Woodlot Awards

Woodlot Restaurant Review:

This spacious spot is surprisingly warm, given it was once an auto body shop. Servers promote a laid back vibe by sporting plaid shirts, jeans and toques. The kitchen is exposed, showcasing the restaurant's centerpiece: an enormous, maple-wood-burning brick oven with ten-inch-thick walls. Several kinds of sourdough are baked there each morning. Sacks of Canadian flour are stacked in the open kitchen, while wall shelves display other cooking ingredients in bottles, cans and bags. The general din --- which includes owner David Haman shouting diners’ orders to the waitstaff --- is met by innovative, comforting dishes, like russet potato gnocchi in eggplant ragù; roasted pork chop with Mission figs and Mexican cinnamon; and rapini wilted with Aleppo pepper and black olive crumbs. Vegetable selections --- tempeh brochettes with pickled pear--- are complex and interesting, too. For vegetarians, there’s a separate menu. Among the desserts and cheeses, try the plum and hazelnut tart when available. Wines are from Ontario, France, Italy and Georgia. Single malts, spirits and beer are available in the cozy first-floor bar.