El Guero Canelo Coming to Phoenix in 2012?

Starting in 1993, the Contreras family began what would become El Guero Canelo in Tucson and that is where they have remained all these years. Now though, according to the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, El Guero Canelo, which just opened their third store in Tucson, is hoping to open in the Phoenix area by the early part of 2012. Known for their Sonoran Hot Dogs, the restaurant is hugely popular with University of Arizona students and Tucson residents alike. That's not to say there aren't other places that make Sonoran Hot Dogs in Tucson, there are, but they aren't talking about moving up to the Phoenix area.

Tucson Restaurant Openings (6/17)

El Guero Canelo Opens Third Restaurant - One of the first and most famous Sonoran Hot Dog sellers in the U.S., El Guero Canelo has opened their third location at 5802 E. 22nd St. Tucson, AZ 85711, which was formerly occupied by Los Betos. Hours are Sunday - Thursday 10am to 11pm and Friday - Saturday 10am to 1pm.

Sushi Garden Opens in New Spot, Closes Original - Now located at 3048 E. Broadway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85716, Sushi Garden closed their restaurant at 15 N. Alvernon Way Tucson, AZ 85716. This replaces the Elle Wine Country Restaurant. The other Sushi Garden Restaurant remains open at Foothills Mall.

New York Pizza Department Opens First Tucson Location - Recently opened at 1521 N. Wilmot Rd. Tucson, AZ 85712, NYPD Pizza has been up the Phoenix area for years. Delivery is available for orders over $20.

A Restaurant Opens in Phoenix, One Changes & One Closes in Scottsdale

Iron Chef Opens in Phoenix - On the northwest corner of Tatum and Shea at 10810 N. Tatum Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85028 is the new Iron Chef Restaurant. A big selling point is the $24.95 all you can eat Sushi, all day, everyday.

Hole-In-The-Wall at Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort Makes Some Changes - Located at 7677 N. 16th St. Phoenix, AZ 85020, the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort's Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurant has changed from its typical American fare to a barbecue centered menu. Smoked brisket, pulled pork and ribs are some of the items you'll find. They are open from 7am to 10pm, Sunday - Thursday and 7am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

Italian Restaurant in Scottsdale Closes - According to AZCentral, Un Bacio Italian Bistro & Piano Bar in the Gainey Ranch area of Scottsdale has closed.

Tucson Area Restaurant Closures & Changes (6/16)

Original Buddy's Grill in Tucson Closes - Reportedly due to the poor economy, the original Buddy's Grill location at 4821 E. Grant Rd. Tucson, AZ 85712 closed on June 12th. The second restaurant at 7385 S. Houghton Rd. #125 Tucson, AZ 85747 will stay open.

Tucson's Marie Callender's Closes - Reported here by the AZFoodDude and following along with the all the Marie Callender's Restaurants in the state, Tucson's location has also closed.

All Five Long John Silver's in Tucson Converting to Overboard Seafood & Grill Restaurants - The owner of all five Long John Silver's in the Tucson area has decided to close them due to restrictions on his ability to offer a wider variety menu. To fix this he is converting each location into an Overboard Seafood & Grill.  One feature of the new restaurants will be the introduction of a new item monthly in which customers will be able to decide whether to keep the item or throw it overboard.

Montana Avenue Closing, Being Converted Into a Zinburger - Sam Fox will be closing his Montana Avenue Restaurant at 6390 E. Grant Rd. Tucson, AZ 85715 on August 15th and reopening the building shortly thereafter as a Zinburger. This will be the second Zinburger in Tucson. On a related note, the article mentions that NoRTH, also by Sam Fox, will undergo a $700,000 remodeling in September. There is an interesting Q & A with Sam Fox at the headline link.

Eclectic Pizza Changes Name - Finally, some news that doesn't involve a closure. Eclectic Pizza at 7065 E. Tanque Verde Rd. Tucson, AZ 85715 has changed its name to Renee's Organic Oven. The food remains basically the same even with some menu changes and remodeling.

'Food Truck Day' at Whole Foods in North Scottsdale Today

If you've spent anytime in southern California, there's a good chance you've come across something of this nature. On Thursday, June 16th, from 11am - 1:30pm in the Whole Foods parking lot located at 8688 E. Raintree Dr. Scottsdale, AZ 85260, the Phoenix Street Food Coalition is teaming up with the supermarket to have their second "Food Truck Day." This event comes after the success of their first event at the Raintree Whole Foods back in May and looks to continue every third Thursday of each month. Here is a list of participating vendors:

• Beet StrEat - Local foods from local producers
• Bella Strada - Italian
• Carte Blanc Gourmet Tacos - Mexican
• Jamburritos - Cajun
• Short Leash Hot Dogs - Specialty Hot Dogs
• Torched Goodness - Creme Brulee

New Exhibit at the National Archives - U.S. Food History

What has the effect of the U.S. Government been on the American diet over the years? This is just one of the questions the new exhibit at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. sets out to answer. Along with this, they have a plethora of food history in the United States. From the exhibit website:

"We demand that our Government ensure that it is safe, cheap, and abundant. In response, Government has been a factor in the production, regulation, research, innovation, and economics of our food supply. It has also attempted, with varying success, to change the eating habits of Americans."

