Last year we visited New York City, flying up on Christmas day. We ate at several fantastic restaurants and had a phenomal time just wandering around and exploring a bit. Our most anticipated (and later, favorite) stop of the trip was Dirt Candy, a vegetarian restaurant full of exciting culinary surprises.
While Dirt Candy only serves a 5-course tasting menu year round, the dishes offered change drastically depending on the season and available produce. In addition to their standard menu, we were served several complimentary treats in-between courses.
“Caviar” – seaweed spheres, creme fraiche, cucumber
The first of several “off-menu” surprises we were served. While traditional caviar is generally quite salty, the salinity of the seaweed spheres in this amuse-bouche was balanced by the lightness of the creme fraiche and cucumber. One of my favorite dishes of the night, and a great start to the meal.
“Mushroom” – mushroom croissant with duxelles and portobello mousse, mushroom ‘cappuccino‘
I think this was the first dish where we started to realize what Dirt Candy is all about. The creativity and craft that goes into their menu is surpassed only by the wonderful flavors they manage to capture in each dish. Despite appearing to be a fairly heavy first course, the mousse and mushroom soup were quite the opposite. I could have eaten several more of their croissants, had that been an option.
“Pepper” – various sliced peppers
Another unexpected dish. Simple in execution, these marinated peppers were a welcome hit of acidity after the earthy mushroom course.
“Cauliflower” – shaved pickled cauliflower, chili oil, pecorino romano
Like the peppers before it, Dirt Candy excels in serving ingredients in a way that highlights their natural flavor and texture. Cauliflower is typically not known for any sort of distinct flavor, but this dish was burst of spice and acidity, tempered by the grated cheese.
“Beet” – Beet soup dumpling, bamboo, papaya, cilantro oil
While I typically have an aversion to beets, I was impressed at how this dish contained no trace of usual earthiness I dread. The cilantro oil in particular provided a nice pop of flavor that worked well with the hearty soup dumpling.
“Squash” – Smoked, fried squash, barbeque sauce, squash puree
Whoever is making the barbeque sauce at Dirt Candy needs to bottle and sell it immediately. The texture of the fried squash was very similar to a supremely tender smoked rib, but the sauce was extraordinary. Smoky, sweet, tangy–everything you want in a barbeque sauce, and this one does it the best. This was definitely my favorite course of the night.
“Carrot” – Carrot juice, carrot slices, carrot sauce
A small treat that was brought to our table between courses. In all seriousness, this tiny pie made almost entirely of carrots is one of the greatest pizzas I have ever had. I don’t know what kind of secret magic goes on in the Dirt Candy kitchens, but I am blown away by the results. The crust was crispy and not soggy, the sauce was rich but not overly so, and the little carrot “pepperonis” were just right for adding a some texture and sweetness in each bite.
“Potato” – Potato cake, ice cream, meringue
In the best way: everything in this dish was made with potato, but did not particularly taste like potato. Instead, you end up with a dessert that is meant to suggest the experience of dipping fries into a Wendy’s Frosty, and I think that’s exactly what they achieved.
“Pepper Jelly” – pates de fruit
As our meal was coming to an end, we were served these delightful pepper jellies. A hint of heat, a bit of sweet, the perfect denouement to our culinary adventure that evening.
Conclusion
What I like best about Dirt Candy is that for every dish, the flavor of each individual component is never sacrificed in pursuit of the overall vision. While each dish is whimsical in nature and interesting to look at, it is all genuinely delicious. I don’t think any other tasting menu we’ve tried yet has been quite this fun, and I can absolutely see us returning to try a different season’s menu in the future.
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