My new favorite!!
Written: Jan 24 '02
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Pros: Fabulous food, and the service to match!
Cons: Unromantic atmosphere
The Bottom Line: Definately the BEST Italian restaurant I've ever been to - heck I'd say the best RESTAURANT I've ever been to if it had better atmosphere!
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| Norcon1's Full Review: Carrabba's Italian Grill |
My husband and I heard from a friend that Carrabba's was a good place to eat. Being that Italian is my favorite, we decided to give it a try. I have to say "..a good place to eat..." was a dramatic understatement.
The Carrabba's we went to does not accept reservations unless it is for a special occasion. We were celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary and the fact that we had just found out we were going to be 1st time parents, but my husband does not like to be fussed over openly in public, so we didn't mention our special occasion. We were able to put ourselves on a "call ahead seating" list, which is similar to a reservation.
When we pulled up, there were probably about 20 people waiting outside, so we knew it would be packed. As we walked by, patrons commented that they were told it was a 70 to 90 minute wait. We went to the hostess and mentioned our call ahead seating and were seated within 30 minutes.
The seating is very cramped and unromantic. This is one of the reasons I would have like to tell them about our special occasion, but in looking back, I'm glad we didn't because twice during our meal the wait staff all came out to sing to different tables celebrating something or another. I personally think this is very tacky.
I have to tell you that I am probably the MOST picky person in the world when it comes to customer service. I expect nothing less than perfection and I write letters to businesses who both pass and fail this expectation. Carrabba's definately passed. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. She explained the menu very well and made recommendations, which I like. She also clued us in on several things that weren't on the menu.
I reluctantly ordered steak. I say reluctantly because my opinion is that I can go anywhere and get a steak - if I'm at an Italian restaurant, I want something more Italian. I'm so glad I made the choice I did. It was a 9 oz. tenderloin with goat cheese and a garlic lemon butter sauce with sun-dried tomatoes. I can't even put into words how wonderful it was. I've been to the top rated steak house in the United States (Charlie's) and I'm telling you this steak was twice as good and less than half the price. I opted for a side of fettucine alfredo instead of the potatoes, and again.....I can't say that I've ever had better. It had a cheesy taste to it - very rich. The vegetables were sliced zuchini and tomatoes. Even they were great. Crisp and flavorful with just the right amount of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
The next time (and there WILL be a next time) I go to Carrabba's, I will try to go on a more "off" time so that we can get a seat more tucked away and not so crowded. I definately recommend this restaurant to both Italian lovers and non-Italian lovers. The menu had a wide variety of pasta's, chicken, beef, and seafood.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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Epinions.com ID:
Norcon1
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Member: Tiare
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 1 member
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