What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? will be open through January 3rd, 2012.

A fascinating article from the Associated Press via the Casa Grande Dispatch describes the exhibit and some of its many interesting tidbits, including Presidential tastes.

Three New Restaurants in Rural Arizona

Thyme & Again Cafe Opens in Old Town Cottonwood - Thyme & Again Cafe recently opened in Cottonwood at 735 N. Main St. Cottonwood, AZ 86326. Run by a mother and daughter team, the cafe is open from 11am to 2pm on Tuesday and 11am to 8pm Wednesday through Saturday.

Mama's Hawaiian Bar-B-Que to Open Second Location in Sahuarita - South of Tucson on I-19, Mama's will be taking over the location of the recently closed Jerry Bob's Restaurant at 15990 S. Rancho Sahuarita Blvd. #180 Sahuarita, AZ 85629. Jerry Bob's will continue operating its three other Tucson area locations.

Infamous Bar and Grill Replaces Gabi's Cafe in Thatcher - Recently opened Infamous Bar and Grill has taken over the location previously held by Gabi's Cafe at 2887 W. US Highway 70 Thatcher, AZ 85552. Opens at 10am daily and has two pool tables.

Morning News Update

Pita Jungle Continues Growth - Beginning in Tempe in 1994, Scottsdale-based Pita Jungle is expanding out of state for the first time with three locations in California.

New Food Options at Diamondbacks Games - New hot dogs, sausages, gluten-free items, vegetarian and sweet-potato tortilla chips are just some of the new items.

New Cave Creek & Scottsdale Papa John's Locations - Printable grand opening coupon at the link, $8.99 any large anytime.

Airia Nightclub in Chandler to Host Popular Las Vegas & Los Angeles DJ's - Over the next few months, several popular DJ's from the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas will be at the nightclub inside Wild Horse Pass. Some special drink prices listed at the link.

Two If By Tea - Conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh, launches line of Tea. Portions of all proceeds will be donated to the Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation.

New Sports Bar in Downtown Chandler

Chandler recently got a new sports bar in the downtown area. Coach & Willie's opened at 1 E. Boston St. Chandler, AZ 85225. The name may sound familiar because there has been a Coach & Willie's location in downtown Phoenix since 2000. According to the Easy Valley Tribune, many fans of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks live in the east valley and many of those people go to the downtown Phoenix location before and after games. With that said, it only made sense for them to open a restaurant in the east valley so folks do not always have to travel to the downtown Phoenix spot, located at 412 S. 3rd St. Phoenix, AZ 85004.

With 31 plasma TV's for customers to watch multitudes of games and Coach & Willie's extensive menu, the new spot hopes to be as popular as the original.

New Sandwiches and Salads at Quiznos

Among the new items at Quiznos are two new sandwiches and two new salads. The first new item is a Southern BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich composed of pulled pork, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, pickles, yellow mustard and smoky BBQ sauce. Depending on the size you choose, the sandwich ranges from 520 to 1090 calories and 22 to 44 grams of fat.

Next, we have the Pork Cuban Sandwich. Made up of pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, yellow mustard and mayonnaise. The Pork Cuban has between 22 and 53 grams of fat and between 450 and 1070 calories depending on what size you choose.

Thirdly, we have a new Harvest Chicken Salad, which has Honey-Dijon chicken, grapes, apples, dried cranberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and Acai Vinaigrette Dressing. A small will have 110 calories and 3 grams of fat and a regular will have 220 calories with 6 grams of fat. The Acai Vinaigrette adds 130 calories and 10 grams of fat for the small and 230 calories and 17 grams of fat for the regular.

Finally, there is the new Caprese Chicken Salad with chicken, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, tomatoes, and an Italian cheese blend. The small size will run you 130 calories and 9 grams of fat, while the regular has 260 calories and 17 grams of fat. The recommended Fat-free Balsamic Vinaigrette adds 80 calories and 130 calories for the small and large sizes.

Find your nearest Quiznos here and complete nutritional information here.

Marie Callender's Closes All Arizona Restaurants

As of today, you'll only be able to enjoy Marie Callender's products found in the grocery stores or from places like Amazon.com. Nobody knows exactly why, but yesterday, all seven Marie Callender's Restaurants closed in the state of Arizona. With full details hard to come by, the obvious thinking is that the tough economy has finally claimed another set of restaurants. While all the locations are closed in our state, the chain continues to operate in 7 other western states.

There is some speculation out there that the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery in Bullhead City has also closed, however a phone call to the location confirmed that they are still in operation.

This is all very reminiscent of the morning when every Arizona Krispy Kreme donut shop closed suddenly in 2006, with employees and patrons being locked out. Thankfully, Krispy Kreme came back after a few years. Will Marie Callender's do the same?

Update (6-17-11): Just for even more confirmation, the owner of the Perkins in Bullhead City has stated, "We're not going anywhere."