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| - I visited Woodlot on a Saturday evening as a group of 11 for a cozy dinner to celebrate a lovely bride-to-be. We were forewarned when booking the rezzo's that dinner with such a large group would have to be prix-fixe ($55, not including tax/tip). We were seated at the only large table in the restaurant, right beside the open kitchen. The table was actually shockingly near the entrance, but turned out to be nice with natural light trickling in well into the evening and a nice summer breeze with the doors open. The wood burning oven made everything smell super fantastic (even led us to the restaurant as we headed over!) but wasn't overwhelming in smokiness. Our server was very patient throughout our indecisiveness and offered clear explanations of items on the menu. Vegetarian options were aplenty, if not the majority.
Of the appetizer, I had the EMBER GRILLED HALOUMI CROSTINI, which was delicious! The smoky grilled haloumi sat on top of a pea puree and was garnished with pickled black carrots. Wonderful balance of flavours and textures (crunchy bread/chewy cheese/creamy peas). The OYSTERS came with a pickled pepper relish that was also fantastic. SEA SCALLOPS were very fresh but having tried all the other dishes, the accompanying radishes were seasoned too lightly to shine at all. GNOCHHI was also available as a starter and was very decently sized. And so pillowy! perhaps my sampling of the EMBER GRILLED HEN-OF-THE-WOODS MUSHROOMS was too tiny, but it was forgettable to me.
I didn't want to spoil my appetite with the bread, but I couldn't help myself - the daily, in-house made SOURDOUGH was so. fresh.
Instead of having us continue our indecisiveness, Woodlot provided us with sides to share:
- KALE SALAD: fantastic with a vinaigrette.
- FRIED SHISITO PEPPERS: not bad, with lightly charred skin, toasted sesame seeds, and sea salt. Wish it were spicier, but that's no fault of Woodlot's.
- FINGERLING POTATOES: soft & seasoned well. so satisfying that I was disappointed there were leftovers that I couldn't finish. very very tasty.
Onto the mains: I forewent my usual pick of meat and chose the ROASTED PICKEREL WITH WILD SHRIMP. the fish was cooked well, with enough moisture retained and a light crisp to the outside, but the flavor was lacking in my opinion and that of another who ordered the same as well. The pickerel sat atop a bed of barley and corn, which was seasoned pretty interestingly though, almost a curried flavor. The menu descriptor indicated jalapeno but I didn't notice any heat at all. While the flavour of the pickled iceberg lettuce garnish was nice, I think iceberg might be too limp of a green to be pickling. Sampling the PORK CHOP was nice, though with the hints of sweetness in the glaze/sauce and my aversion to savory/sweet combos, I'm glad I didn't order it. The LAMB SHANK was incredibly fall-off-the-bone tender that using a knife barely necessary, and the FLAT IRON STEAK was cooked perfectly medium-rare -- very tasty. (I'm running out of adjectives but it really was good!)
Time for dessert. Do note that the dessert portion of the prix fixe menu printed & online are no longer in use, and they just go by the a la carte dessert menu. the GOATS MILK PANNA COTTA was deliciously creamy and the came topped with shredded pistachios, and a rhubarb sauce that balanced things nicely. there were also 'wild rice crispies' that I thought was excessive. not crisp enough, and in clumps of what seemed like soft meringue or marshmallow. perhaps a craft version of rice crispy squares, but one I could do without.
And one final note -- Chef/Owner David Haman is the sweetest guy! Frequent shout outs to our party from the kitchen, came out a few times to make sure everything was good, and bid us a warm adieu when we headed out. With our table total coming out to the amount that it did, this was a very nice gesture.
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