Dirt CandyInventive veggie cookingMy boyfriend and I are not vegetarians, but we really enjoyed this all-veggie restaurant! Most veggie restaurants are defined by what they don't have in the food, or by the fake meat that kind of, sort of, is supposed to taste like meat (but the texture is never right). This place doesn't have anything fake - they just show what vegetables are capable of in much more inventive ways than I've seen anywhere else. You won't miss the meat. All dishes can be made to accommodate vegans, too.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMincredible food...inventive and delicious. very unique flavors.
BUT....astoundingly small portions.5/30/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent!Food was original and very tasty. Highly recommended!5/30/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious and fun special dinnerThe dishes were full of surprising flavors and textures, and the tastes were everything I was hoping for. Loved the mushroom appetizer and popcorn pudding especially. My fiance said the grits in his corn dish were the best he'd had outside of the south. My only complaint was the lack of music. Maybe it's not wired for a sound system, but the lack of background music was a little odd.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMJust a great treat!We love the innovative, very tasty food and the warm hospitality at Dirt Candy, and wish we could go all the time. Amanda Cohen, the owner and chef, doesn't get tired of trying new things, and each dish has a multitude of tastes and textures. It's hard to know what to choose sometime -- a dish you've had before or a new one. The menu is just four appetizers and four entrees, plus a few other treats, including vegetable based desserts. But you can't go wrong here. We'll be back again and again5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMYes, innovative - but quite sweetAmazingly creative, but with a higher sweetness level and fat content than you'd expect -- which is why people love it. Add sugar (or bring out sugar) and add fat to anything to make it a crowd-pleaser. The "mushroom" was a rich pate and therefore very satisfying dish. The fennel-sunflower soup cooled too much when poured over greens and pretzels (great as crutons). Primarly flavors: sweet and salty -- it could use some balance with chili, perhaps, or lemon.
My mistake to follow this with parsnip pillows, essentially gnocci from parsnip instead of potato. Again, a bowl with sweetness overwhelming, not enough balance. Then salted-caramel popcorn flavored pudding. Delicious and a truly memorable creation. Very rich. And again, very sweet!5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMjelepeno hush puppies andmaplejelepeno hush puppies andmaple butter- wonderful! Very innovative vegeterian menu. Tried cauliflowe and parsnip dishes. Both were very good. Eggplant tiramasu was delicious, celery cheesecake was ok. Being a sall place hard to get the reservation, however it is worth the try. Over all a great experience.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing!I was impressed from the moment I walked through the door. The staff are charming and the service was perfect - attentive without being intrusive, service was prompt but no feeling of being rushed, perfect amount of time between courses.
The food, OMG, the food! Everything was delicious. I'd thought the portions would be small and I'd leave still feeling hungry - I mean, how filling can vegetables be? The joke was on me! The portions were large and the veggies were rich.
I'm still boggled at the creativity in all the dishes and how tasty everything was.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food great serviceInnovative vegetarian and vegan food with some of the best service in ny. The food is just plain excellent, no need to make exceptions because its veg food, it would stand up as amazing tasting food no matter what it was compared to, will definitely be back next time we are in town, book in advance, this place is small and has a long wait list for a table.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMThis restaurant is not forThis restaurant is not for everyone. They serve imaginative, beautifully prepared vegetarian cuisine. Fine dining on vegetables. It is a small narrow space. You don't go for the decor or ambience, you go for creative vegetarian cooking (with vegan options) bursting with flavor and creativity. I recommend it to all vegetarians and to anyone who is skeptical that dishes without meat or fish can be satisfying and sophisticated and memorable. They also have a short reasonably priced wine list with unusual lovely wines.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMThe menu is imaginative, andThe menu is imaginative, and very well thought out and executed. The service is very personalized, and attentive. It's become so popular it can sometimes be a bit difficult to get reservations, but try, because it's worth it.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMheavenly!Absolutely sublime. One of the best meals of my life. The chef is an artist and every mouthful will leave you intrigued and delighted! Highly highly recommended.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was amazing and theThe food was amazing and the service was just as good. When I mad my reservation months in advance of the night of the dinner, I made a small note about it being my friend's belated birthday. Amanda Cohen was kind enough to add a candle to the dessert dish we ordered, making the evening that much more memorable. Fantastic place all around.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMYumWe had a very good experience. The food was delicious and unusual, and our waitress picked the perfect wine to go with my meal. I had "Beans" which was spicy, which paired amazingly well with "touch of class" wine. The appetizer, "fennel" combined various flavors so delightfully. I loved the dessert, celery cheesecake and celeriac ice cream. Oddly, I did not taste celery but my husband did- delicious no matter what. We would come back. There is a two Month wait to get a reservation for this tiny place- only 18 seats.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food,meat eaters giveGreat food,meat eaters give it a try you won't be disappointed.Very intimate & lively.
