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

Diners at The Chefs of India (thechefsofindia.com) in Cary can now choose from two menus. Chef/partner Bill La has opened Bill-La's Pollo a la Brasa (billaspolloalabrasa.com) at the same address, where he's offering Peruvian rotisserie-roasted chicken alongside the restaurant's longstanding bill of regional Indian fare.

Chickens are marinated for at least 48 hours in a complex blend of herbs and spices, according to the chef, and roasted over Argentinean hardwood coals. Asked why he imports charcoal when the domestic article is abundantly available, (the phrase "coals to Newcastle" has rarely been closer to the mark), he replies that Argentinean coals don't flare up as much.

Whole, half and quarter chickens are served with your choice of two sides from a wide selection ranging from traditional beans, rice, tostones and cassava to fries, pasta salad and coleslaw. Bargain-priced "Family Specials" (such as the Number 2: whole chicken and four sides for $21.99) are available for takeout only.

Bill-La's also offers an Indian twist on the rotisserie bird called Desi chicken. Made with yogurt-marinated halal chickens, it's a feature that sets Bill-La's apart from the handful of other Peruvian eateries in the area. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the only restaurant of any kind where you can choose from Peruvian rotisserie chicken and Hyderabadi goat curry.

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.

Go HERE to read last week's review.

Go HERE to read the review.

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

Globetrotting chef Hideki Tateyama, whose 20-plus year career has taken him from Tokyo to New York to the Dominican Republic (where he still owns the Japanese restaurant Samurai), has opened Maré (marecary.com) in Morrisville's Grace Park shopping center.

Japanese cuisine shares top billing with Italian on the chef's seafood-centric menu, with house-made pastas such as shrimp ravioli, ricotta cavatelli and potato gnocchi in basil cream sauce getting a lot of play. Frequently the chef combines the two cuisines into fusions such as sea urchin spaghetti, shellfish pizza on squid ink dough, and grilled lamb chops over linguine in miso sauce.

But Tateyama clearly doesn't want to be limited to two cuisines. Italy and Japan are springboards for an offering that's as international as the chef's resume, with contemporary creations ranging from Thai-style clam soup to salmon "Wellington" to a ceviche of scallop, calamari and shrimp marinated in citrus juices, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and a trio of peppers.

The restaurant has a full bar, and is open for lunch Monday-Friday and dinner Monday-Saturday. The restaurant is located at 1106 Grace Park Dr., Morrisville.

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.

Durham's Parker and Otis reopens tomorrow (Feb. 7th) at 7:30 a.m. Stop by and grab a coffee or lunch or whatever you have been missing.

The restaurant, coffee bar and shop had closed after a fire in late December. Go HERE to read our earlier story.

Lent is just around the corner and so are Shrove Tuesday pancake suppers and Friday night fish fries.

Here are two that popped up on my radar:

• Wake Forest's Hope Lutheran Church will serve an all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage dinner Tuesday night. The meal costs $7 for adults, $4 for children 4-13, and free for children 3 and under. The maximum cost for a family is $22.
  The church is at 3525 Rogers Road. For more information, call 919-554-0412 or hopelutheranwf.org.
• The Knights of Columbus Council 7186 will serve fried fish Feb. 15, March 1 and March 15 at St. Mary Magdalene in Apex. The dinner is offered, dine-in or take-out, from 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. There is free babysitting while parents enjoy the meal. The church is at 625 Magdala Place. Diners can pre-order their meals online at www.lentfishfry.com.
• St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary is hosting its annual Lenten fish frys every Friday until March 22. Lunch is served 11 a.m.-1 p.m and dinner is served from 5-7 p.m. Both dine-in and take-out are available. The menu includes fried or baked fish, roasted potatoes, green beans, hush puppies, dessert and a choice of beverage. Childrens' meals include fish sticks, macaroni and cheese, hush puppies, dessert and a beverage. The prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children for lunch, and $10 for adults and $4 for children for dinner. Or you can order a family special for $28, which includes two adult meals or three or more children's meals.
  If you are a fan of polka, the Polka Plus Band will perform during the March 8 dinner service. The church is at 804 High House Rd., Cary. Call in a take-out order at 919-468-6126 or order online at spicecubed.com/fish.

