Can teenagers appreciate a $110 Michelin star tasting menu? Only one way to find out.
This was my second real trip to New York, but my kids’ first. We flew in from Seattle mainly to binge Broadway shows: Operation Mincemeat, Stranger Things, Death Becomes Her, and The Outsiders. Every one of them was fantastic in its own way. Between curtain calls, we packed in the usual New York sightseeing — the Statue of Liberty, the Met, Central Park, a few flagship stores, and my grandpa’s old neighborhood in south Brooklyn.
When it came to food, we mostly kept things low-key and carb-loaded. We had bagels from Ess-a-Bagel (right by the hotel) and Utopia Bagel. We grabbed pizza slices when we needed a quick bite — La Pizza Italia, Carnegie Pizza, Norm’s, Koronet, and La Vera Pizzeria all hit the spot at the right time. For sweets, we hunted down pastries from Salswee, Dominique Ansel Workshop, and Angelina Bakery, followed by sugar-overload stops at Serendipity 3, Junior’s Cheesecake, and Anita la Mamma Gelato.
And yes, I made a pilgrimage to George Motz’s Hamburger America, but that adventure deserves its own post.
The one meal I truly planned for was dinner at Dirt Candy, the Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant that’s been proving vegetables can be the main event since 2008. It’s a five-course chef’s tasting menu that changes seasonally, with bonus experimental dishes that sneak in depending on the night. My wife and I had eaten there two years ago and loved it (see my review here) — this time, we wanted to share the experience with our teenagers.
Prepping the Teens
Before the big dinner, we did a little mental conditioning. My kids are moderately picky, so we walked them through old menus and emphasized that Dirt Candy is all vegetables — nothing scary, no mystery meats. We also told them the truth: it’s an expensive meal ($110 per person), and it’s special.
The rules were simple:
- Try everything.
- Keep an open mind.
- It’s okay not to love every dish.
- And if you’re still hungry at the end, we’ll get a burger.
Everyone agreed, and after surviving a freak storm in Central Park (complete with a mad dash back to our hotel in soaked clothes), we cleaned up, dressed nicely, and made our way to the Lower East Side.
Course 1 – CORN
Description: Corn crepe with corn mousse, crème fraîche, seaweed caviar, and chives. Fresh corn, crispy corn nuts, and a charred corn rib dipped in corn jelly.
This was a really fun start to the meal. The corn rib was tiny but was supposed to be eaten like corn on the cob and it reminded me of the movie “Big” where Tom Hanks ate the baby corn in teeny tiny bites. It was sweet with a lot of charred smokiness, and then the crepe was creamy and corny with little pops of brininess from the seaweed caviar.
Three out of four of us really liked this one. Cora couldn’t get over the thought of seaweed caviar even though she knew it wasn’t actually caviar.
We ordered a couple of mocktails to begin the meal as well. I had the green soda with cucumber, cilantro, and serrano. My wife had the Barbabietola with beet, ghia bitter aperitif, yuzu, and soda water and she let me sneak a few sips. The green soda was a little bit grassy, but was really refreshing. The Barbabietola was bright and layered and might have been my favorite of the two.
Course 2 – ZUCCHINI
Description: Squash blossom flower, cream cheese, honey, spiralized baby zucchini marinated in Old Bay vinaigrette, grated hazelnuts, horse radish, pecorino cheese, and micro parsley.
This was so pretty with the splayed out squash blossom, but it was also full of textural contrasts and bright flavors. For me this was essentially a salad course, even though it looks like a carpaccio. The vinaigrette had a lot of punch, and the hazelnuts with horse radish and pecorino rounded it out with a savory finish. The spiral sliced baby zucchini was also really fun to eat. Or maybe just fun watching my kids eat it.
All four of us really liked this dish.
Course 3 – TOMATO
Description: Tomato twinkie filled with yellow tomato jam, topped with a hickory smoked feta smoked with hickory wood chips, marinated cherry tomatoes, tomato leather, and freshly picked basil.
This was one of the more quirky dishes, and I loved it. The twinkie part reminded me of a cornbread muffin, but the tomato jam inside added sweetness and moisture. The smoked feta and marinated cherry tomatoes were a perfect compliment and when you put it all together it was amazing. Cora agreed and did a great job. Max was not impressed but pushed himself to finish it.
That’s three of four of us that loved the tomato twinkie. It’s iconic.
Course 4 – EGGPLANT
Description: Crispy tornadoed Fairy Tale eggplant with an eggplant and preserved lemon spread and zhoug (a yemeni oil with mint, peppermint, and spices).
