My spouse and I dined at Dirt Candy for lunch on a Saturday afternoon
in early May 2017. Dirty Candy is open for weekend brunch, and dinner on
Tuesdays through Saturdays (closed on Sundays and Mondays). We made a
reservation using the online Open Table system.
Dirt Candy has been located on Allen Street between Broome
and Grand on the Lower East Side since January 2015. (For the previous 6 years,
the restaurant occupied space in the East Village.) The LES location fit well
with our plans to take a tour at the nearby Tenement Museum afterwards, but it
would have been worth a special trip to eat there even if we were not in the
neighborhood!
From the street, a glittering overhead marquis draws your
attention to the restaurant. Inside, the space includes a front wall of windows,
and white-painted brick walls, one of which is stenciled with a black silhouette
flower border design at chair-rail height. Open exposed ductwork ceilings in
the front of the space and light-colored polished concrete floors lend a chic
industrial feel to the space that seats about 60 patrons. About 10 customers
can dine at the chef’s counter by sitting on a high curved-back
white-upholstered barstools with nail head trim, with some customers seated at regular-height
free-standing tables (with chairs similar to the barstools), or at one of the
tables that shares a long red-upholstered banquette on one side, the back end
of which forms two L-shaped (or one U-shaped) booths. If you only want a beverage
and a snack, you can sit at the small drinks bar that serves beer, wine, and
cocktails, or at the small high communal table positioned in front of it.
Amanda Cohen is the chef/owner of Dirt Candy, whose
accolades include two stars from the New York Times, recognition by the
Michelin Guide, and awards from Gourmet Magazine and the Village Voice. Chef
Cohen was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef, and she has
written a novel cookbook that resembles a comic book.
Although Dirt Candy offers vegetable-based cuisine, menu
items contain butter, eggs, and cream. (You can order vegan dishes on request.)
We shared the squash biscuits to start, served with squash butter and a roasted
red bell pepper jam. Then we ordered the beet sandwich (layers of thinly sliced
smoked beets piled between slices of rustic bread spread with horseradish and
dill pesto) and the green huevos and no ham (with a green tortilla, queso
fresco, salsa verde, and two unique tempura poached eggs). Both delicious
entrees were served with a choice of fried potato chunks or a side salad. We
passed on dessert, although the ice cream with beet topping was tempting. Menu
prices include an “administrative fee”, which amounts to a 20% gratuity for the
staff; no additional tipping is required.
If all vegetarian food tastes as good and looks as appealing
as the dishes at Dirt Candy, we could give up meat!
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