Peter Wilke deserves some sort of award for the hamburger he serves at Wilko, his new restaurant just outside the University of Arizona's Main Gate.
For $8, you get a hefty one-third pound of organic beef from grass-fed cows raised at the Double Check Ranch in Winkelman.
Truly luscious meat, grilled to be crusty on the outside and smooth and juicy in. It's topped with Gruyere cheese and sautéed mushrooms and stuffed inside a toasted English muffin. Don't want the cheese or mushrooms? You can get it plain for $7.
Of course, Wilke had to work hard to get to this point.
The owner of Time Market and the B Line first opened Wilko in 2007. Back then, he envisioned a trendy convenience store that offered Vietnamese sandwiches and $100 messenger bags along with more traditional items like shaving cream, mouthwash and beer.
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It didn't fly. So he closed it last summer, remodeled, and transformed this one-time drugstore into a hip wine bar, restaurant and hangout that opened in February. It's got table service now and an ambience that seduces. The bare wooden tables and long bar are cast in a soft light, thanks to hanging fixtures that look like jumbo-sized rice-screen Chinese lanterns. The near-floor-to-ceiling windows offer some of the best people-watching on Main Gate Square. It's cozy, sophisticated and, when crowded, loud.
Cooks in an open kitchen whip up a simple menu, from exotic cheese plates to those delectable burgers to desserts that could make your heart stop.
The wine selection is good and most - more than 30 - are offered by the glass. Tasty sips are available if you don't know what you want.
Wilke calls it a "gastro- pub" - that's a term that's been around since the 1990s for a pub that serves good food.
And Wilko lives up to the term.
There's that burger.
And the burrata appetizer ($9), which is a cloudlike cheese appetizer that will make your knees weak it's so divine. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese. The outside, drizzled with olive oil, is a firm mozzarella, and inside is a silky, soft cheese made with mozzarella and cream. Scoop the burrata onto the crostini, top it with an olive, bite, and sigh. It's that good.
Comfort food is the norm at Wilko. The made-there tomato soup ($5 for a cup) is chunky with fresh tomatoes, spiked with onions and garlic and comes with a slice of toast topped with melted Gruyere.
If you're looking for a heartier soup, posole ($5 a cup) will satisfy. The rich broth is chock full of hominy, pork and chicken and spiked with a gentle chili pepper. Get a bowl of it ($8) and you may not want anything else.
But that would be a shame, because there's much more to enjoy.
Such as the cleverly-named BLT + T&A ($9.50). The man-sized sandwich matches turkey with smooth avocado, crispy bibb lettuce, sweet marmalade and thick slices of Applewood smoked bacon. It's a feast of flavors and textures.
Sandwiches come with a choice of fries, sour slaw or a salad. The crispy, thin fries are seasoned with rosemary and salt. But for an extra buck, you can nibble on fries drizzled with truffle oil and served with a smooth lemon aioli. They are worth the extra dollar and calories.
If you are in serious need of comfort food, there's mac and cheese ($7). The macaroni is tossed with a white cheddar and Gruyere. Rather than a toasty cheese crown, crispy onion rings are sprinkled on the top. A mild Anaheim chile offered a slight kick. Still, it was on the bland site - but isn't a lot of comfort food?
Dessert choices are slim. You don't need an abundant list when one of the offerings is a brownie ($6) topped with hot fudge sauce, vanilla ice cream and a ginger raspberry reduction. Hot, cold, sweet, spicy. Oh my. Share it; it's big. On second thought, hog it. You won't want to give up a bite of this.
Hmmm. That dessert should get Wilke another award.
Review
Wilko
943 E. University Blvd., 792-6684
• Hours: 10 a.m. -10 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays; 11a.m. - 9 p.m. Sundays.
• Family call: Kids should dig the comfort-food concept.
• Noise level: High.
• Vegetarian choices: Lots.
• Price range: Sandwiches and burgers average between $7 and $10.
• Online: wilkotucson.com
• Pima County health inspection: Wilko failed after an unannounced inspection in March, but passed after a follow-up inspection a few days later.
Tucson REstaurant review
Owner Peter Wilke transformed this one-time drugstore into a hip wine bar, restaurant and hangout that opened in February. It's got table service now and an ambience that seduces.
Tiffany Kimmell is a University of Arizona student apprenticing at the Star. Contact her at starapprentice@azstarnet.com