This was a bonus course, and even though it was small it was really memorable. The crispy eggplant slices acted like a savory chip for the creamy eggplant and preserved lemon spread. That was punched up a bit by the nicely spiced herby zhoug oil. By the time I looked up Cora had finished hers. Max wasn’t very far behind.
Four out of four of us loved this dish, even though some of us don’t usually enjoy eggplant. It was exceptional.
At the recommendation of our server I ordered the Desert Sunrise mocktail. It was made with yellow pepper, aloe vera, lime, and a guajillo chili rim. This drink had a lot of body. The yellow pepper tasted fresh and light, and the guajillo chili rim bumped up the intensity. I strongly recommend this one.
Course 5 – GREEN BEANS
Description: Yellow wax fettuccini pasta salad with grilled yardlongs, Szechuan pickled green beans, and a green bean sauce.
This was a substantial course that felt a bit heartier than the others. It was very green. I don’t think I had ever tried yardlong beans before, but they mimicked noodles really well and I loved that they were mixed around the yellow wax bean fettuccini pasta. The green bean sauce was creamy and rich, but the pickled green beans helped brighten it up. I thought that this would be a bit too adventurous for the kids, but they actually loved it. Max wanted a giant bowl of it instead of the reasonable serving that we had.
This was a win for all four of us and something that might inspire some future meals for me at home.
Course 6 – CARROT
Description: Carrot tamal filled with carrot chorizo, wrapped in a sheeted carrot, topped with pickled red onion, serrano chilies, avocado crema, pickled rainbow carrots, and served over a carrot green mole.
This was another super iconic dish. The sheeted carrots as the tamal wrapper was genius. It’s so thin, but stays pliable enough to encase the carrot chorizo. The carrot green mole was also really pretty and helped drive home the orange and green carrot visual. It was herby and bright and played nicely with the pickled carrots and onions on top of the tamal. Lots of textures, lots of vibrant flavors, but this one was a little too spicy for the kids. The adults loved it, though. Our server noticed that Max was struggling and offered to swap it out for another dish, so he actually doubled up on the green bean pasta. We didn’t expect that, but it was a really nice gesture.
This was a great dish, but it was only a win for 2 out of 4 of us.
Course 7 – PEPPERS
Description: Rainbow bell pepper shaved ice, blueberry mint sorbet, pistachios, apricots, pepperoncini caramel, and whipped ricotta.
This dish was an adventure. It looked like a snowcone, but smelled like a salad bar. The bell peppers were the dominant note in the initial smells and taste, so it started out light and vegetal. The further you moved down the glass the more savory it became. The blueberry mint sorbet or syrup was a transition flavor with the whipped ricotta, and most of the pistachio, apricot, and pepperoncini caramel was located near the bottom. So, it started off savory and light, and ended sweet…but also a little savory. I absolutely loved this as a dessert, but I think it could have easily been an appetizer as well.
The grown ups loved it, but the kids weren’t as excited. I think this was a win for 2.5 out of 4 of us.
Course 8 – CUCUMBER
Description: Maritozzi – whipped cream in a brioche bun with a cucumber jam.
Right as we were chatting about the tasting menu experience, we were surprised with another small dish from the kitchen. This was a Roman pastry called maritozzi, which is a brioche bun filled with whipped cream. Dirt Candy adds their twist with a cucumber jam drizzled over the top. This was a perfect final bite. That little hit of sweetened cucumber in the fluffy whipped cream echoed a little bit of the corn crepe at the beginning of the meal, and made for an excellent bookend.
All four of us liked this one.
Conclusion
Even though my teenagers didn’t love every dish, they appreciated the experience — for me, that was a huge win. The Dirt Candy team treated us with warmth and hospitality, and it never felt pretentious or stuffy. Just creative people doing incredible things with vegetables.
If you’re wondering whether it’s worth bringing kids or teenagers to a restaurant like this, I’d say that it depends on a lot of factors, but with a little preparation and patience it can be awesome for everyone. Tell them it’s not about filling up; it’s about tasting ideas. And if they’re still hungry afterward, well, there’s always a slice joint around the corner.
At $110 per person (and no tipping — Dirt Candy builds fair wages into their pricing), it’s not a casual dinner out, but it is a memorable one. Big thanks to Amanda Cohen and her team for an unforgettable meal that managed to impress both adults and skeptical teens. Now I need to learn how to make that green bean dish…
Sodafry 