Legend's Cocktail Lounge

The Story

Let me put the important part first. Legend's is an eyelash from Worth the Crawl. We ate there twice in two days, we drove three and a half hours to get to that part of Indiana for a golf tournament, and we are already planning the trip that brings us back with Legends integral to the itinerary. The only reason it is not sitting in the top tier today is that both of our meals were mid-afternoon, and I want to see this room at night with a band on the stage and a crowd in the seats before I put it in the hall of fame.

Peru, Indiana is a town of about eleven thousand that calls itself Circus City and happens to be the birthplace of Cole Porter. So a bar named Legend's on Broadway is either a coincidence or somebody's joke that landed. We were told by local at Rock Hollow Golf Club that it's a must try if in town. Storefront, sidewalk patio, striped umbrellas, and a velvet rope that has no business being there and absolutely should be.

Then you walk in.

The Vibe

The theme runs wall to wall and never lets up. Pop-art Cash. Marilyn. Gold wings, columns, cherubs, and a motorcycle parked indoors as decor. A script "Bar" sign. A stage built into the dining room. Maximalist is the polite word. It is a thrift-shop shrine assembled by someone with a specific vision and no interest in restraint, and it works because nobody hedged.

Ask for the table in the front window. It is a two-top up on a raised platform, reclaimed pallet wall behind it, a lit SHOW TIME sign overhead, purple beaded curtain to one side and the patio out the glass. I started calling it the star seat because you sit a foot above everybody, including your server, and it makes you feel like somebody. Best seat in the building if you ask me.

Go look at the men's room while you are there. Purple walls, vintage pin-ups, and one large canvas that I will let you discover on your own.

The cocktail list carries the theme all the way down. The Elvis is his peanut butter and banana sandwich as peanut butter whiskey, scotch, and banana cream. There is a Purple Rain lavender gin martini, a Misfit Margarita for Marilyn, a Betty Davis, a Sweet Eden espresso martini, and a Scottish Doctor. They also run a smoked old fashioned under a lid that holds the smoke until it reaches the table, which is a technique you do not expect at this address. My IPA came in a custom Legend's Oktoberfest mug, and when I asked about it they told me to keep it. I wanted a shirt, but they were waiting for a new order to come in; owner took my address and said he'll send me one.

The Food

Our server said flat out that they are known for their steaks. Believe her. My daughter had the New York strip, I had the filet kabobs, both ordered medium rare, both came out perfect. A small-town kitchen hitting temp twice on one ticket tells you everything about how they run.

We opened with crab rangoon that is not on the menu, but it was a special they were running. It arrived over iceberg with a dark sweet glaze and a dusting of parmesan, which is not how anybody else finishes a rangoon. Real crab, restrained cheese ratio. The bang bang shrimp came skewered individually with spicy aioli, poppy seed, and scallion. The breading was fantastic. The shrimp were a touch overcooked and the zip is milder than the name promises, and my daughter loved them anyway. Both apps I thought came a little light on dip and the staff brought more out in cups without making it a thing. Funny thing was, adding more wasn't necessary; they had nailed it already.

Day two we went the other direction entirely. Wisconsin cheese cubes, large and lightly battered, fried golden, with ranch and a cup of honey. Tachoes, which is pulled pork, black bean, corn, cheese, chives, jalapeño ranch, and golden BBQ over your choice of chips or fries, arrives closer to a platter than an appetizer. I had the Circus City Porker, grilled tenderloin under pulled pork, cole slaw, BBQ's, and onion tanglers. The menu ends that description with the word WOW and I am not going to argue. Daughter had the Legendary Burger with a mountain of onion straws, again, cooked to perfection.

Sniped a pic of a "burger" a gentleman next to us was having and asked him about it. "It's an enchilada burger and I get it every time I'm here." was the response. It is a must try for me next time there for lunch.

Here is the thing that ties the whole menu together. The house barbecue sauce is written as BBQ's, it shows up on five different items, and it does not taste like anything you can buy. It is on the Western Loin, the pulled pork, the Porker, the Turtle Burger, and the Texas Burger. If they ever bottle it I am carrying a case home.

Both days we finished with the crème brûlée cheesecake. Torched brûlée crust on a cheesecake base, served on a wood board. I said "holy crap" out loud the first time I tasted it and ordered it again the next day, which is the only review it needs.

The Bottom Line

Legend's punches so far above its zip code that it is disorienting. Steaks cooked right, insanely good burgers, a bar program running smoked old fashioneds and themed cocktails that are actual drinks instead of gimmicks, a sauce worth naming, and a dessert I am still thinking about. The service is the other half of it. They fired an off-menu appetizer without blinking, replaced light dips before I asked twice, and gave away a glass mug because I liked it.

Worth the Drive, and understand what that means here. Peru is three and a half hours from my front door and we are building a trip around going back, revisiting the city and playing Rock Hollow again. We are not going near Peru ever without eating here.

If it holds up on a Friday night with a band on that stage, this moves up. I expect it will.