Elvira's

Elvira's is located in Richmond Kentucky just off Eastern Bypass.  This is an amazing italian restaurant with authentic italian food.  As soon as you walk in you realize this is going to be an experience unlike any other.  The menu contains everything from appetizers to desserts and a seperate menu is provided for their pizzas.  The pizzas are freshly made and the menu lets you know up front you are going to have to wait while they are prepared. 

You are provided with an oil and vinegar mix to dip the loaf of bread in that is brought to the table before the rest of your meal.  If you have never tried this it is delightful.  It may not sound very appetizing, but it is delicious.

I chose the steak de mare (steak topped with shrimp).  Oh my goodness, this was the best steak I have ever eaten!  It was perfectly cooked and was so tender it practically melted in my mouth.  The shrimp was expertly seasoned and was so good I refused to share with my companion.  It came with a side of pasta and salad.  The pasta was just right with a slight bite to it and had a light sauce on it.  The salad was a perfect serving of vegetables to begin the meal with. 

To end the meal I selected the hummingbird cake.  No it does not contain hummingbirds!!  It is full of the yummy things that would attract a hummingbird though.  It had nuts and fruit and had a cream cheese frosting.  Those of you who know me realize I don't like cream cheese so the frosting was eaten around, the cake itself was devoured rather quickly.  The flavors were expertly balanced and the cake itself was so light it was a burst of flavor in my mouth.

This is a wonderful restaurant and I am already planning my next meal there.  I'm thinking of trying one of the pizzas, although those sandwiches sounded wonderful too, or maybe the salmon salad.......