Uberrito to Open in Phoenix Arcadia Neighborhood

Headquartered in Texas, Uberrito is set to expand with their second spot outside of the Lone Star State, which just so happens to be their second spot in Arizona.  To be located in the Arcadia Gateway Shopping Center on the southwest corner of Indian School Rd. & 44th St. near the soon to be opening Smashburger and Doughbird, Uberrito hopes to make their mark on the fresh-Mex market and beyond:

"Über is a German word that means “above” or “beyond.” Burrito is a Spanish word that means, well, “burrito.” Überrito stands for who we are and where we go—above and beyond burritos. In this land of fresh ingredients, we defy the predictable preconceptions of beans and tortillas to create bold new flavor inspirations. Cuban to Cajun, Mexican to American—we offer taste combinations you won’t find anywhere else."

At Uberrito you can create your own burritos, bowls, salads, and nachos and for those who want something pre-designed, they have their "Ten Tasty Tacos" available as well.

Wondering where that first Arizona Uberrito is? You will find it at 4912 E. Shea Blvd. #108 Phoenix, AZ 85028.

Related: Four More Restaurants Coming to Same Arcadia Shopping Center

Update 3-9-17: Along with the specials happening on opening day, Uberrito is having a free "Sneak Eat" event two days prior to the March 23rd grand opening of their new Arcadia location at 4325 E Indian School Road, #150 Phoenix, AZ 85018.  If you register here, on Tuesday, March 21st you and one other person, if you so choose, will be able to enjoy "one free burrito, bowl, salad, or nachos combo per person" between the hours of 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm.  Again, you must be registered at the link in order to participate.  See additional details at the registration page.

Update 3-19-17: According to Uberrito the location of the "Sneak Eat" event mentioned in the previous update has been moved,"due to outside complications."  The event will now take place for anybody who signed up at the same time you signed up for, but at the existing Phoenix location at the northeast corner of Tatum Blvd. & Shea Blvd. - 4912 E. Shea Blvd. #108 Phoenix, AZ 85028. 

Opening Soon: Modern Market in Old Town Scottsdale

Roman Salad - Photo by: Modern Market

Modern Market will be opening their first Arizona location on Monday, February 27th with more to come later this year. Located at 4821 N. Scottsdale Rd. #109 Scottsdale, AZ 85251, according to Modern Market, they have created a menu with something for everyone:

"We cook using simple, whole ingredients that come from farms, not factories. We make most things from scratch, even down to our salad dressings and pizza dough. This has led to a menu that satisfies virtually any dietary requirement – vegan, celiac, paleo, raw, south beach, high carb, low carb, and also low GCI."

 A finalized menu is not listed for the Old Town location, however, Modern Market is known for soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizza as well as a breakfast selection, beer, and wine. The menus across the country, including Texas, D.C., Maryland, and Colorado are all very similar so it would be fair to say what we see on those menus should closely reflect what we see here.  Check out a menu from one of the Denver locations.

Additionally, Modern Market plans to open 2 more Phoenix area spots this year.  They will be located at 4901 E Ray Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85044 and 16203 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.  Stay tuned for more updates as the AZFoodDude gets them.

2nd Annual Big Red Rib & Music Festival Kicks Off Today (4/26)

From Thursday, 4/26 to Sunday, 4/29 the Big Red Rib & Music Festival will take place on the Great Lawn at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.  While the big draw on Thursday might be the Cardinals Draft Party, let's start with the AZFoodDude's main concern, the food.  The eight rib cooking teams from around the country, who may or may not also be cooking pulled pork and beef brisket, that are scheduled to participate include:

• The Barbecue Company - (Arizona)
• Chicago BBQ Company - (Illinois)
• Cowboys Barbecue & Rib Company - (Texas)
• Coyote Roadhouse BBQ - (Illinois)
• Johnson's BBQ - (Virginia)
• Porky Chicks BBQ - (Arkansas)
• Texas Thunder BBQ - (Texas)
• Uncle Bub's BBQ - (Illinois)

Gates open at 4pm on Thursday & Friday, 11am on Saturday and 12pm on Sunday.  General admission tickets for Friday and Saturday are $5.  If you are a senior (60 & over) or active or retired military, tickets are $1 and children 12 and under are free.

The musical acts performing are as follows:

• Second Shift - 7:30pm (Thursday)
• Carvin Jones Band - 6pm (Friday)
• K.C. & The Sunshine Band - 8:30pm (Friday) - Reserved Seats Available
• Daisy Train - 1pm (Saturday)
• Elvis Before Noon - 3:15pm (Saturday)
• The Chris Parker Project - 6pm (Saturday)
• Kenny Loggins - 8:30pm (Saturday) - Reserved Seats Available
• Whiskey's Quicker - 1pm (Sunday)
• Beatlemania Live! - 3pm (Sunday) - Reserved Seats Available

For more information, detailed parking, maps and directions, check out the event website.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Opening Second Scottsdale Location

The Dallas-based barbecue chain is set to have their third Arizona location open this June.  Located at 7919 E. Thomas Rd. #111 Scottsdale, AZ 85257, this spot will be the second in Scottsdale.  With over 15 years in the restaurant industry, local franchisee Erik Forrest hopes to "bring great authentic barbecue with a family friendly environment to the area." 

