From the way he was talking on Wednesday, sitting at the bar in downtown’s Charro Steak & del Rey on East Broadway, country singer Mark Wystrach was homesick.
As the sun was starting to fade and cast its last bright rays at the towering Hotel Congress sign in the distance, the Midland lead singer waxed poetic about the Tucson he has loved since he was a kid and his family spent special events at the Arizona Inn.
The native of Sonoita, whose family has long owned The Steak Out steakhouse, went to high school at Salpointe Catholic in Tucson and college at the University of Arizona. A few years ago, he and his wife and two kids bought a home here and settled into a life that reminded him of growing up.
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“When you grow up in a place, it’s hard for you to see it in order to appreciate it. But now, as an adult and as a father, you just appreciate everything that this area has to offer,” said Wystrach, who is coming home on Friday with his band for a concert at Tucson Arena.
Charro Steak was one of several Tucson businesses that Wystrach visited Wednesday, including the Screamery on East Congress Street that had incorporated his band’s Insolito tequila into a limited edition horchata ice cream.
Charro Steak created a trio of cocktails with the tequila, including one that tasted like Mexican candy.
Owner Ray Flores lined the cocktails in front of a plate that included raw oysters from Charro Steak’s seafood side, del Rey, that used the tequila.
As he sipped the cocktails and effortlessly threw back oysters, Wystrach, who moved to Boulder, Colorado, last summer, talked about the Tucson he loves and misses. Food is a big part of it for the son of longtime Sonoita restaurateurs Mike and Grace Wystrach.
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He reminisced about the countless sushi rolls he’d devour at Yamato Japanese Restaurant, saying their spicy tuna roll is the best he’s ever had.
You could find him and his wife at Anello pizzeria in downtown’s Historic Warehouse District, or Kukai, the Mercado District’s popular Japanese restaurant, multiple times a week, enjoying slices of Neapolitan pizza or spoonfuls of Japanese delicacies.
If you were lucky, you caught him and the rest of his bandmates at Crisol Bar after their show here last January.
You can almost imagine Wystrach, wearing a straw cowboy hat and well-worn boots, making his way up to the bartender to order his go-to drink: a Coors Light and a shot of Insolito Añejo.
Singer Mark Wystrach of Midland tries the horchata tequila ice cream with owners Linda, center, and Kenny Sarnoski, from the menu at The Screamery, 250 E. Congress.
If he woke up the next morning feeling the after-effects of the night before, he’d head straight to Taqueria Pico de Gallo for a warm, steaming bowl of menudo.
“When I was living here, I’d come back from tour on Sunday, and, you know, feel a little bit foggy headed,” he said with a chuckle. “I’d get a bowl of menudo and it just was like an instant cure.”
Of course, you can’t forget a side of flour tortillas and you’ve got to make sure the salsa has some heat you can feel in the back of your throat.
When he really needed a homecooked meal, all he had to do was drive down south to Sonoita, where his family is steak royalty; they have owned The Steak Out since 1979. Either a medium rare New York strip steak or a ribeye would be placed in front of him as he chowed down on chips and their beloved housemade salsa.
The simple yet delicious ingredients places like Charro Steak, Buendia and Monsoon Chocolate use are what keep Wystrach coming back for more, giving him an excuse to pay a visit to his home away from home.
From the unforgettable meals to the cool feeling of the wind on your skin after a day in the sun, that’s how Wystrach remembers the beauty of the Southwest.
“I think there’s a magic out here,” he said. “This is one of my happy places. My soul gets quenched every time I visit.”
Sonoita native Mark Wystrach is here to perform with his band Midland at the Tucson Arena on Friday night.
Midland brings its “The Get Lucky Tour” to Tucson Arena on Friday, April 25, with Flatland Calvary opening the show. It’s the band’s second time playing the arena after selling out “The Last Resort: Greetings From ...” in fall 2022.
Midland’s last Tucson show was at the Cologuard Classic golf tournament in January 2024.
Friday’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $35 through tucsonconventioncenter.com.
