FLATIRON — A new taste of Peru has come to the neighborhood.
Latin Beet Kitchen opened last week at 43 W. 24th St., offering a variety of dishes inspired by the cuisine of the Andes and the Peruvian Amazon and Pacific coast including arepas, salad bowls with quinoa, anticucho steak, rotisserie chicken and ceviche.
The owners, a trio of brothers who also run Peruvian dining spot Raymi at the same address, carved the new restaurant out of the front portion of Raymi and sectioned it off into its own space where diners can snag breakfast, brunch, and lunch for cheaper and with a more casual vibe than its sister restaurant.
Latin Beet Kitchen's breakfast menu includes a variety of toasts including avocado and egg, goat cheese and salmon or almond butter and banana, as well as an array of arepas, or corn cakes.
The lunch menu offers variety of pre-designed bowls inspired by regional foods of Peru, including the Andina bowl made with with veggies, lentil stew, and garnish of crispy toasted corn; and the Amazonas bowl made with sweet potatoes, chicken, and aji verde sauce.
Customers can also customize their own bowl by choosing a base grain or green and adding protein, vegetables, garnish and sauce.
Vegan options include the “Solterito,” a quinoa salad with kale, tomatoes, roasted broccoli, carrots, cilantro and avocado dressing.
Prices range from $7 for the huevos verdes toast to about $14 for the bowl dishes.
The space includes a counter along the front window and an outside sidewalk cafe.
The trio were inspired in part by their active lifestyle to put a healthy spin on South-American cuisine, said Roger Torres, who operates both restaurants with his brothers Jaime and Felipe.
"As a competitive triathlete, food is my source of energy, so I take this very seriously," Torres said. "Despite its reputation, Latin food can be nutritious and delicious. When we put love into the food we cook, the food loves us back.
