Last night, with Patrick & Maeve in town, we finally visited a place that’s been on my list forever: The Wood Owl.

First, the decor: really beautiful inside. Luxurious wood. Heavy drapery. Indie concert posters and old wine bottles on the wall. Basically, how my basement looks in my dreams.

Anyway: the food. To sum up: absolutely fantastic. We had:

• shared appetizers
  • crispy potato rosti & manchego w/ guindilla aioli, mojo rojo, green onion
  • fried brassicas w/ whipped tahini, pumpkin seed dukkah, mexican chili oil, charred jalapeno pesto, pickled onion
  • yellowfin tuna w/ aji amarillo, cara cara orange, cucumber, lime leaf oil, thai basil, red chili
    • a bottle of Baia’s Wine 2023 Krakhuna, Imereti, Georgia
• mains
  • cavatelli w/ smoked parsnip, butterkin & kouginut squash, leek top cream, king oyster mushrooms, watercress
  • seared rainbow trout w/ leek soubise & wasabina, butterball potato, horseradish salsa verde, dill oil, hakurel turnip (x2)
  • grilled pork chop w/ five spice glazed apple, shaved fennel, chicories, orange sesame vinaigrette
    • a bottle of Domaine Baud ‘Rouge Ancestral’ 2022 Côtes du Jura AOC
• dessert
  • plum & cardamom cake in custard
    • glasses of Jurançon and Sauternes dessert wine

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Side note: this dinner completed the little mini-resolution I gave myself this year, which was to have visited at least once all the Michelin-recognized (at the time) spots east of Yonge. The most recent edition added some new restaurants to the list, so I think I already know what next year’s plan will be.