I had heard there was a small town pub and grub in not so far away Peru, and that it served a homemade tenderloin. A recent trip to Madison County meant I could make it down the county roads to this small burgh.A special note about unincorporated community of Peru, it is not to be confused with the township of Peru in Dubuque County. Neither is it to be confused with the South American country of Peru. But together with the incorporated town of 153 people next door known as East Peru, the area around here is sometimes referred to simply as Peru. During my visit I did not have time to verify correct pronunciation, but I assume it is to be pronounced like "pee roo". Wikipedia tells me Old Peru had an operating Post Office from 1853 to 1903. The google maps profile had ads for "Peru Holidays Packages" and "Thousands of Brides from Peru", I assume they are referring to the South American country with the same name.
Location: google says the address is 113 Brown St. on the main street with two or three occupied buildings in Old Peru, about 45 minutes from Des Moines in Madison County.
Directions: East Peru is on County Road G68, sometimes listed as Peru Road. You can reach Peru Road by taking I-35 to the Truro exit, or taking State Highway 169 south from Winterset.
The tenderloin: The from the bar area you can see the lady working the bar and waiting tables hand breads these things to order in a small kitchen. The hand breading and tenderizing means the thickness varies significantly, with folds and crunchy parts found in each bite. Each tenderloin seem to form a giant cup-like shape that holds the fixins under the toasted bun. Overall 8.0 out of ten. Price: $4.75
Also on the menu: you can get an unbreaded tenderloin, or usual bar foods like burgers, pizza or fried stuff.Ambiance: This is a dive bar with the regular beer posters on the wall, there is a big banner that reads "Welcome Hunters". Some fly traps were hanging from the ceiling, but those types of things add "flavor" to a place like this. Seating is available at the bar or at tables, or there is a picnic table across the street.
Service: When I visited it looked like one hard-working lady waits tables, tends the bar, runs the kitchen, and operates an antique cash register. She seemed to know the local regulars well.Final thoughts: This may be the closest authentic small town pub and grub with a homemade tenderloin to Des Moines. The travel on the winding county roads in rural Madison County makes the trip feel longer than it truly is. The fact that this area is not on the trail of the covered bridges probably means that few visitors make it out here.
Dear BPT Maven: I love what you do. Please never stop.
ReplyDeleteI lived in East Peru, IA from the 50's until the early 70's and my Dad owned the DX filling station in Peru. I was located across the street from where the post office is at the corner of Main Street. Right across the alley adjacent to the Post Office was Jewels Café where all the farmers went to for a home cooked meal and coffee, mostly for the coffee. My sister attended the school in East Peru until the third grade, as the schools was consolidated into the Winterset Schools at that time.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to Old Peru, it was located North West of where East Peru is located today on top of the hill going toward Winterset on the highway coming out of town. It was relocated to its present day location because of the railroad coming thru the area. My third grade Teacher Mrs. Lucille Russell was a teacher at the Old Peru School before it was relocated to the present day East Peru location.
I almost got excited because i thought it was from Peru (South America) :( lol
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