante (and lives up to the restaurant's name) with an impressive selection of nearly three dozen hot and cold sakes.

The menu explores new territory, too, in the form of a few items I haven't seen before on a Nguyen-owned restaurant. I've got my eye on two in particular: de xao lan, a spicy yellow goat curry with lemongrass; and hu tieu, a glass noodle soup with seafood and quail egg.

Sake Bomb is open for lunch and dinner daily.

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.

To celebrate the launch of dinner service, Spize Cafe is offering its dinner menu at a 20% discount on November 20-21. The menu will feature Thai fondue hot pot and small plates, and the new bar offering will include Asian beers and a selection of organic wines.