We joined The Beat columnist Aric S. Queen at one of his favorite haunts, El Willy last weekend for a meal. And to meet the chef, of course, who Aric can't stop raving about. First impressions were that the place looked much as it did before. After having attended the opening, I wasn't really sure what to expect of the food. The opening was packed, with little space to move around inside the smoke-filled interior. The paella on offer was a bit underdone and the rest of the free food had been ravaged. Good party all in all for those who enjoy crowded openings, but it left me with little sense of the place.

To that end, I had been told by Casa 13's Eduardo Vargas that the tapas at El Willy were quite good and, as I trust his opinion, I was anxious to try. Let us just say that Aric's ravings and Eduardo's praise were not overestimated. We began with a delicious slow-cooked egg tapas set on top of a potato emulsion with a bit of sea urchin. The sea urchin had scared me at first but we found this dish to be delicious. Another tapas offered moist, thinly sliced scallops on top of an avocado mash. Now, anything with avocado is generally a winner for me but this was legitimately a must-have. Tender lamb followed, not gamey at all and set atop a mix of veggies and beans with a bit of yogurt sauce that showed how much effort Willy puts into his ingredients. Aric and our dining columnist Crystyl Mo sparred for a bit over whether or not the truffles in on tapas were of imported or Chinese origin. Crystyl's vote was local with white truffle oil for flavor. I'm pleased to say my esteemed columnist was correct.

After a fantastic foray into angel hair seafood paella, Willy, whose personality and spunk afford him a friendly, outgoing and all-around pleasant character, came out to join us, bringing with him a sampling of all the desserts on the menu and three bottles of dessert wines (for us to "play around with" according to Willy) including a fine sherry that was a favorite of our managing editor, Collin Crowell, who's not usually a sherry fan. The port went very well with the chocolate lava cake, which I have to say was one of the better ones I've had around town.

Unable to pull ourselves away from the dynamic Willy (this is I guess why he can call himself "The Willy" or rather, El Willy), we accompanied him and some of his friends to Mokkos for a few Japanese cocktails. "I love this guy, he's so much fun," said CW City Editor Emily Chu about our newfound friend as we set out for the bar. During drinks, Willy told me that he and one of his friends from Torres China (who had accompanied us) were planning on starting up a small wine lounge on the El Willy premises. You know the small sub-level at El Willy? You walk in and immediately past the stairs leading upstairs, down a few stairs on the left is a small dining space? Yes? That one. They may do tastings and small wine pairings there and so forth. Sounds intriguing.

Well, in conclusion all I can say is that I'm very please to see some good food find its way to this space. The outdoor patio is fantastic (for those who haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you--go, you won't be disappointed) and was previously a hidden gem that few knew about. Now, with the correct culinary inspiration to draw the crowds, I think this patio space will be pleasantly packed in the coming months. We'll see you there.