PARK SLOPE — Park Slope is paying tribute to one of the world’s most healthful grains — quinoa — as two local restaurants signed up to participate in the inaugural Quinoa Week celebration.
The festival, which kicked off Monday and runs through May 3, will hail the mighty little gluten-free grain with inventive dishes that feature it for lunch and dinner.
Park Slope’s Coco Roco on 392 Fifth Ave. and Surfish on 351 Fifth Ave. are among the restaurants participating in the weeklong festivities. In addition to the two Park Slope locations, other restaurants participating in Quinoa Week include Morocho in Union Square, Panca in the West Village, PioPio in Hell’s Kitchen, Raymi in Chelsea, Warique on the Upper West Side and Desnuda in Williamsburg, among others.
Chefs from all 10 restaurants will push the grain to its culinary limit by cooking fried quinoa balls, quinoa risotto, quinoa mousse and even a quinoa crème brûlée. Over the last couple of years, quinoa has become a popular grain among the city’s health-conscious residents. But Peruvians have been using it for more than 3,000 years.
