Enjoy Wildflower Al Fresca
SBINSIDER FOOD CRITIC GLORIA WOLF MPH |03/21/2025
This is the best time of year for outdoor dining in Arizona. With this in mind, we dined at Wildflower on the patio for lunch. Wildflower is an original Tucson restaurant that is great for lunch, cocktails, and dinner. We ordered a variety of foods including spinach pappardelle, short rib ravioli, mesquite grilled burger, and braised short rib. All lunch diners were happy with their food choices.
The spinach pappardelle is made with green spinach pappardelle pasta topped with roasted chicken, tomato, and pine nuts. The irresistible treat was the topping of Grana Padano, an aged raw milk Italian cheese with a salty, nutty flavor. Originating in the Po valley, this cheese was developed by monks of Chiaravalle Abbey in the 12th century. The grana of Grana Padano refers to the grainy texture of the cheese.
The short rib ravioli was a big hit accompanied by roasted mushrooms, truffle cream, Swiss chard and red chili flakes. In comparison, the braised short rib was also popular. Served with glazed carrot, celery heart, roasted cipollini onion, and black truffle potato puree, this menu item has it all. This is a substantial meal that will keep you going all afternoon.
The mesquite grilled cheeseburger is original at Wildflower. It is topped with wild mushrooms, caramelized onion, Swiss cheese and aioli. Sides include squash and brussels sprouts, hasselback potato, mac and cheese, and truffle fries. For the health conscious you can also order a side salad or a cup of fresh fruit.
Enjoy happy hour at Wildflower with a collection of their starters including black mussels, tuna tartare tacos, cold smoked salmon, or crisp calamari. Add a specially concocted cocktail with selections such as Thai grapefruit martini, blood orange paloma, or a fig and ginger mule. There is a also a choice of bubbly beverages, white wine, rose’ wine, red wine, bottled beef and draft beer. Happy hour is from 3:00 PM to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Wildflower provides upscale dining at reasonable prices. Enjoying our spring weather, we dined on the patio. My recommendation is to dine on the patio if you can, especially if you are hard of hearing. The noise inside the restaurant can be overwhelming, but the patio is peaceful and beautiful.
Visit their website at https://www.wildflowertucson.com/
