Located on 81 Clinton St., Parlor City Vegan continues to push the boundaries of the culinary arts through their masterful takes on vegan dishes.

As my photographer, Aislinn, and I walked into the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by our server, who sat us down at our table. Illuminated by fairy lights and dim overhead lamps, we admired the carefully designed space. Black and white checkered tiles covered the floor, succulents and framed artwork adorned the walls and wooden seating lined the space, resembling the tasteful simplicity of French decor.

This fall, Parlor City Vegan offers a three-course dinner priced at $30, including an appetizer, an entree and dessert. It also offers a three-course lunch menu for $18.

Overwhelmed by the unique options and the intense aroma of the meals being served around us, Aislinn and I struggled to finalize our order. Finally, I settled on the General Tso bites with zesty ranch and she decided on the jackfruit nachos.

Upon being served our first course, I could immediately smell the delicious tanginess of General Tso’s sauce. The dish was topped with scallions and sesame seeds with a crunchy outer layer coating the bouncy tofu, creating a pleasing combination of textures. The sauce had a bit of a kick to it, which built nicely over time, and the ranch provided a creamy and zesty cut to the spiciness of the appetizer.

Aislinn’s jackfruit nachos were presented in a metal dish and consisted of multigrain tortilla chips, charred jackfruit, jalapeños and scallions, topped with house-made nacho cheese and ranch. The jackfruit was soft and tangy with a mild kick, while the crunchy, artisanal chips felt so fresh, you could taste and feel the seeds embedded in each chip.

Blending the contrasting elements of the dish, the drizzled sauces provided a unifying overtone to the flavor profile of the nachos.

Shortly after, Aislinn and I received our second course — the ramen with toppings and sauce bar, which I ordered, and the Southern (Tier) comfort, which Aislinn picked.

The ramen was served with bok choy, a tofu and veggie dumpling, sesame, cilantro, scallions, carrots and seitan ham, which is wheat-based and vegan. The dish was comforting, sweet and spicy, melting in your mouth like a warm embrace. The noodles were neither too soft or too tough, and every element in the soup served its own unique purpose in the dish. The seasoned seitan ham, for instance, added to the soup with its candied overtones, while the bitterness of the bok choy cut the sweet base of the broth.

On the other side of the table, Aislinn tackled the Southern (Tier) comfort which came with fried lion’s mane mushroom, substituting for southern fried chicken, mac and cheese, a biscuit and collard greens. The honeyed biscuit was both fluffy and dense, similar to the texture of a scone, while the bitter collard greens complemented the complex flavor profile of the mac and cheese. Additionally, the fried lion’s mane was nicely crisp and was of notable similarity to the texture of chicken. The dish came with a ramekin of hot sauce.

Our night was topped off with a glass of house white wine, which was slightly fruity, yet dry, and a chocolate cake layered in a buttery frosting and maraschino cherries, which we shared.

Specializing in comfort foods and sourcing their ingredients locally, Parlor City Vegan is the perfect place to nestle in with your loved ones and enjoy the establishment’s creative reframing of what home can taste like. If you’re keen on exploratory dishes with wild flavor combinations, Parlor City Vegan is the perfect place to try something playful, robust and incredibly complex.