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| - I wasn't Yelping last year when Willeyville opened, but our first experience there was one of the most memorable of 2013. It was within a few weeks of opening, and while our waiter didn't know *exactly* what type of cured meats he had served us, he was so attentive, congenial and welcoming, I didn't care. Since then we've come back for date night and with several large parties, and our service experience has been equally professional and easygoing.
Three things are a must here: the charcuterie, the cocktails and the desserts. That's not to say I haven't had other awesome entrees and apps here, because I certainly have. But I've also had some plates that seemed like they might not have been perfected yet, or were the result of someone feeling extra adventurous that day. I'm completely ok with it, because I appreciate a restaurant that can take locally-sourced, house-made ingredients that don't seem to fit and make them work. This weekend I had gnocchi with mushrooms, brussel sprouts and bacon. A tad salty, maybe, but the Brussels were nicely grilled (& not mushy at all!) and I really couldn't stop myself from eating every single one of the ricotta gnocchis.
The cocktails: strong yet well-balanced. They don't shy away from savory stuff or unique combinations. The charcuterie: willeyville has by far the most varied and delicious selection in town. And they do it all themselves! The desserts: when summer comes, I just hope they bust out their ice cream sandwich with sweet corn ice cream and chipotle (poblano?) sugar cookie. So. Damn. Good.
That being said, I'm worried people are put off by the location? The parking? The fact that they aren't pretentious about all of their homemade goods? Who knows. For my part, I'm always impressed when I come here and look at the menu. It's always changing, and it's always a bit more fearless than some other similarly-branded restaurants in town. It remains the only place that has ever served me cheese jerky, for crying out loud.
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