Extra Virgin: AMAZING FOOD, Slower Service

Good Lord, was it gorgeous yesterday!

I joined my boyfriend,  B, on a photographical excursion to Liberty Memorial yesterday afternoon. He took his camera and his wide-angle lens and got quite a few shots of the memorial and of Union Station. I also got a few shots with my fantastic Samsung Galaxy S5! (Say what you will, it's the nicest phone I've ever had and I bought it with my own money.)

Check out some of the shots I got before we scroll down to the money shots of the awesome food at Extra Virgin!

Alright, that's enough of that.

B trusts me, as he should, with the whole "Where should we go to dinner?" question. Ladies, seriously, I hear this stereotype of women never knowing where we want to go...let's get over it. It's amazing to just be like "Let's try Extra Virgin" and he just says "Okay!" You can always get your way if you ask.

Located at 19th and Main, right across the street from Affare(which is FABULOUS, by the way), it sits currently in the middle of all of the trolley/street car construction. The evening was just perfect, so we opted to dine outdoors. I must say, the restaurant was fun. The decor and cool metalwork above the bar was really fun, and I loved the outdoor tables.

B had never really been to a tapas/small plates restaurant before, so he wasn't quite sure as to what to expect. Basically, tapas are just small plates of food meant for sharing, usually with cocktails and/or wine. I had a lemonade and he had a KC Pilsner from Boulevard. He was going to get the tuna ceviche tacos, but he's not a fan of avocado and it's already mixed in(word to the wise). Instead, he opted for the Spanish meatballs(aka albodingas) in sauce, while I got the Hangar steak, medium rare. Prepare for foodporn (#NSFW).

unffff....

These meatballs were perfect. They were moist, flavorful, seasoned perfectly. I almost licked the pan with that sauce.

*heavy breathing*

I will have dreams about this hangar steak. Don't be offput by the strawberries. This adds a perfect tart note and that could not have been a more perfect dish. I mean, holy sh!t.

The portion sizes were reasonable, quotes B, so you don't feel like you're going to die if you don't finish your meal, and it lets you save room for dessert, which you have to get. Those churros and chocolate brought me closer to the Goddess.

The service was a touch slow, so we didn't get a chance to order these until nightfall.

Crispy. Chocolate. Hot. Unfff....

I will say this, though: service was fine, but slow. I mean, really slow. Our poor server was definitely courteous and knowledgeable, but it took quite a while for us to get our drinks when we initially got in. The food itself arrived quickly after the order was placed, but that's more a stand on the kitchen's timing versus the server's. After the meal was done, we sat there looking at empty plates for quite a long time before she bussed the table, and then we had to wait another 10 to flag her down for a dessert menu. The food was amazing. The service? Slow. Kind of disappointing, to be honest, considering the par of the food. I'm sure it was just an off-night for her. I wouldn't be commenting on it at all if I hadn't seen the other servers run back and forth past us to their own respective tables far more frequently than we did. Then again, it could just be the pace of the restaurant and we are just freaky-fast eaters.

B and I will definitely be back, with a large group, so we can share everything! This place is amazing for date night, and just perfect for big groups. We will be back.