Dirt Candy
81 Orchard Street | also 86 Allen Street | Lower East Side | built 1910
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 2014
Amanda Cohen picks a former bus station at 86 Allen Street for the next Dirt Candy
Chef Amanda Cohen chose a former bus station at 86 Allen Street as the restaurant's next home. The wide storefront takes up most of the Allen Street block between Grand and Broome Streets and was renovated throughout, with a 50-seat dining room, a 10-seat bar and a big kitchen open to the room so guests can watch the cooks. The East Ninth Street original had closed on August 30, 2014.
Source: thelodownny.com
- 2015
Dirt Candy leaves its 18-seat East Village space for a larger restaurant on Allen Street
Chef Amanda Cohen opened Dirt Candy in October 2008 in a tiny East 9th Street space. In 2015 she moved it to Allen Street, where the larger room allowed a bigger menu and a bar. At the new address she also ended tipping, adding a 20 percent surcharge to checks so staff could be paid a living wage.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2015
Dirt Candy ends tipping at its new Allen Street home
With the move to Allen Street the menu grew and a bar was added. Cohen also began a no-tipping policy, replacing gratuities with a 20 percent surcharge on every check and paying employees a living wage.
“With the new location, the menu expanded, a bar was added, and Cohen began a policy of no tipping, instead adding 20% surcharge to every check…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2017
Dirt Candy drops its a la carte menu for two tasting menus
In August 2017 the Allen Street restaurant stopped offering individually priced dishes and served only a two-tiered tasting menu. Cohen explained that she wanted a meal there to feel like a special occasion. The restaurant is known for cooking that builds dishes around a single vegetable.
“…disposed of its a la carte menu in August 2017, instead operating with only a two-tiered tasting menu ... wanted the dining experience to be a special occasion…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2018
New York Magazine ranks Dirt Candy the top restaurant on the Lower East Side
In 2018 New York Magazine placed Dirt Candy first among the Lower East Side's restaurants, describing the food as careful, complex and delicious without being overly scientific. Earlier, the New York Times had said Cohen was fighting a war against the idea that vegetables are something you must eat out of duty. The restaurant had moved to Allen Street three years before the ranking.
“New York Magazine ranked it top restaurant on the Lower East Side in 2018, calling its food "careful, complex, and delicious, but not overly science-y…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2020
Dirt Candy sells a 14-course takeout dinner for $50 after a four-month closure
Time Out reported on September 22, 2020 that Dirt Candy, closed for four months because of the pandemic, had launched a set dinner for takeout and delivery. It had 14 courses, 12 savory and two sweet, for $50. Indoor dining was due to return on September 30 at limited capacity.
Source: timeout.com
- 2021
Dirt Candy's outdoor shed sits mostly empty as Cohen stops serving food outside
Bloomberg Businessweek's December 2021 profile said surviving the pandemic had meant raising prices, paying employees more and living with constant uncertainty. The restaurant's outdoor shed had been mostly empty since November, and Cohen decided to stop serving food there. She briefly tried keeping it open for drinks, but nobody wanted a $17 mezcal with cucumber in the cold, and she still could not bring herself to tear the shed down.
Source: bloomberg.com
Further reading
- Dirt CandyWikipedia
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