I am pleasantly surprised!
After travelling to Peru a few years ago, I realize that Peruvian food is definitely an under-appreciated cuisine in America's food world. Therefore, since Surco's first appearance as a food cart in the library mall, I have been a fan. Yet, it took me a long time to decide to give its restaurant location a try. The location is really out of the way for us, plus many reviews mentioned its not-so-cheap prices.
Our visit came in a rainy Saturday evening. The location could really easy fool you, but the inside decor is really elegant. Our waiter was very polite and professional. He explained the menu very patiently and clearly.
Surco is a fine dining Peruvian restaurant and the price is indeed a bit steep. We two people share a Arroz con Mariscos and a Causa salad. The service was slow, especially there were only three tables of people in the restaurant. We waited 20+ minutes. Our server explained that it was because one of our dishes did not pas quality check and had to be re-done.
Apparently the quality check kept good quality! Both plates lived beyond our expectation. The Arroz con Mariscos came with good size. Seafood is fresh. More importantly, they are very delicate. I can taste the subtle intricacies the chef carefully put onto our dishes.
Because of the location, I do not expect that i will come back here soon, but I highly recommend Surco to people who want to savor fine Peruvian food in Madison.