Review: Don Pedro's Peruvian Bistro

Don Pedro’s Peruvian Bistro on South Sixth Avenue makes us want to travel to Peru.

The menu offers plenty of traditional foods from that South American country. Like fat, juicy Peruvian corn. And chica morada ($2.50), an almost too-sweet drink made with purple corn and spiked with cinnamon.

And potatoes, lots and lots of potatoes.

Don Pedro’s is the brainchild of Peter Gonzvar. The menu brings a bit of that South American country to Tucson’s southside.

The family-owned restaurant first opened in Rocky Point in 2004, but in 2010 it moved its menu, secret recipes (we would love to know what the beef hearts are marinated in) and pots and pans to the Old Pueblo.

Lucky us.

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Don Pedro’s is unpretentious — two small rooms with travel posters on the wall, bare tables and a couple of TVs. And the prices are reasonable, with most entrees in the $9 to $12 range.

Peruvian cuisine has an international flair, drawing from native influences as well as from Spain, Africa and China.

It translates to menu selections that are rich with nuance and flavor.

The yucca fries ($5.99) seemed like a healthy decadence — they were lightly fried chunks of yucca, which make slightly sweet, very firm, fries. On the side was a flavor-popping huancaina salsa, tossed with Mexican cheese and soft onions.

The tender beef hearts ($6.99) were marinated in oil spiced with chilies and a few secrets no one would divulge. They were served on a skewer with an off-the-chart hot sauce made with rocoto chilies.

Read the full review in Thursday's Caliente.