Woods
45 Colborne St | 416-214-9918 | woodsrestaurant.ca
Woods, Bruce Woods’s eponymous restaurant in the former Colborne Lane space, is new on the dining scene, having opened this spring. This is Woods’s first adventure into ownership after working as a chef at fine Toronto establishments including Centro, Brassaii and most recently, Modus. So we know the guy can cook…but can he run the place?
On the night I dine there, the restaurant has just opened for the evening and Woods himself is behind the bar, simultaneously sampling some recent vintages while giving napkin-folding lessons to his staff. So, that’s a yes to running the place.
Yes to the décor as well. It’s pleasantly uncluttered, with lots of room between the tables, and reflects a Woods-y theme: banquettes upholstered with fabric featuring branches, straws resembling miniaturized birch trees and a logo that’s half fork/half tree. Exposed plaster walls and rough-hewn timbers combine with striking mirror/art pieces, and an enormous green “branch” chandelier over a large harvest table in the front window feels very Parisian café meets summer-camp cabin.
Woods’s first foray into ownership shows an equally uncluttered approach. Instead of an on-trend menu featuring a hitherto unknown animal body part cooked five different ways (tripe pancake, anyone?), Woods sticks to the familiar, done meticulously — spaghetti and meatballs, chicken cordon bleu, ribeye. The service, however, isn’t as meticulous: our server forgets to list the specials until we prompt him and he seems vague on the details of some dishes. (When I return a week later for lunch, a different server is attentive and happy to discuss every item on offer.) The wine list is compact but balanced, though I find the alphabetical organization (instead of by grape or region) challenging. It means the $200 Châteauneuf du Pape rubs shoulders with the $55 Chianti, an oenophilic affront.
My dining companion and I start with wild Digby scallops ($17) nestled on a parsnip purée with pieces of corned beef cheek scattered artfully about the dish. The scallops are beautifully seared but perhaps for a few seconds too long — while sweet and delicious, they are just slightly rubbery. The organic grain salad ($11), however, is perfect. The roasted carrots, sunflower seed, sorrel and ricotta combine with the vinaigrette dressing to create a dish that manages to be nutty, tart, creamy and crunchy all in one go.
I have the spaghetti and meatballs ($22), and am delighted to find they are the same succulent pecorino-stuffed masterpieces that Woods was able to create at Modus. The pasta itself, however, is disappointingly ordinary. Not house-made, it seems to be an afterthought.
Roasted Muscovy duck breast ($28) with crispy confit, sourdough, dried cherries and béarnaise sauce is an attention-catching blend of savoury and sweet. This is the most interesting of the menu items we try, with the combination of the sweet/tart cherries, the meaty duck breast, the crunch of the sourdough croutons and the richness of the béarnaise creating a beautifully balanced and intriguing dish.
With room left for dessert, we put ourselves in the hands of our server, who advises the two most popular items are the raspberry macaronnade ($11) and the pecan tart ($11). It’s clear why these are popular items. The macaronnade, layers of alternating mascarpone mousse and raspberries in a small mason jar, accompanied by a globe of basil ice cream on a sprinkling of pine nuts, is another triumph of taste and texture. The basil ice cream and pine nuts taken together are reminiscent of pesto, a flavour I’m not generally looking for in a dessert. When I combine it with the mascarpone and raspberry it suddenly all comes together and I’m surprised at how refreshing and unique the result is.
The pecan tart, with maple swirl ice cream, smoked apple compote, raisin gel and coffee nougatine is equally striking. What sets this dish apart is the smoked apple compote, emphasis on smoked. Not everyone will like this element, tasting as it does of campfire, but in small bites, it is a surprisingly nice addition to the other flavour elements.
Woods has a relaxed feel yet can still take on its upscale competitors closer to the Core. Clients will be impressed, but Woods is inviting enough that you can even drop in after work for a casual drink with colleagues.
Judge Foodie’s verdict:
Highs: the space, the desserts
Lows: inconsistent service
Kirsten Thompson is a Toronto-based research lawyer and commercial litigator. Since her call to the bar in 2000, she estimates that her restaurant to courtroom ratio has been approximately 14:1. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas for a review? Email her. Follow Judge Foodie on Twitter: @Judge_Foodie