Dirt Candy

Yes, the place is tiny -- it seats only 20 people, so reservations are a must, particularly on a weekend. The menu changes, as far as I understand, pretty much every day, so everything is super fresh and in season. I think it's a great place if you are already a vegetarian (or vegan), but if you are a carnivore, I think it will still leave you wanting to make some chicken or salmon once you get home. The food is tasty and creative -- given the restrictions they put on themselves with their philosophy, but it's not going to blow your mind (or convert you to a vegetarian). So if you live in the neighborhood and feel like having a carrot risotto tonight, go for it, but I wouldn't seek it out specifically.

Trudged through messy slush in the East Village on a Saturday night and almost walked by this tiny little closet. I knew the place was small, but I still couldn't believe how small until the 4 of us were squished into a corner booth. The service was excellent, my vegan friend had lots of questions about the menu and they were very accomodating. We were seated right by where the friendly owner/chef was preparing our meals. The jalepeno hush puppies with maple butter were delicious. The portobello mouse appetizer was good, but not as good as I had expected after reading rave reviews about it. My husband absolutely adored his mixed green salad with grilled cheese croutons and grapefruit pops. For my entree, I enjoyed a hearty serving of stone ground grits with a tempura pouched egg on top. The tempura egg was truly divine - it made the dish so luxurious. My husband had the crispy tofu with the green ragout, and my typically unobservant husband was shockingly perceptive and appreciative of all the little details, like how the tofu was plated like a filet of white fish, crispy skin and all, and how each one of his vegetables were perfectly cooked and seasoned in the beurre blanc sauce. For dessert, I had the popcorn pudding, which was yummy and very original - the caramel corn was nice and salty, and tasted great dipped in the pudding. My husband always orders chocolate desserts, so no surprise when he ordered the chocolate cake with the chili chocolate ice cream. The chili wasn't overwhelming, just added a nice warmth to the chocolate. The atmosphere was loud and boisterous,even though we had an early seating, but the noise level became a little overwhelming throughout dinner (I felt like I was shouting to be heard) Overall, we had a great experience!

Wow!! Gourmet vegetarian and vegan food. Jalapeno hush puppies with maple butter-crispy, spicy & sweet portobello mousse-sublime, Greek salad, parpardelle with thin-sliced roast cauliflower, crispy tofu with crisp tender vegetables in lime butter sauce, popcorn pudding with salted caramel corn. Yum. Everything was wonderful, flavorful and satisfying. Attentive & personal service in a small intimate space.

I loved Dirt Candy. We had a 945 reservation on a Friday night and they still turned out an amazing product. The jalapeno hush puppies were delicate and really flavorful, first you got the light, savory fritter and then a really nice zing from the peppers. We had the carrot risotto and the grits, both were brilliant. The carrot risotto had fried carrot slivers that provided a real nice crunch opposite the risotto. The carrot dumplings were cool but ultimately kind of bland and heavy. The grits were luscious. There were mushrooms, some black truffle sauce splatters, and tempura poached egg. Definitely try this dish. I disagree with many people on the candied grapefruit - i thought it was gross. Sorry. Our waitress was nice but gave us a bit of a 'tude when we skipped wine and went right to the meal I understand, it was late. The place is small but cozy. It's a real treat.

The food is just incredible! The portabella mushroom was my favorite but everything was so amazing that I just can't wait to eat there again! The staff really takes their time to explain everything and answer any questions. This was a great experience.

Definitely creative and healthy. A nice change in vegetarian cuisine. However, I would seriously suggest either changing the pricing or the portion sizes because it is nowhere near worth the price.

Finallya vegetarian place that isn't just a chinese restaurant with fake meat! I cannot say enough about the food here. The grits are especially awesometotal veggie comfort food. And the carrot risotto is a million times better than it carrot risotto has any right to be. (Still trying to figure out how they do the dumplings...) And the portobello mousseomfg. Seriously. Just go, and keep going, so that we get to keep this place around for a good long time and get to see more of what Amanda can throw together.