At the bottom of the Lucky Strike smokestack, the old power plant that once ran American Tobacco's machinery now has a wall of pinball machines and a dining room. A giant hamburger head hangs from the ceiling. Owner Sean Lilly Wilson told The News & Observer that the figure is "Officer Big Mac," adding, "We had to have that." Fullsteam opened there on Sept. 29.
Fullsteam is the third food and drink opening at American Tobacco Campus this year. With Lutra Cafe & Bakery opening in June and East of Texas opening this summer, the campus can now cover a full outing. You can have breakfast before a matinee, dinner before an evening curtain and a drink after the show without walking anywhere else. The busiest stretch of the season starts Friday, Oct. 30, when Mrs. Doubtfire opens at DPAC, so here is how the new places fit around it.
Morning and matinees: Lutra Cafe & Bakery
Lutra opened its first brick-and-mortar location in the Noell Building at 312 Blackwell St. When it opened, the campus announced a menu built around breakfast, brunch and lunch, with signature buns, hashbrowns and sandwiches.
Lutra is the campus's daytime option, which makes it a good fit for DPAC's afternoon shows. Mrs. Doubtfire has a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 31, and a 1 p.m. performance on Sunday, Nov. 1. A late breakfast or early lunch at Lutra works before either one. That announcement dates to June, so check Lutra's website for current hours before you plan a pre-show meal around it.
Early dinner with the family: East of Texas
East of Texas is in the Reed Building by the Lucky Strike water tower. It serves Central Texas-style smoked meats alongside scratch-made Tex-Mex, including chicken enchiladas, fresh tortillas, salsa, guacamole and queso. It is the brand's second North Carolina location, after Winston-Salem. Founder Claire Calvin is a sixth-generation Texan from Houston and a James Beard Foundation Fellow.
The restaurant was set up with families in mind. It has indoor and outdoor seating and kid-friendly options, and children get free cotton candy. That makes it the easy choice before a family show. "We have loved getting to know our neighboring businesses," Calvin said in the campus announcement of the opening.
Mrs. Doubtfire has a 6:30 p.m. Sunday performance on Nov. 1, and The Nutcracker: Magical Christmas Ballet plays DPAC the evening of Nov. 19. Before either one, there's time for an early plate of smoked meats and enchiladas at East of Texas.
Late dinner and the nightcap: Fullsteam
Fullsteam fills the hours after a show. According to Fullsteam's visit page, the bar is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. That means you can still sit down after an evening curtain. Kitchen hours are less certain. The page's detailed schedule lists Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., with cooler-only service on Monday. A note near the top of the same page says food is served 4 to 9 p.m. daily. If you are counting on dinner, check the page or call before you go.
The food is new for Fullsteam. The brewery built a kitchen for this location and hired chef and baker Phoebe Lawless as Director of Food, Beverage & Hospitality. Its current menu includes pork schnitzel, fried trout, a crispy chicken leg with pawpaw barbecue sauce, a collard melt, the Pub House Burger, an orchard salad and apple-muscadine pie. The address is 320 Blackwell Street, Suite 101.
If you went to the original Fullsteam on Rigsbee Avenue, a few things have changed. The beer is no longer brewed on site. As Hey Durham reported, Fullsteam now brews in Rocky Mount and contract brews at the NoDa brewery in Charlotte. The new space also has air conditioning, which the old warehouse taproom largely went without.
The News & Observer's tour of the new space and Hey Durham's opening report describe three features in particular:
- Lucky's Lounge, a back room with low ceilings and neon lightning bolts that the paper compared to a 1970s basement bar
- The old boiler room machinery, left in place, along with jars of toasted North Carolina malt and dirt-worn baseballs on display
- A 100-seat theater, once run by Duke's Center for Documentary Studies, where Fullsteam plans watch parties, cultural events and movie nights
"I want it to be an only-in-Durham type place." That's how Wilson described his goal to The News & Observer.
Wilson also told the paper he sees beer drinkers moving toward lagers and traditional styles. He said half of Fullsteam's beers were lagers when it first opened. A lager after a 7:30 curtain fits that well.
Matching the November calendar to the campus
All three openings are within the campus, so planning a show night comes down to the time of day. These dates come from the American Tobacco Campus events calendar:
- Mrs. Doubtfire at DPAC: Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Lutra fits the matinees, and Fullsteam's bar fits after the evening shows.
- Little Big Town at DPAC: Nov. 6
- BEAT at DPAC: Nov. 17
- The Nutcracker: Magical Christmas Ballet at DPAC: Nov. 19
- A Drag Queen Christmas at DPAC: Nov. 20
- Cirque du Soleil's 'Twas The Night Before at DPAC: Nov. 25 and Nov. 27 through 29
- Hip Hop Nutcracker at DPAC: Nov. 27
FestiBull of Lights at Durham Bulls Athletic Park adds a family evening on several nights. It runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 27 and 29, with holiday lights, Santa, the NC by Train Holiday Express, crafts, s'mores, food and drinks. FestiBull's 9 p.m. finish is the same time Fullsteam's detailed schedule lists for the kitchen to close. If dinner is part of the plan, eat before you go in. The bar's later hours still work afterward.
The busiest nights come over Thanksgiving week. On Nov. 25 and Nov. 27, the calendar lists Cirque du Soleil at DPAC on the same nights as FestiBull, and Nov. 27 adds Hip Hop Nutcracker. If you have out-of-town guests that week, book dinner early.
A few more fall openings downtown
If your evening continues beyond the campus, several downtown places opened this fall. According to Hey Durham, Red Phone Booth opened Aug. 14 at 125 W. Orange St., serving cocktails, Italian-inspired small plates and Neapolitan pizzas. Saint Mars, a vinyl listening bar beneath Bar Virgile at 105 S. Mangum St., opened Aug. 24. Hey Durham reported that Bar Virgile supplies the snacks. Melao Colombian Bistro opened Oct. 15 at 810 N. Mangum St. According to Hey Durham, the owners were still developing the menu before opening and expected it to include arepas, empanadas, Colombian-style ceviche, steak and house cocktails.
The campus season continues after November. American Tobacco Campus lists its annual Tower Lighting for Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the campus lawn.
If evenings like these are part of what you love about Durham and you'd like to talk about living closer to downtown, I'm happy to share what I know about the surrounding streets and homes. Let's connect. You can reach me through Amanda Williams.
