After a long day at work, and a pleasantly rainy happy hour downtown, we were in search of a dinner spot back on our side of the river. That’s when we remembered that the restaurant that had taken the place of the venerable Toro Tapas was now open. Extra Virgin is certainly an upgrade for Shirlington. With a swank dining room and an extra comfortable lounge and bar, it’s a beautiful place to sit and have a meal.
We arrived late, around 9, and had the place very much to ourselves. See, they’ve only been open about 5 weeks, and the weeknights are still picking up. We got the corner table right in the window, giving us a pleasant view and some wonderful ambience. A glass of JanKris Zinfandel, and some wonderful mozzarella with grilled eggplant and fresh basil that smelled like it had come out of my garden just then. I had the Gargatelli, and Tiff, at the recommendation of our waiter, had the fettucine.
I’ve had some amazing pasta in my day. Sure, I’ve not yet been to Galileo, but I have been to Biba, back west. This was amazing stuff. I was relishing the sauce and the crusty bread when I realized how lucky we were to have such a great place so close to the house. A great spot for a glass of wine and a dish of pasta. This is a great place for a second date, people.
$55 for two, pasta to die for, and ambience not to be missed. Go. You’ll thank me later. They get busy on the weekend, but this might be a perfect weeknight spot.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
