Two Broad Street restaurants had to take time off Tuesday after copper thieves made off with about 30 feet of water pipe.

The Broad Street Cafe was able to reopen about 5 p.m., but the neighboring Watts Grocery remained closed until Wednesday morning.

Watts Grocery bar manager Laurabelle Sacrinty said the theft was discovered when an employee came in this morning.

"Water was gushing everywhere," Sacrinty said. "It was a disaster."

Durham Police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said the theft was reported shortly after 10 a.m. Officers found that copper pipe worth about $200 had been taken out from under the building at 1116 Broad Street.

By then, a city water crew had been dispatched to cut the water off so plumbers called in by the affected businesses could make repairs. Besides the two restaurants, the High Strung Music store occupies the building.

Sacrinty said Watts Grocery's water was operating normally by about 1 p.m. But since the restaurant had already cancelled dinner reservations and was facing a cleanup job, it was decided to wait until Wednesday to reopen.

"We're definitely open tomorrow," said Sacrinty.

Police have the case under investigation, and no charges have been filed, according to Michael. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.

Metal theft, particularly copper, has been a major problem in Durham and nationwide for several years, Michael said.

The sixth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser will be serving up bowls of soup to benefit Urban Ministries of Durham as usual. But this year, organizers have added an after party at Fullsteam Brewery  and Motorco Music Hall with a food truck roundup.

So now you have two opportunities to help the Urban Ministries of Durham's Community Cafe, which serves nearly 220,000 meals annually to those in need.

From 5:30-8 p.m. March 8, eleven restaurants will be competing for the title of "Best Soup" at The Durham Armory. You can pay $15 to enjoy some soup or $30 for soup and a handcrafted bowl made by local artisans to take home. Children age 6 and under eat for free. To buy tickets, go to  www.umdurham.org.

The participating restaurants include Guglhupf, Revolution, L'Uva, Papa Mojo's Roadhouse, Thrills from the Grill, Watts Grocery, Blu Seafood and Bar, Whole Foods, Toast, Saladelia Cafe and Mad Hatter Bakeshop and Cafe.

If you can't make the earlier event, head over to Fullsteam Brewery and Motorco Music Hall starting at 8 p.m. for the after party. Seven food trucks will be debuting a new dish and donating a percentage of their sales to Urban Ministries of Durham. The food trucks include Pie Pushers, Will & Pops, The Parlour, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Klausie's Pizza, Only Burger and Farmhand Foods Sausage Wagon. 

For Valentine's Day, restaurants usually unveil a prix fixe menu or special offerings in addition to their regular menu. If a nice meal out isn't your thing, here's my list of other Valentine's Day activities, including cooking classes and chocolate tastings.

Here are a few dinner options that I spotted in my inbox or online:

• Durham's West 94th Street Pub is offering a four-course meal Friday through Valentine's Day and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Dinner costs $25 per person or $35 per person with beer or wine.
• There will be a Valentine's Day Food Truck Rodeo and Fundraiser in Carrboro from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday. See my earlier post for details.
• The Point in Raleigh's Five Points neighborhood is offering a three-course menu for $40 a person. Go HERE to see the menu. (Scroll down a bit to see it.) They are offering that menu on Friday, Saturday and Valentine's Day.
• Tribeca Tavern in North Raleigh and Cary is offering a three-course meal for $50 per couple or a la carte off their special menu. Go HERE to see it.
• Twisted Fork, also in North Raleigh, also is offering a special Valentine's menu.
• Cary's Coffee and Crepes is offering a Valentine's special: a strawberry and nutella crepe. As the owner Terri Pastrana says, "Pair it with a hot mocha latte and you have a smiling date that won't break the bank."
• Raleigh's 42nd Street Oyster Bar is offering a three-course menu for 2 for $65. Go HERE to see the menu.
• bu.ku in Raleigh is offering a special three-course menu that is $75 per couple. The special starts Friday and runs through Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Jibarra in Raleigh is offering a three-course meal and a margarita for $49. Plus, they will be offering some other specialty cocktails for the occasion. Go HERE to see a menu.
• The Angus Barn in Raleigh is offering a four-course meal on Saturday for $95 with live music and dancing in the pavilion after dinner. Go HERE for details.
• Daniel's in Apex is offering an Almost Valentine's wine dinner on Thursday offering five courses for $75. Go HERE and click on Wine Dinner for details. Daniel's is also offering a special Valentine's Day menu, including lobster bolognese for $22.
• The Matthews House in Cary is offering dinner and dancing from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday. It costs $50 per person. Plus, one lucky couple will win a night in the honeymoon suite. Call 467-1944 for more details and reservations.
• Herons at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary is offering a five-course tasting menu for $85. You can get wine pairings for an additional $35. You can take your date for this special meal on Friday, Sunday, Monday, Feb. 13 and then Feb. 15-Feb. 18. Call 447-4000 for a reservation.
• La Residence in Chapel Hill is offering a three-course meal for $49 or a four-course meal for $65 on Valentine's Day. Call 967-2506 for a reservation.
• Taste Carolina is offering walking tours in Durham and Raleigh on Valentine's Day. Tickets cost $62.50.
• Dos Perros in Durham has posted its Valentine's Day menu, which it will be offering in addition to its regular menu. I'm most intrigued by this drink, which could stand in for dessert: Mexican Affogato, a Mezcal-spiked coffee poured over mole ice cream with house-candied orange peel. 
• Its sister restaurant in Chapel Hill, Jujube also has posted its Valentine's Day menu.
• The Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham is offering a five-course meal for $65. Go HERE for details.
• The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill has a series of dining and overnight stay packages starting at $129. Go HERE to see their offerings. UPDATE: If you just want to dine at the Carolina Crossroads restaurant, there is a special four-course meal with champagne and a rose for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day for $75 per person. On Feb. 11-13, you can enjoy a four-course meal with champagne for $65 per person. Call 918-2735 for a reservation. 
• Il Palio at The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill is offering a five-course meal for $95. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Chef Chip Smith, formerly of Bonne Soiree, is now cooking at The Inn at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City. They are offering a Valentine's Day menu on Saturday, Sunday and Valentine's Day. Call 742-5176 for details.
• Watts Grocery in Durham is offering a three-course meal for $50. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Foster's Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill are offering a three-course take out meal for two for $75. You must place your order by Saturday to pick up on Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.

