Everything from start to finish was perfect. I went for my anniversary last night and it hit the spot. The host was lovely and seated us right away. We were twenty minutes late and he wasn't bothered in the least. Told us we did him a favor since the reservation before us lingered.
We eat meat occasionally but ended up ordering entirely from the vegetarian menu. I had the mushroom salad which was wonderful. My husband had the gnocchi, which I was jealous of and if I had a longer arm I would have eaten half of. My main was the tortelloni and my husband's the tortiere. Both were delicious. I wouldn't change a thing.
The Bellwoods Brewery beer from just down the road was nice and the wines by the glass were interesting. 4 oz pours may not seem like a bargain at $9 - $15 or more, but I guess the alternative is to make it 5oz pours and jack up the price by 25%.
We got the dessert board for two, which I feared might just be a bunch of fancy sweets prepped earlier in the day by a pastry chef who was long gone by evening. Turns out it was, but that was ok. The madeleines were lemony with a little crispness around the edges. A square of nougat was chewy and nutty.
The vibe was lively though not too loud. As luck would have it they played one of my favorite albums of all time during the second half of our dinner.
I read a lot of other reviews and my assessment is that Woodlot is a victim of its own success. People love to find a reason to take down really popular and trendy places so they can feel good about their superior discernment. Don't be fooled. This is one of the best casual restaurants in Toronto and it deserves five stars on Yelp.