Staff excellent & explained dishes in detail.
Very reasonably priced.
The Cabbage appetizer & the Popcorn Pudding are well worth a try.4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything about this restaurantEverything about this restaurant is wonderful. It's small, intimate and delicious. The staff is not only friendly, but knows their dishes extremely well. I can't wait to go back and try the dishes for the next season.
While vegetarian, its not just about roasting the vegetables, but instead the vegetables are showcased.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had struggled to secureWe had struggled to secure a reservation for many months, and my friend was now heavily pregnant. As a warning for others who may be larger than normal (for whatever reason) - this restaurant is TINY. Try going as a group of 4 because then you get 2 tables between 4, rather than 1 table between 3. We ended up getting stuck by the door too which was annoying because everytime they needed to access the basement (frequently) we had to get up. We managed to move, but only because we asked. Food was delicious though - especially the eggplant tiramisu with rosemary candy floss. Service was speedy. Some of the food could have been served a bit warmer for my liking (the fennel soup was a little bit tepid for me)4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMEXCELLENT!! Truly redefinesEXCELLENT!! Truly redefines what vegetarian/vegan can be! I dare any carnivore to say they weren't excited and satiated. A rollicking roller coaster ride for the taste buds! I sat in amazement as one bite full after the other delighted my senses. Intimate space with quality minimal design, allows the food to take center stage. I went home with left overs, ate them for breakfast, and ordered the cookbook online! I don't even cook!!4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat vegetarian/vegan restaurant.Great vegetarian/vegan restaurant. Finally a place where I can take my vegan friend and she can order ANYTHING on the menu!
Jalapeno hush puppies with maple butter a must!!!
Very small place - that is why it's so hard to get a reservation. Perhaps a max capacity of like 30? If you come early or the table isn't ready yet - be prepared to wait outside - there is NO space inside for lingering. That said - we never felt rushed out of our table to make room.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was amazing. EverythingThe food was amazing. Everything from the presentation to the taste was beautiful and unusual. It was one of the best vegetarian meals I have had in years. I will definitely be going back.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMOrder as many appetizers as you canGo for a whole bunch of appetizers. The entrees were ok, a little disappointing after the mind boggling delicious appetizers.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMvery creative vegan dishesvery creative vegan dishes - something I definitely could not prepare myself. GREAT find!3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat if you have no problem with cAlthough it’s quite an experience (and fun) to eat here, we ran into an unexpected problem with the menu -- which was ironic for vegetarians. Two of the people in our party could not eat fresh cilantro (a/k/a coriander), which was in the Beans entrée, as well as in several salad portions of other dishes. Nor could these dishes evidently be prepared without cilantro (not even as a vegan alternative). Where you offer only four entree selections, should you not be prepared with alternative sauces for customers who cannot eat fresh cilantro? Both ended up ordering the Corn entree that they did not especially want and found to be bland. On the other hand, the Onion appetizer, Popcorn Pudding and the wine list were all excellent.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Vegetarian PlaceAlthough VERY small the food is outstanding! Loved it! And great bottle of wine too. Would definitely recommend making a reservation though. It's always crowded11/2/2012 12:00:00 AMThe food is outragriouslyThe food is outragriously good. The best vegitarian cooking on the planet.1/1/0001 4:00:00 PM