NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Dirt Candy
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It’s good to push the envelope. It leads to things like the Declaration of Independence, and pants that zip off into shorts. The results aren’t always such ringing successes, as shown by Joaquin Phoenix trying to be a rapper and bubble wrap as a fashion accessory. But at the very least, they spark discussions that always seem to include someone saying, “We’re talking about it, so it worked.” Dirt Candy pushes boundaries with the food it serves, and while there are a few misses to go along with the many hits, a meal here is something you’ll both talk about and be happy you experienced.
When Dirt Candy first opened in a tiny East Village space in 2008, it became known for serving vegetarian dishes you couldn’t begin to imagine cooking in your own kitchen - like “hot dogs” with franks made of grilled and smoked broccoli. They were definitely doing something unique, but the real selling point for us was just how much we enjoyed eating the food. Since then, plenty of other vegetarian restaurants have started serving upscale dishes creative enough to attract people with all types of dietary preferences, and there’s not as much of a novelty factor around things like broccoli dogs or an eggplant dessert flambeed tableside. But even though it has more competition these days, Dirt Candy continues to be more innovative and entertaining than the rest, and the food here is still really good.
Since 2015, that food has been served in a much larger, sleeker, and more comfortable location on the Lower East Side. The attractive, white-walled dining room with an open kitchen works for both fun group dinners and unique date nights, and you’ll find both very good cocktails and a wine list entirely made up of options from small-production, women-run wineries around the world. While all these things enhance the Dirt Candy experience, they also fade to the background once the food starts coming, as you try to figure out what you’re looking at and how it tastes the way it does.
Dirt Candy offers two constantly-changing tasting menus - five courses for $65 and ten courses for $99 (including tip) - both of which can be made vegan if you ask. We recommend the longer option, which feels like more of a deal than the abbreviated menu. But either way, you’ll get dishes with flavors and presentations unlike any others in the city. Dinner may start with a three-story wooden tower full of things like edible flowers over black-eyed pea hummus, and a canister of seaweed with the look and texture of caviar. There’s portobello mousse as smooth and rich as foie gras, and sliders that’ll make you realize carrots can somehow be as meaty as pork. As for the desserts, things like cauliflower cake, mushroom chocolate pudding, and eggplant foster are good enough to make us wonder if we should try turning more vegetables into desserts on our own. The answer is no - but only because Dirt Candy can clearly do it better.
On the other hand, a few dishes here seem to focus on production value more than flavor. DIY brussels sprout tacos that come out on a sizzling stone would be a fun communal appetizer, but it’s disappointing to get brussels sprouts wrapped in iceberg lettuce as the primary savory course on an expensive tasting menu. The onion tartare tastes like an overly salty onion ring, and the dish that involves dipping thin leafy greens in black bean bagna cauda is the most awkward way you’ve ever been coerced into eating vegetables.
As is often the case when people push the envelope, some things here go too far, seemingly just for the sake of sparking discussion. But the hits more than make up for the misses. This constant push to do something new also helps keep this place relevant, because even though there are more restaurants than ever offering protein from things that grow in the ground rather than things that walk on top of it, few of them are as memorable as Dirt Candy. This place isn’t just a case of “it worked because we’re talking about it” - it’s a spot we’ll continue to talk about because it works.