Dirt Candy

"Vegetables were always fun. But it wasn’t until Dirt Candy came along that a lot of American chefs thought to treat them that way. Opened in 2008, this vegetarian spot challenged widely held expectations that a meatless meal had to be bland, dour, or even especially healthy. Why couldn’t it be colorful, wacky, and quite possibly deep fried? These days, we’d sooner send you to Superiority Burger or abcV: two restaurants that have no doubt benefited from Dirt Candy's influence. After nearly two decades, Dirt Candy still has the playful spark that made it famous in the first place—it's just that the inventiveness can sometimes take precedence over deliciousness. Like a candy cane beet soup dumpling, which sounds delightful in theory but proves to be a mushy disappointment. Still, the $110 five-course tasting menu is very good value for an upscale, meat-free special occasion, especially considering the house no-tipping policy. photo credit: Noah Devereaux photo credit: Noah Devereaux photo credit: Noah Devereaux In 2015, Dirt Candy relocated to larger, more glamorous digs—complete with a giant sequined sign—on the Lower East Side. It's an ideal setting for a lowkey celebration, particularly at the long counter bordering an open kitchen. Black silhouettes of plants line the dining room’s white-painted brick walls. Birdsong plays over the bathroom speakers, a few octaves higher than the lull of quiet conversations between couples that otherwise permeates the restaurant. A lot of them have been here before. The tasting menu changes with the seasons, rewarding repeat visitors with new dishes, even if not all of them quite come together. Either way, your meal will likely include a few surprises. You might be greeted with a tin of briny seaweed caviar, then sent on your way with a piece of literal candy: a savory-sweet jimmy nardello pepper pâte de fruit, glittering with basil sugar. That's not something you'll find anywhere else, and it's exactly the kind of brain-tickling bite that draws people back to Dirt Candy again and again. Food Rundown photo credit: Noah Devereaux Tasting Menu Dirt Candy’s $110 tasting—five courses, plus additional small “gifts” interspersed throughout your meal—changes seasonally. A vegan version of the menu is available on request, and the optional wine pairing is $55. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Mushroom This duxelles-filled mushroom croissant is accompanied by a mushroom cappuccino, as well as colorful dots of bright stone fruit gels, painstakingly applied by a dedicated chef on the squeeze-bottle pointillism station of the line. It’s good, but a little anticlimactic: The pastry tastes like it’s a few hours past peak flakiness. The mushroom cappuccino, however, is lovely. It’s earthy and deep, like something a hobbit would drink. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Cauliflower We wouldn’t have guessed that pickled yellow cauliflower could stand in so well for pasta, but here—thinly sliced, tossed in a creamy, cheesy pecorino romano sauce with lime zest and tingly red chilis—it’s very satisfying. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Beet This candy cane beet soup dumpling is sloppily pleated, with a flabby pink wrapper that isn’t particularly pleasant to eat. It’s a bit of a bummer, especially considering Dirt Candy’s proximity to some of the very finest soup dumplings the city has to offer in Chinatown. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Squash This hickory-smoked barbecue butternut squash rib stand-in packs a lot of textures into one pretty package. The glazed exterior is crunchy and crispy, while the inside is as creamy as the delicata squash puree it’s served over. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Carrot Pizza “So you don’t have to get a slice of pizza after this,” your server might joke as they present this palm-sized pizza, another small bite served between courses. It’s wonderful. With carrot-enriched dough (and a crisp, crunchy crust), a lightly sweet carrot marinara, and purple carrot “pepperoni,” the marquee vegetable makes its presence known without being overpowering. If they sold this a la carte, we’d pop into Dirt Candy for a snack just about any time we passed by. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Potato This sundae—a play on the classic combination of french fries dipped into a Wendy’s Frosty—is adorable, with crunchy meringue sticks standing in for the fries, rainbow potato sprinkles, and a lightly sweet, earthy potato peel cake as its base." - Molly Fitzpatrick

"Amanda Cohen has been at the forefront of experimental, playful vegetarian, and vegan fine dining in New York City for well over a decade (long before the Eleven Madison Park team tried their hands at it). The chef has been a pioneer in her creative use of ingredients, but she’s also helped lead conversations about fairer wages for workers. A tasting menu is priced at $110, with the additional option for a beverage pairing." - Eater Staff

"While the vegan scene in New York City has boomed in the depth and breadth in its offerings over the past few years, full vegan tasting menus remain few and far between. On an unassuming corner of Broome and Allen Street, just steps from Chinatown's dumpling shops and outdoor grocers, sits Dirt Candy, a Michelin Star vegetarian restaurant dedicated to treating vegetables like candied gifts from the dirt. Chef Amanda Cohen opened Dirt Candy 16 years ago, and ever since, it's clear that kitchen has fun with crafting the menu for each season. Some fan favorites include summer's tomato cake (plus related variants such as the tomato donut), autumn's portobello croissant with a mushroom cappuccino, and winter's smoked cabbage hot pot for one."

"Amanda Cohen’s vegetarian tasting menu has landed one star; its five-course tasting menu starts at $110." - Eater Staff

"A Lower East Side restaurant retaining its Michelin Green Star for sustainability." - Melissa McCart