Over the course of three weeks, I had the pleasant experience of dining at Carrabba’s at two locations in Tampa, Florida. I also visited venues of the same chain on the east coast of Florida in Vero Beach. Each and every one of these is successful and treatable. I’m not much of a fussy eater, but my wife, Joan, has certain standards in restaurants.
Some three weeks ago, we joined eight people with whom we worked in Florida Revenue. One woman had returned, she had already returned to Texas with her husband and was back in Tampa on a visit >. Another woman was leading the course to teach, and the rest were still engaged in public affairs. We will meet at Carrabba’s on 56th Street at Temple Xysti at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening. The restaurant does not accept reservations, especially on weekend evenings, but offers a “call-ahead” service where one can call, asking for a name placed on the list and, by the time one approaches the restaurant, it is there. probably not waiting.
When several of us attended, we were led to our table, a large circular one, which could easily accommodate ten people. the restaurant has an ambiance designed for kid-friendly. She was taken down by a friendly anonymous staff member. The room is full of Italian ceramics, black and white family portraits of founders and dissidents I guess. and boundaries. The operation is clearly well-oiled and well-run by the management in charge. (Incidentally, the same atmosphere — but not the same furniture or layout — was evident every time we visited some of the restaurants.
While we waited for the rest of the party, our waiter took our order, and brought very hot, fresh, crusty bread, with several dishes of spices mixed with olive oil. We devoured the bread almost completely, and dipped both slices thickly in oil. When our party was over, a new basket of bread was brought and disappeared.
I asked for a glass of Chianti and was brought a carafe with the equivalent of two glasses. Joanna, because she was chosen as the driver for our trip home, choose iced tea. (It is said that many marriages remain in these later years because only one partner can drive away at night.) Ohwine went. so well seasoned with bread and ointment, that I could converse in two cups of coffee and sleep. One of the dear couples shared what I knew, from past visits, to be excellent sangria, with brandy, fresh fruits And the wine of the house. They ordered the “red” version when, because it’s known to spill sometimes, they often choose the “white” with house-made pinot grigio. The cost of wine is fair, usually in the $5 – $8 range, depending. Drinks, like food, are not lean.
The menus are large and plentiful. While they vary between restaurants about students, the elements are always present. Among the orders chosen by our friends, the signature chicken dish is named after the founder’s mother, Pollo Rosa Maria, a roasted chicken. breast stuffed with spring cheese and prosciutto, with mushrooms and basil in a lemon butter sauce. Two of us ordered the grilled salmon, the other a treat I was familiar with. Again, the prices are reasonable, in the $8 – $16 range for most entrees.
Whenever Joan visits Carrabbas, she always orders a Cozza In Bianco, a large bowl of scallops from Prince Edward Island steamed in white wine, basil , lemon butter and garlic, lots of garlic! This is intended as an appetizer, but with salad and bread, it’s a complete meal. I actually tried most of the dishes on the list, fed back to one or two dishes. This time I choose spaghetti with meat sauce, homemade meatballs and Italian sausage. True to form, some ended up on my shirt, perhaps because of the second carafe of Chianti that somehow appeared at my elbow.
(Does everyone have this problem? If the waiter asks, “Would you like another?”, I can’t tell a lie. The answer is affirmative. Of course, if the waiter asked, “Shall I bring you another?” I would have answered: No, thank you.
At this hour we were pleasantly and completely stuffed. The food was great, the company was fine and we left after plans to do this again. The bill for the two of us, including my wine, was $42.00.
Two weeks later we made plans to have lunch with two other couples. One of the others suggested Carrabba’s in Carrollwood on the north end of Tampa. There was no need to agree to every encouragement!
This restaurant is at the end of a storefront complex, but it’s designed to look like a neighborhood restaurant in southern Italy. There are tables and chairs outside iron; Unfortunately, the only decision is to park the lot, but the work is inexperienced and thin. Inside the restaurant is great. All the Carrabbas we visited had a long counter facing the kitchen and food preparation areas. One of these days, I intend to sit there where the spices mix and fill the air.
On this visit, we again eagerly reached for the bread and oil as soon as it was brought, despite everyone promising us that there would be room left, maybe a cannoli with an espresso at the end.
Johanna, again and foreseeing, ordered the shells; I had another favorite pasta dish, Linguine Pescatore, a big bowl of linguine with solid shrimp, scallops and plenty of mussels all tossed in a spicy sauce marinara As usual, I asked for the sauce to be extra-seasoned and adjusted.
One of our friends had an egg salad with basil, mozzarella and Romano cheese, and cooked it with a testicle tomato sauce and served it with rigatoni . Another ordered the Chicken Parmesan , which came with another mashed potatoes, spaghetti and veggies. His wife’s other favorite, Veal Marsalatopped with mushrooms, prosciutto and rich Marsala wine.
True to form, no one could even think of a table and, in fact, several of us asked boxes to take lunch the next day. home.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill is now part of the “Outback” chain with over 200 stores. This is a chain that has succeeded, really succeeded, thanks to its excellent food, professional staff and reasonable family friendly prices. Wherever he enters the 30 plus claims that this restaurant has, he expects a lot of Italian dinner, without pretense.
And have spaghetti and a carafe of wine.
