Dirt Candy

Dirt Candy has been very high on my go-to list in NYC. Consistently lauded for terrific food, they deliver a fully vegetarian (and optionally vegan) tasting menu at exceptional value. 5 courses for only $105.

I brought good friends who sneered slightly when I told them it was vegetarian. "Guess we'll get a cheesesteak on the way home", they quipped. I snickered, expecting they were in for quite a surprise. And boy, were they!

This place completely lives up to the hype. I went in with pretty high expectations and they exceeded them all. From the food to the service to the physical space, the story this place tells is homogenous, consistent, harmonious and beautiful. And the food? OMG, the food!

5 courses turn into 7 as they include 2 off-menu dishes. (A $15/dish price point! Amazing.) We were enjoying their new-ish spring tasting menu. The dishes were so varied with each one highlighted a bright, fresh product in diverse and delicious ways. Every plate built excitement for the next one as each dish seemed even better than the last.

The opening dish - cucumbers featured as a key lime pie - was solid, with a nice crunch from the seaweed caviar. We moved on to a pea broth "bubble tea" which was absolutely delicious, especially with the fresh pea shoots poking out of it. Incredible technique, texture and flavors from the fennel "cinnamon bun". And an insanely beautiful plating.

Then...the artichoke. Fried artichoke, beautifully and heavily seasoned, sitting in a pickled artichoke remoulade. We could not get over how flavorful this incredible little bite was. Deliriously happy groans around the table as we took each bite. We begged the server to bring us 10 more. This goes on the favorite dish list.

Speaking of our server - service was phenomenal. From the bright and friendly hostess to our very able server. The sommelier was the standout though. He's among the best I've experienced, with deep knowledge combined with terrific storytelling in a fully informal presentation. He's a huge credit to this place.

The wines were all natural wines sourced from female producers. I ordered a non-alcoholic tea-based drink that came from Copenhagen. It was so delicious that my friend I ordered a full bottle to share through the rest of the meal.

All of the little things were done so well. Waters were kept full. Pacing was terrific. They even have bird chirping sounds in the restrooms. 

The asparagus lasagna was delicious, though it lacked any texture. Surprising, because there are a myriad of ways to add texture into that dish. The final savory course of fried romanesco ("cauliflower with attitude", as they described) gave such the heft and weight you want from a meal like this. It ate like a fried veal chop, swimming in a gorgeous green and yellow tomato sauce. We licked our plates clean.

The dessert lived up too - inventive, beautiful, delicious and appropriately light, following up on the heavy romanesco.

You need to eat here.

Everyone needs to eat here.

It will show you just how good vegetarian cooking can be. This has to be one of the better values in the NYC fine dining scene as well.

Bravo, Dirt Candy. You have made a complete believer out of me. I can't wait to return!