I am always looking for new food adventures, and I had many great ones throughout the year.  Here is a list of my top 10 food or food-related discoveries of 2009 (in no particular order):

(1) the red pepper velvet cake at Dirt Candy in NYC
(2) the skillet bacon jam from Skillet Street Food in Seattle
(3) the pechiole al tartufo (truffled wild peaches) from Conti Foods in Florence, Italy
(4) the professional cheese knife from Claudine Vigier of La Fromagerie du Comtat in Provence
(5) the amazing tasting menu and setting at La Petraia, a restored working organic farm and agriturismo in Tuscany
(6) the chilaquiles from Primavera at the Saturday morning SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
(7) Cibreo Restaurant in Florence, Italy
(8) The Nibble Bar from Askinosie chocolate, made in Springfield, Missouri using cacao beans from Ecuador
(9) the brussels sprout salad at Bottega Restaurant in Napa Valley
(10) three crushed dried chili peppers from Whole Spice in Oxbow Market in Napa – chili aleppo, chili marash and chili urfa

We love to visit New York in December and were just there for a weekend filled with food, holiday cheer and snow!  We decided to stay in the SoHo area of town to be close to many of the things we wanted to do.  We started our weekend with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants – Dirt Candy in the East Village.  Two of our favorite dishes that night were the warm Pumpkin Salad (which had four types of pumpkin and squash, along with toasted pumpkin seeds and arugula) and the Red Pepper Velvet Cake (just the right amount of red pepper flavor in a very moist cake, topped with cream cheese icing).

On Saturday, we started the morning with coffee at Joe the Art of Coffee on 13th Street.  Our next stop was the Union Square Greenmarket, where we met our friend Christine Kim, from Fresh Local & Best fame.   We shopped at the farmers market and the Christmas Market, had hot cider and marveled at the huge apples and assortment of potatoes.   We went to Max Brenner for hot chocolate to warm ourselves up a bit.  Then we went over to the Chelsea Market, a delightful indoor food market that has a great assortment of breads, seafood, meats, Italian goods and much more.  Next on our list was a visit to Shake Shack for hamburgers.  We loved them but really should have stuck with one each, instead of two!  That evening, we had dinner at Dell’Anima, a charming West Village neighborhood restaurant that specializes in fresh, local ingredients with an Italian flair.  Our favorite dishes there were the half moon-shaped pastas filled with roasted beets, black sesame seeds and ricotta cheese, along with the risotto that was finished with white truffle butter.  After dinner, we went to our favorite bar, Little Branch, for a couple of their hot buttered rums.  It had snowed all afternoon and evening, and we had a wonderful time trekking back through the snow and taking pictures.

On Sunday, we awoke to a very white snow-covered scene outdoors.  We went to The Little Owl for brunch and arrived a bit before the chefs, who were delayed due to the weather.  Our favorite brunch items were the meatball sliders and the french-fried potatoes with brussels sprouts.  After brunch, we took a taxi over to the New Amsterdam Market, located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.  They were having a special “Winter Wares” market, and we sampled spiced ale and marveled at the beautiful cranberries, pastries, yogurts, lobster bisque and variety of artisanal food items.  Afterward, we made our way to the Southwest corner of Washington Square Park where we participated in a Hot Chocolate Crawl.  There were six destinations for hot chocolate on the map and directions that we were provided.  We made it to only three, but had no hesitation when choosing our favorite hot chocolate, hands down.  It came from Marie Belle in the SoHo area.   That evening, we dined at delicious Prune on the East Side.  We started with their special that night of seared ham with mustard and savoy cabbage.  Then we both had an amazing beef stew – their pot au feu.  It was different than what we have had in France in that it was served with a whole filet mignon steak and a marrow bone in the bowl.  It was tender, juicy and so flavorful.  We concluded our meal with a brandied cherry trifle. 

For a couple of foodies, the weekend could not have been better.

Dirt Candy is a tiny restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village that features vegetarian cuisine (dirt candy = vegetables – right?). But you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it. Believe me, I would feel comfortable comparing the flavors at this restaurant to any upscale food around. Amanda Cohen, the owner, is in the kitchen cooking up great dishes on any given night.

The menu changes daily and features such items as Portobello Mousse (shaped in a perfect cube) with a Fennel Pear Compote, Crispy Tofu with Green Ragu (featuring fava beans – my favorite), Pinot Grigio Pappardelle with Roasted Cauliflower and Pinenuts, and Stone-Ground Grits with Corn, Cooked Greens and a Tempura Poached Egg. I had the Sesame Caramel Cake for dessert – the inside had a delicious bit of liquid caramel. The hit of the dessert table, though, was the Popcorn Pudding with the Hazelnut Caramel Corn.

Dirt Candy is open for dinner only Tuesday – Saturday from 5:30pm-11:00pm.

Dirt Candy
430 E. 9th Street
NY, NY 10009
212-228-7732
http://www.dirtcandynyc.com/