Food News: More Funds for Outdoor Seating, More Arizona Restaurants, and Dining Domes

It's Friday, and as you’ve hopefully come to expect, we have five pieces of metro Phoenix food news to catch you up on the week’s events.

Gov. Ducey Adds Another Million to SORAP

On December 2, Governor Doug Ducey introduced a grant program called the Safest Outside Restaurant Assistance Program (SORAP). It started with $1 million, then $2 million more was added on January 5, and now another $1 million was added to the program, which aims to increase outdoor dining. Restaurants and bars with less than 50 employees may now apply through March 5 for up to $10,000 to expand their patio seating. For more background or to check out some examples of these expanded outdoor options, check out this story from last week.

Introducing Dining Domes at Scottsdale Quarter

The Scottsdale Quarter shopping district is dropping Desert Domes tonight outside of Culinary Dropout at 15125 North Scottsdale Road, Suite L-120. The restaurant will serve food inside “four partially enclosed geodesic domes,” which will be around until late spring 2021. These sci-fi looking eating bubbles are heated, can seat two to six guests, and are decked out with "desert-chic" décor and ambient lighting. The extremely curious may make reservations by calling Culinary Dropout at 480-653-9701.

Here Comes Location No. 2 of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, the New York City-based fast-casual pizza joint, has announced its second Arizona location will open sometime in spring 2021. The next spot will be opening at 6031 North 16th Street, #1, just north of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road in Uptown’s Madison neighborhood. There will also be a fancier bar than the Tempe location and a 400-square-foot front patio. Established in 2008, Artichoke Basille's Pizza offers traditional pies like New York-style margherita, pepperoni, and meatball, as well as signature options like the artichoke pie and crab pie.

Shamrock Farms Has Been Busy

Shamrock Farms, the Phoenix-based dairy and milk pusher founded in 1922, has been busy this winter releasing new products. Its protein beverage Rockin’ Protein Builder is now available nationwide, and in mid-January, it released Vanilla Cream Half & Half. A second release, Swirled, quickly followed; it's an upscale chocolate milk blending dairy and plant-based ingredients like almonds and coconut cream — and reduced sugar. It’s available in chocolate and coconut and chocolate-almond and coconut.

Some Outside-the-Valley Restaurant News

Two noteworthy eateries outside of metro Phoenix have also caught our eye.

Sometime in 2021, Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel, will be opening in Sedona. Like other places with names like this, it will also include a new resort restaurant. Called Alchemy, the new eatery will be housed inside an Airstream and lead by one of Arizona’s best, Chef Lisa Dahl. The menu will include items like Ahi Tuna Poke Soft Tacos and the Teriyaki Roasted Beet Burger — healthy-leaning stuff made with ingredients from the surrounding Verde Valley.

On the other end of the state and spectrum, Pilot Company (you know, the mega gas stations and road trip stopovers) has unveiled a new concept as well. The first location of Trucker Burger is now open in Eloy, Arizona, at 3105 North Toltec Road (that's Exit 203 on Interstate 10). The vintage diner-inspired eatery comes courtesy of celebrity Texas chef Tim Love and offers gourmet burgers, griddled hot dogs, and hand-cut fries. Here’s my favorite part of the press release: Trucker Burger is “inspired by those who drive America.”