Fast casual places seem to be on the rise here in Manhattan, and we aren’t talking about the conglomerate types that are trying to ruin this amazing city. Whether its sushi, sandwiches, poke or more, fast casual has become the new it thing for Manhattanites to enjoy no matter what the cuisine is. Latin Beet Kitchen, which is located right in the heart of Flatiron, is another great example of this concept only for them they are excelling ten fold at Latin cuisine meets healthy ingredients meets happy faces.
You know the saying “you eat with your eyes first”? That is true not only for the food at Latin Beet Kitchen, but also the visuals of the location itself. My god, this place is bursting with so much colors that blend so beautifully with the warm weather we have been having that it is nearly impossible to miss this spot and you definitely don’t want to. It goes beyond other fast casual places that are smaller in size in that right after you order in the front, there is a spacious amount of seating towards the back which works for a quick lunch with friends or colleagues.
The word fresh rings true in so many ways at Latin Beet Kitchen, its hard to figure out where to begin. First of all, they are a big believer in “think local, source local”. All of their sophisticated Latin food they they provide their patrons with are local and humanely raised, the latter of which is an even bigger point for me. Their tagline is “We believe in food that’s both nutritious and delicious”. They have that right. Here’s what you do.
You have five different options for your hearty meat or seafood: Tuna Nikkei Ceviche, Anticucho Steak, Organic Chicken, Salmon Ceviche or Grandma’s Organic Lentil Stew. Each of these come with their own pre-determined bowls where you have the ingredients available inside, but I prefer going rogue and building off each to make your plate as colorful and tasty as possible.
The base can be a leafy green like Arugala or something more starchy like Organic Tricolor Quinoa. To mask a pasta option, I went with their Zucchini Noodles as it tasted just like that. Step two: choose your protein. Anticucho Steak it is. Then, the colors come through with the warm vegetable options. Let’s throw some Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes on there so that orange can shine like a diamond. Then, let’s add some more flavors. I went with their Cucumbers, Seasonal Pickled Vegetables and Purple Cabbage Slaw. No joke, my mouth is watering just writing this.
Then, let’s sauce it up. They have some great sauces to throw and mix into this bowl, including a Creamy Avocado and Spicy Latin Beet just to name a few. I’m not afraid of a little spice, so I went with their Aji Verde, which went great with the steak and gave it an awesome kick.
On the drink side, they have just launched their Wellness Summer Cocktails for you to enjoy with the delicious bowl you are devouring!
Latin Beet Kitchen is taking mixology expertise from its upmarket counterpart Raymi, combining it with the latest in wellness trends creating a list of cocktails that use high quality spirits, seasonal ingredients and super-foods to make the new concoctions as healthful as possible. As such, remaining true to their health-centric ethos, some cocktails have no added sugar and others sweetened only by panela, an unrefined whole cane sugar from Colombia.
The summer inspired cooling cocktails include:
Smoky Margarita: tequila, mezcal, lime juice, topped with a honeydew melon, spirulina, ginger and sage juice and cayenne cleanse kombucha with a cayenne-lime-salt rim
Spanglish Rockstar: rum, carrot, orange and thyme juice, turmeric house-made soda with a turmeric and panela salt rim and thyme garnish
Cumbia Mule: vodka, watermelon and basil juice, lime juice and drunken chia seeds, ginger beer with a chia-lime salt ri
Upbeat Virgin: pomegranate berry tea, mixed berries and panela, orange bitters and spiced salt rim
For more information on Latin Beet Kitchen, please check out their official website.