Till Dynamic Fare

Till Dynamic Fare is the latest project from Magdiale Wolmark and Cristin Austin. Dragonfly, their last endeavor in this space, was one of the country's most heralded vegan fine dining establishments.

The menu at Till is about fifty percent vegetarian and vegan, unlike its predecessor. The focus is on fresh local ingredients.

The menu changes regularly. Specials are written on a chalkboard behind the long bar.

Starters include vegan poutine, cheese puffs, salads and sometimes the soup of the day.

The vegan poutine is shoestring French fries soaking up mushroom gravy with "cheese" curds of the house made tofu. The flavor is deep and addictive. The tofu was the weak link when eaten alone, but it picked up the proper balance when combined with the fries and gravy.

The cheese puffs were made with gruyere and cheddar. They were light, airy and had a long, subtle flavor.

The vegan black bean soup was drizzled with a mildly seasoned "crema." Layers of smoke explode in each bite supported garlic and chili peppers.

The Ohio goat cheese mac and cheese was tart, rich and delicious. The apples provided a nice sweet contrast to the dish.

Entrees included tofu and festival rice, the vegan meatball smash and tempeh fricasse. The vegan sandwich made appearances at On the Fly, as well as at Dragonfly's ComFest booth during the summer.

The tempeh had a great texture. It was served with creamy mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots. While the dish was well prepared, the sauce was too similar to the poutine gravy, making the dish's flavor seem repetitive when following the poutine.

Dessert options included vegan parfait and vegan gelato sandwiches.

Cocktails were excellent. Ingredients like caramelized lemon peel and chamomile tincture add interesting flavors to gin and whiskey. The bar also serves cask wine and six draft beers. Selections included Elevator Three Frogs IPA, Stoudt's pilsner, Great Divide porter, Schneider Aventinus dopplebock, and Belgian amber and sour ales.

The weekend brunch menus, which for now are available on Saturday and Sunday, also have vegan and vegetarian options. Coffee is from Clintonville roaster Thunderkiss Coffee.

The interior is white with dark wood accents and equally dark lighting. Music volume was loud enough to make conversations challenging.

Overall, Till looks like it should continue to provide high quality vegan dining in the fashion that Dragonfly did. The only standout negative was that the server seemed to be slightly unfamiliar with everything on the menu, and sometimes seemed out of place during service. The visit was during a soft opening period, and hopefully this can be chalked up to trial-run jitters.

On the Fly brunch

I sampled On the Fly's brunch this Sunday. While I have previously raved about the "street food" menu at On the Fly and the above-the-rim offerings at Dragonfly, this was my first On the Fly brunch.

The Dragonfly brunch was always a tremendous way to experience one of the best restaurants in the city, as Dragonfly itself is a great way to show diners that vegan food can have as great a complexity as its animal-based competition. The On the Fly brunch offers a completely different menu than the one featured every day at Dragonfly's inexpensive carry-out, including Toad Hill eggs. Vegans can feel safe, though: the egg dishes like the huevos rancheros were able to be made as a tofu scramble, too.

Some of the other menu options included a breaded portabella cutlet, vegan bouillabaisse, vegan cioppino, eggs (or not eggs) Benedict and a French toast sandwich. On the Fly has expanded its outdoor seating, allowing more people to be served in the small space.

The cioppino was an interesting play on an idea. It was a great showcase for seasonal produce. Traditionally, cioppino is a tomato-based San Francisco seafood stew. The vegan preparation has great tomato and fennel notes. There is tender eggplant, summer squash, mushrooms, carrots and two giant potato ravioli, garnished with a toasted bread that helps soak up the flavor of the dish.

Brunch at On the Fly is definitely a great experience, as should be expected. It might be a decent option for those who couldn't drag somebody to a vegan restaurant kicking and screaming; now they can eat egg dishes. While some might see adding eggs to the menu of a previously vegan establishment as an issue, since the eggs are a local farm product, and since the menu is still almost entirely devoid of animal products, vegans can still go to On the Fly without fear.

Dragonfly Seder Dinner

If you're looking for Passover dinner that is both vegan and mekhaye, you need look no further than Dragonfly. From an email...

04.09 SECOND SEDER DINNER

Rabbi Izzy (the chef's Dad) takes the 'stage' along with his better half and co-host Moriah (Mom) for THE 2ND SEDER on Thursday 04.09, an entertaining and satiating evening of neo-kvetching and retelling of the Spring Passover story of 'slavery into freedom' followed by a delicious feast and lots of excellent kosher wine, and soundscapes including Matisyahu's Youth, David Gould's Adonia in Dub, and Ben Perowsky's Camp Songs.

The dinner includes a buffet of traditional (and some not so traditional) Passover dishes, The atmosphere is like a large family dinner. Magdiale prepares his own matzoh, truffled matzoh ball soup, pate 'gelfite fish style', french trumpet mushroom fricasse with 'make you wail' horseradish sauce, potato kugel, and chocolate covered macaroons whoopie pie style.

Kids and families are especially welcome and encouraged to reserve. There are plenty of kid's activities including the tradition of hiding the afikoman; a ritual where the kids 'steal' a special piece of matzoh from the Rabbi and negotiate a ransom for its return.

In addition the gallery becomes a large playroom with plasma cars, scooters, toys, and games.

For those wanting a quick grab and go ON THE FLY will be serving matzoh ball soup all week.

Reservations for the event are required. For details please contact Dragonfly @ 2989986 or visit the website www.dragonflyneov.com