And if you know of any more, please share them in the comments below!

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

The Fiction Kitchen is now open at 428 S. Dawson St., serving dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Owners Caroline Morrison and Siobhan Southern plan to add Sunday brunch by the end of the month.

The brunch service will no doubt open to a ready-made following. Morrison and Southern have been catering a vegan brunch at The Pinhook, a private bar in Durham, for nearly three years now - out of a borrowed kitchen, which explains the rather unusual name of their establishment.

They kept that name for their brick-and-mortar location, where they're cooking their seasonally evolving menu with a strong emphasis on local and sustainable produce in a real - albeit small - kitchen. The bulk of the offering is vegan, though a number of dishes can be adjusted for a less restricted vegetarian diet. These options are clearly denoted on the menu, as are gluten-free dishes.

Regardless of dietary lifestyle, you're likely to find temptations among a varied offering that currently includes NC apple fritters with bourbon-agave syrup, root vegetable chips with edamame hummus, chipotle soy "tinga" tacos, and a coconut curry of seasonal vegetables. Throw in a full bar with six local brews on tap and a seasonally changing cocktail list (Troy & Sons moonshine and blackberry jam, anyone?), and you can count me in.

Please send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net.

This post is by John Frank, our craft beer columnist:

WINSTON-SALEM Evan Ruff traveled three hours from South Carolina to sleep on the sidewalk outside Foothills Brewing on one of the coldest nights of the year.

Behind him , Chris Ransom of Boone huddled close to a camping stove, stirring hash browns and sausage for shivering friends from Tennessee and Alabama.

And toward the back, where the line stretched about 200 people long, Jason Wirgas and Ashley Duman stood bundled in 20-degree temperatures after driving 11 hours straight through the night from Tampa, Fla.

All for one thing: Sexual Chocolate.

The provocatively named, award-winning Imperial Stout from Foothills is one of the most coveted beers made in North Carolina.

Hundreds of craft beer enthusiasts pilgrimaged from across the Southeast Saturday for the beer's once-a-year bottle release at the brewpub in downtown Winston-Salem. The 22-ounce bottles cost $15 and typically sell out in hours. The Internet re-sale value tops $60.

Here are a few upcoming craft beer events across the Triangle:

• Beer Extravaganza
  5-8 p.m. Friday at Southern Season in Chapel Hill
  The gourmet food store at University Mall is hosting a party to celebrate its first-ever homebrew competition. Local breweries and vendors will offer free tastings. The competition winners are announced at 7 p.m.
• Small Batch Brew Bash
  4 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill
  The brewery is partnering with All About Beer magazine for an event featuring new small batch beers and food pairings. It coincides with the debut of the brewery's 18th anniversary and the release of a new Anniversary Ale, a Belgian Witbier, or wheat beer. Tickets are $25. For more information visit carolinabrewery.com.
• Lonerider Brew-It-Forward Competition
  March 23, Moore Square in Raleigh
  Lonerider announced details for its fifth annual homebrew competition. The deadline for homebrewers to enter is March 15. Go to loneridershowdown.com for details. The big party to announce the winner is a week later in downtown Raleigh.

This post is from John Frank, our craft beer columnist. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @byJohnFrank.

Food Network star Alton Brown will be coming to Durham as part of the N.C. Science Festival.

"An Evening with Alton Brown: The Science of Cooking," will be April 18 at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 8.

Tickets can be purchased online at DPACnc.com, or by calling the DPAC ticket office at 919-680-2787 or via Ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.

Ticket prices haven't been posted yet online. But you can spend $125 to attend the show and a special meet-and-greet after the show, plus reserved seating and a science festival t-shirt.

UPDATE: Ticket prices range from $20 to $65, or of course the special package for $125 mentioned above.