If you would like your restaurant added to this list, please send an email to aweigl@newsobserver.com and put "Valentine's Menu" in the subject line.

Head to the Carrboro Farmers' Market Saturday to sample dishes from seven local chefs.

Those chefs will be whipping up samples of dishes using market ingredients for the 9th annual Carrboro Farmers' Market Chefs Event starting at 9 a.m.

The chefs include Jeff Barney of the Saxapahaw General Store and The Eddy Pub, Kevin Callaghan of Acme, Matt and Sheila Neal of Neal's Deli, Seth Kingsbury of Pazzo!, Adam Rose of Il Palio at the Sienna Hotel and Amy Tornquist of Watts Grocery.

The market is located adjacent to Carrboro Town Hall at 301 W. Main St. For more information, go to www.carrborofarmersmarket.com
 

I have a story today profiling the second-in-command in well-known Triangle kitchens. Meet Jimmy Alfano and Jim Long of the Angus Barn, Amanda Forsyth of Magnolia Grill, Miguel Torres of Lantern and Sunny Gerhart of Watts Grocery.

Greg Cox gives 3 1/2 stars to The Pig in Chapel Hill. HERE is his review.

And Greg explores the Triangle ethnic food world with a new Cheap Eats column. His inaugural column explores Mongolian barbecues.

I have just gotten a flurry of e-mails today about a ton of interesting events in April. So get out your calendar and mark these dates:

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 is a fundraising dinner for the Center for the Study of the American South featuring  Southern Foodways Alliance director John T. Edge and pitmaster Rodney Scott of Scott's Variety Store and Bar-B-Q in Hemingway, S.C. Other chefs who will be involved include Ben and Karen Barker of Magnolia Grill, Whitney Brown of Scratch, April McGreger of Farmer's Daughter, Sam Suchoff of the Pig, Bill Smith of Crook's Corner and cookbook author Sheri Castle. The event is at 3Cups and costs $125. Call 956-0556 962-5665 to reserve your seat. There are only 50 tickets.
• 2-6 p.m. Sunday, April 10 is the annual SEEDS Pie Social and Skill Share Auction at the SEEDS garden at 706 Gilbert St. in Durham. The suggested donation for the pie social is $10 for four slices. Pies are being donated by Toast, Watts Grocery, Scratch and more. The skill share auction allows you to bid on things or opportunities to learn interesting skills from fellow community members from reupholstering a chair to brewing beer to flying a plane. All proceeds benefit the Durham Inner-City Gardeners, a youth-driven, urban farming leadership development program. 
• The annual Piedmont Farm Tour will be 1-5 p.m. April 16 and 17. Tickets cost $25 advance, $30 on the day of the tour for a carload. For more information and to purchase tickets, go HERE.
• 6 p.m. Thursday, April 21, Herons restaurant at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary is offering a winemaker dinner featuring Tommy and Amie Baudoin of Morgan Ridge Vineyards in Gold Hill, N.C. The four-course meal will cost $85. Call 447-4200 for reservations.

One of my neighbors' daughters did a lemonade sale on Sunday, and so I couldn't resist sharing this note from Chef Amy Tornquist of Durham's Watts Grocery about her daughters' bake sale tomorrow. If you are in the neighborhood, you should stop by. Tornquist wrote:

"My girls are very concerned about the fate of sea turtles after the oil spill and are participating in a nationwide bake sale tomorrow "for ocean's sake." [That would be the Great Bake for Oceans' Sake.] Watts Grocery along with my girls and a few friends will have a table set up near Watts (in front of the Green Room) tomorrow from 10-1. We will be selling iced sea turtle cookies, brownies, homemade lemonade and other treats." 

All proceeds benefit the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on Topsail Island. 

Julia Moskin, who wrote about Neal's Deli in last week's New York Times food section, has a story today about the farm to table dining scene in Durham. Click HERE to read it.

I just got word of the menu for Watts Grocery chef Amy Tornquist's social at 3Cups later this month.

• Roasted butternut squash and pea shoot salad with spiced pecans and Elodie Farms goat cheese with dijon vinaigrette
• Deviled ham-filled eggs with artichoke pickles
• Creamed pea soup topped with house ham
• New Orleans barbecued shrimp over local tomatoes with garlic basil sauce
• Succotash cakes topped with corn and tomato salad and shitake bacon
• Banana pudding parfaits 

Sounds delicious. Mark your calendar for 6 p.m. Sept. 16.

The social costs $23 in advance and $26 at the door. Go here to reserve tickets. 

There are several interesting events coming up at the Carrboro Farmers' Market:

This Saturday, a seed saving workshop will occur in the gazebo. You can learn when to harvest, what tools to use, what seeds to save and go home with free packets of seeds.