Ahhh the weekend is here! I am thrilled! Never a long enough amount of time to relax and unwind, but plenty of time to squeeze in all the fun things I wanted to do and it seems in squeezing those in, I got a little behind in writing to you all, so I apologize. I do always feel like a part of me is missing when I don't write to you on a daily basis, but do not worry, I'm writing to you now.
I thought today I'd fill you in on an outstanding restaurant I went to last night as a post marathon celebration with my boyfriend. I'd been wanting to try this restaurant since it opened, knowing that this was the sort of place I could relate to and really enjoy. Dirt Candy, a tiny, ten table, vegetarian restaurant tucked away on Ninth Street between Avenue A and 1st is truly a hidden East Village gem, definitely worth the trip. Dirt Candy is meant to signify: "Vegetables, of course. When you eat a vegetable you’re eating little more than dirt that’s been transformed by plenty of sunshine and rain into something that’s full of flavor: Dirt Candy. It’s also the name of my restaurant, which opened in October, 2008." - Amanda Cohen, head chef.
I'm sure you're thinking vegetarian?!? It's going to be overly self conscious and try too hard as many strictly vegetarian or vegan restaurants tend to be...well this was not. It was clean, inventive, unique, delish, and good for you...with only eight items on the menu, you knew that there was a lot of love put into each and every dish.
Between my boyfriend and myself, we had half of the menu, ha! Each tasty bite of each dish was completely unusual and full of flavors, a must try.
Your next thought is probably isn't this a blog about cheese, why is she going on about a vegetarian restaurant, do not worry my friends, it is because my main course had ricotta cheese in it and that cheese was the perfect savory, creamy, and zesty companion to the rest of the dish. But lets go over what we had to start:
I had the mushroom appetizer which was composed of: portobello mousse, sauteed shittakes, truffled toast, and pear & fennel compote which was an ode to the mushroom in each and every bite. Every element of the dish highlighted the delicate flavors of mushrooms in a different manner but when all combined, you achieved utter deliciousness. My boyfriend had the radish appetizer which was composed of: four mini kimchi doughnuts, a grilled watermelon radish salad with cilantro and wild arugula - a nice mixture of freshness and crispness with the salad and its heavier counterpart, the kimchi doughnuts. Overall, a perfect pairing.
For our main courses, I had the eggplant which was composed of: black olive fettuccine, eggplant jam, pickled eggplants, basil broth, and ricotta. A delish dish infused with the herbal qualities of the basil broth, the earthy savoryness of the black olive fettuccine and the eggplants all topped with a dollop of ricotta adding the extra oomph to the dish taking to another level. See guys, cheese can transform any dish!
And my boyfriend had the parsnip which was composed of: parsnip gnocchi, a creamy root vegetable slaw, and carrot crumbs. A creamy, gooey, dish that although featuring parsnips did not scream root vegetables!
All in all, a delish meal where vegetables were the superstar, but cheese took the dishes to the next level. I definitely recommend venturing to the East Village to try this gem of restaurant. Happy Eating ladies and gents!
No comments:
Post a Comment