Those who are already familiar with Peruvian cuisine might wonder what is unique with chef Erik Ramirez's newly-opened restaurant, Llama Inn. Located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, Ramirez is offering the contemporary Peruvian cuisine with a more modern twist.

Formerly known as Eleven Madison Park's sous-chef and Raymi's Peruvian food professional chef, 35-year-old Ramirez took inspiration to bring the unique fusion of Peruvian and American cuisine in New York after he traveled around Peru. He spent most of his time in influential kitchens including Diego Muñoz's Astrid y Gastón and Virgilio Martinez's Central.

"We didn't want to get stuck in a category of being a traditional Peruvian restaurant, because that can be restraining," Ramirez explained, as per Grub Street. "I'm Peruvian, so I want to do that food, but I want to be able to do everything else that I've learned."

Llama Inn's menu, which is carefully rendered in English, is meant to capture the diverse influences and varied flavors of Peruvian cuisine. Among their must-try dishes include ceviche, which is made with plantain, dashi and anticuchos. Another dish is the restaurant's char siu pork belly and chicken thigh with fermented soybeans and ají verde. A couple of family-style dishes are also available, including lomo saltado, the famous Chifa or Chinese-Peruvian dish of stir-fried beef, served with scallion pancakes, Bloomberg Business noted.

Another must-try cited Tejal Rao of Bloomberg is the duck sausage and rice dish, which is served with duck fat and a confetti of meat crumbles, crackling skin and cold smudges of liver mousse. Visitors can also enjoy the great Peruvian comfort food, arroz con pato, a dish that's bursting with flavors and is made of beer-marinated meat and cumin-kissed rice. Sea bream tiradito is also a must-try at Llama Inn.

According to Ramirez, the Peruvian cuisine stands out because of its blend of culinary cultures, with both Chinese and Japanese flavors influencing it. He also said that Llama Inn aims to bridge the gap between Peru and New York.

"We want to bridge the gap between Peru and New York," Ramirez said, WWD quoted. "We want to cook whatever we want but with Peruvian undertones, ingredients [and] attitude."

Meanwhile, Ramirez is also working with Bryan Graham of Fruition Chocolate out of the Catskills, who is using Peruvian cacao beans to make a chocolate for Llama Inn. As for the drinks, he is working with The Nomad chief bartender Jessica Gonzalez and Speed Rack co-founder Lynnette Marrero for the restaurant's cocktail menu. They also offer several Spanish and South American wines.

Llama Inn is designed by Joseph Foglia Designs and named for the 1957 Inge Morath photograph "A Llama in Times Square." It is also Ramirez's first solo restaurant venture.