An additional location opened last August in Mesa, meanwhile the Dickey's in Phoenix closed late last year.  Find out more about their food by checking out the Dickey's menu. 

Texas-Based Sushi Restaurant to Hit Phoenix & Tucson

How Do You Roll? The Custom Sushi Shop will be opening in Phoenix at 1515 N. 7th Ave. #100 Phoenix, AZ 85003 followed one week later by their opening in Tucson at 914 E. Speedway Blvd. #110 Tucson, AZ 85719 in mid-February.  You can view the menu of the sushi shop here, but the press release offers some information as well:

How Do You Roll? offers a modern twist to the traditional Japanese cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, consumers follow a line and build their own sushi rolls with many unique ingredient choices. Newcomers to sushi, and those who shy away from raw fish, will be surprised to find grilled chicken and beef, whereas sushi aficionados can enjoy more typical-to-sushi options like spicy tuna and unagi. How Do You Roll? also offers gluten-free and vegetarian ingredients.

The Austin, TX based company began in 2008 and the two Arizona locations are among their first ventures outside of their home state. 

Corner Bakery to Open This Month in Downtown Phoenix

Corner Bakery Cafe already has a location in the Arrowhead area of Peoria, but they are getting ready to open  their second location it the state later this month. Corner Bakery will be opening in the Arizona Center at 454 N. 3rd St. #1065 Phoenix, AZ 85004, where Fat Tuesday used to be, according to AZCentral.

Texas-based Corner Bakery began as a small bakery but has become a fast casual chain of over 110 restaurants nationwide. The menu consists of sandwiches, breakfast, sweets, panini, soups, salads and pasta.

Celebrity Backed BBQ Joint Coming to Phoenix/Scottsdale

The celebrity backed and celebrity hot spot, Southern Hospitality BBQ, is set to expand into markets besides New York, where there are currently two locations. According to NRN, one of those markets is the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Southern Hospitality was the creation of three friends, one of which is Justin Timberlake, back in 2007. Now, Ryan Tedder, leadman of OneRepublic has become the first franchisee and hopes to bring the restaurant to at least 10 markets around the country:

The first 10 markets Tedder has targeted for a Southern Hospitality BBQ unit are Denver, Colo.; Nashville, Tenn.; Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.; Dallas, Austin and Houston, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Palo Alto, Calif.; New Orleans and Atlanta.

Southern Hospitality BBQ has a "full bar with specialty bourbons and in-house beers" and specializes in Memphis-style BBQ that includes, "a menu of fine pulled pork sandwiches, baby back ribs, BBQ chicken, Southern fried catfish and many other southern favorites." Feel free to check out the entire menu.

The plans are not yet known for when a restaurant will open in the Phoenix area or where exactly it will be, however, I am led to believe it will be somewhere in the east valley and a Scottsdale location would not be surprising at all.

August Opening for Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Mesa

Beginning in Dallas, TX in 1941, Dickey's Barbecue Pit will be coming to the southeast valley at 1914 S. Power Rd. Mesa, AZ 85206 in August. With over 147 locations across the country, this will be the third restaurant in the state. The others are located in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Check out Dickey's menu.

Is The Heart Attack Grill Closed, Remodeling, or Moving?

I came across a report by our local Fox affiliate here in Phoenix that mentioned the closure of the highly publicized Heart Attack Grill in Chandler. According to the report, the phone number to the restaurant is disconnected and the owner could not be contacted.

So, FOX 10 is reporting the restaurant closed two weeks ago, yet the website for the Heart Attack Grill claims the restaurant is closed until June 15th due to remodeling. After doing one last check, I've come across an Arizona Republic article posted a few hours ago which quotes the owner, Jon Basso, as saying he is fighting with the city of Chandler about the color of the building, which is alluded to on the company website. In addition, he claims he is negotiating with the landlord for rent and lease changes. In the article he criticizes the city of Chandler and says he may move the business to Phoenix or Scottsdale by the end of the summer.

"Chandler has threatened to seek criminal action against me because they don't like my shade of white," he said. "I bring more tourists to city of Chandler than any other business . . . .I don't need Chandler," he said. "The Texas business environment is so darned friendly that it makes me question the wisdom of ever returning to Arizona."

This all comes after the ABC affiliate in Dallas reported the botched opening day just a few weeks ago in the new Dallas, TX location, where an hour and fifteen minutes after opening, they had to close due to reported issues in the kitchen.

The Heart Attack Grill, known for its incredibly unhealthy menu and servers dressed up as nurses, was in the news recently due to the death of its 575-pound spokesman back in March.