New restaurant opens in former Gina’s Pies Are Square building

eckelberg.jpg

Mark and Debbie Eckelberg will operate a new restaurant, 400 Main, in downtown Wilton. Mark works full time for the Hillsboro Farmers Co-op but will be the fix-it man in the restaurant.

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor

“400 Main” is not only the address, but also the name of Wilton’s newest restaurant and antique shop.

Mark and Debbie Eckelberg have leased the property from Aldis Strazdins and opened on Wednesday in what was formerly Pettera’s Country Thyme Café and, before that, Gina’s Pies Are Square.

Although Debbie is an avid antique hunter and has spent many hours touring the shops of Galena, Wis., and the Twin Cities, this is her first foray into the retail/restaurant business. She worked 23 years as a medical assistant at the Elroy Family Clinic, and then took a job for a year at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tomah, quickly discovering that she wasn’t partial to office work.

Although the village has two establishments that serve food, along with a convenience store, Eckelberg thinks there is a market for families with children who prefer food service that does not include a bar.

Customers also will not find a deep fryer in the building. The menu will consist of wraps, salad, pizza and sandwiches. But if the main course is a healthy choice, all bets are off for dessert: the restaurant will offer homemade pie, cakes and more. The Wilton Wood Turtle Sundae, a favorite from the Gina’s Pies Are Square days, makes a return, and for early risers, the restaurant will offer breakfast pizza and homemade cinnamon rolls.

And if you want to know what Wilton Warrior pizza is, you’ll just have to stop in.

Eckelberg turned to Joan Pasch to handle the kitchen detail. A previous employee of the Rafters in New Lisbon and most recently Dorset Valley Restaurant near Wilton, Pasch can cook almost anything, Eckelberg said.

While guests wait for a chicken alfredo pizza with homemade sauce, they can browse the antiques and collectibles offered by eight different dealers.

Eckelberg also will have a selection of local crafts, including soaps, candles, Amish rugs and wooden items, along with gourmet food items. An inveterate gift giver, Eckelberg thinks local folks will appreciate being able to pick small, inexpensive last-minute gifts.

The business will be open every day except Tuesday.

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