I’m always on the hunt for meals that prioritize creativity and the intrinsic flavour of the vegetables themselves, and Chef Amanda Cohen’s legendary establishment delivered exactly that. Stepping into Dirt Candy in New York City is less like entering a restaurant and more like walking into a botanical flavour laboratory!
The quick menu rundown
- Surprise Course (The Warm-Up): Carrot Miso Soup with house-made carrots and tofu.
- Course 1 (Celery): Puffy Celery Bread with seaweed caviar.
- Course 2 (Brussel sprouts): Five-Spice Brussels Sprout “Ribs” with Szechuan BBQ sauce.
- Surprise course: Root Vegetable “Toasty Locos” with cabbage slaw.
- Course 3 (Squash): Squash Spaetzle with coconut pearls and fried onions.
- Course 4 (Kale): Kale “Fish & Chips” with dinosaur kale and labneh.
- Course 5 (Mushrooms): Massaman Mushroom Spice Cake with rainbow sorbet.
- The final surprise course: Savory Russian Cookie with caramelized onion.
The deep dive
I had a 6:00 PM reservation at the Chef’s Table, which offered a front-row seat to the kitchen’s choreography! My server mentioned there would be additional surprise courses, which only heightened my anticipation! To start with, I ordered an Athletic Brewing Company NA beer – crisp, refreshing and the perfect palate cleanser for the complex flavours that lay ahead.
Surprise course 1: Carrot miso soup
The first surprise course was a house made carrot miso soup featuring tofu and rainbow carrots. I was worried that it would have a distinct carrot flavour, as most carrot soups do, but to my surprise, it was incredibly well-balanced – soothing and warm without being overly salty, spicy or carroty. The profile was completed by a distinct toasted grain note that offered a soul-warming essence of bread and broth. Warm and soothing!
Course 1: Celery
The first course was a puffy celery bread with a velvety celery crème fraîche, seaweed caviar and a pink celery garnish. Recommended to eat by hand, like a sandwich. I fully expected the traditional celery-crunch, but was pleasantly surprised by the texture: delightfully pillowy with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. The seaweed caviar added a briny pop, contrasting the subtle herbal notes of the bread and celery. The sandwich was tasty and had a very mild flavour; but came through very well especially when I chewed each morsel well. Just like the soup, the flavours were balanced and none of the “base” flavours overpowered the dish.
Course 2: Brussel sprouts
This is easily one of the best dishes I’ve had. Ever.
This was the highlight of the evening. Not a dish but an event in itself (or so it felt!). Brussel sprouts with five-spice BBQ sauce, peanuts and sesame seeds with instructions to eat like ribs. I was perplexed when they brought a napkin out with this dish, fully expecting to eat it with a fork and spoon (what was I thinking?) By the time I was done it was very clear: My fingers and mouth were smothered in the deliciousness that was the BBQ sauce!
The BBQ sauce featured sichuan peppers that created a brilliant progression of flavours–starting sweet and BBQ-y before the sichuan peppers hit you with that tingle at the end! The texture of the brussel sprouts was done just right–soft enough to melt in your mouth, yet crispy on the outside for that perfect bite.
Once finished, I flipped it over and used the marrow-spoon to scoop out the brussel sprouts stem marrow (who knew it had marrow!).
This was easily one of the best dishes of my life, up there with the fried chick’n from Dar and the Broccoli from Gymkhana!
Surprise course 2: Toasty Locos
Inspired by Mexican street food; toasty locos! Instead of tortillas, they used root vegetable chips (taro, rutabaga, sweet potato) with parsnip queso, pickled onions, homemade valentina and a crunchy cabbage slaw.
The sauces were very balanced and did not over-power the chips. The slaw was flavoured and definitely crunchy! This was the first dish with a noticeable, pleasant saltiness, yet very balanced and the sauces had an extremely mild and earthy flavour.
Course 3: Squash Spaetzle
This squash spätzle was topped with crunchy coconut pearls and fried onions.
On this very cold, windy New York evening, it tasted like a heartwarming “bread and soup”—chewy and soggy in a good way. The flavours of the dish came through slowly with every morsel: Lemony and spicy. I honestly couldn’t tell it was squash and I ate it slowly to savour this amazing dish!
Course 4: Kale “fish and chips”
A creative take on this classic dish; made from lacinato and dinosaur kale, sautéed for four hours with garlic and onion, battered, fried. Served with a lemon on the side to squeeze over the sticks, an olive and capers tapenade, labneh and malt vinegar kale chips.
I expected the stick to be mushy from inside because of the kale and was pleasantly surprised when it had a perfect crunch that worked brilliantly with the batter! The tapenade and labneh went perfectly with the sticks and the chips were crunchy and delicious! I loved it!
Course 5: Mushroom curry cake and rainbow sorbet
Let me start by saying, this was the dish I feared the most on the menu. I’m wary of mushrooms not being cooked well and tasting slimy and mushy in the mouth. I should have known better!
The final course was the desert: A massaman spiced cake with mushroom caramel, lemongrass cream cheese on top, served with coconut sauce and cashew. It was served along with a rainbow sorbet. Despite the ingredients, there was absolutely no mushroom or massaman curry flavour—it just tasted like a perfectly done cake.
The rainbow sorbet was divine; I usually don’t like tart sorbets, but this was out of this world. One of the best deserts I’ve had in a long long time.
The final surprise: A Russian cookie
The finale was a savory Russian cookie with caramelized onion and pecans. It had a sweet exterior with a savory, umami-interior. A nice small treat to pop in the mouth before ending the evening meal.
The final verdict
I’d been meaning to go to Dirt Candy for many years now, and I finally had the opportunity–and it was worth it! Dirt Candy treats vegetables with utmost culinary respect. Chef Amanda Cohen has masterfully coaxed flavours out of vegetables when vegetables are usually an afterthought.
A 10/10 meal. The Brussels sprouts and the massaman-spiced cake were phenomenal highlights of an incredibly inventive menu!