I dislike the current dating scene, and never was a part of it because of how unnatural it felt.
Ask out for a date, awkward small talk during dinner? Some people really like this though.
The best, and most natural, way to get a relationship, is to spend time with her, and when the time feels right, kiss her. From there, a relationship can grow. And it's more romantic, because it feels natural, not forced. The woman doesn't feel obligated to let you kiss her just because you paid for dinner.
A first kiss should be natural and feel right, this sets the tone for the entire relationship.
But of course, these days it's less likely to spend time with someone unless it's an established date. My parents met because their parents were friends and their siblings were friends and living in a small town, so their meeting was inevitable. Both sets of my grandparents met because small town, and had relatives in common. My aunt met her husband because she was friends with his sister. But these days people go on dates with people they hardly know.
As for asking her out by phone, why not in person? Phone calls are limiting in the sense that there is no body language, no eye contact, and so on. People need this, especially women. Phone calls can cause awkwardness very easily, because they are missing the vital elements of eye contact and body language.
