Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Dining Review
By LeeAnn Sharpe

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

“We're not real chefs. We're real eaters.” So say Johnny Carrabba and his Uncle Damian Mandola who founded Carrabba’s in Houston, Texas, in 1986. “We're two big Sicilian boys from Texas who love to cook and eat. We love the Sicilian food our parents and grandparents cooked. We love the Creole and Southern food our family members picked up passing through Louisiana and stepping off the boat right on the dock in Galveston. And we love the Western food that's just part of being in Texas.”

My daughter and I recently had dinner at Carrabba’s in Glendale. I’ve been to the Gateway and Scottsdale locations in the past as well. They have all been good dining experiences.

House specialties include crispy calamari, chicken marsala, fresh steamed mussels, a variety of pasta with homemade sauces, and fresh fish, seafood and steaks cooked over a wood- fired grill. Traditional dishes such as margherita pizza, lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and chicken parmesan share the spotlight. They also have a moderately-priced wine list featuring Italian and California vintages compliment the menu. A full selection of liquor and beer are also available. Little ones ten and under will enjoy the “Bambini Menu” and pizza dough is offered to keep young customers entertained.

Past visits I enjoyed the Insalata Carrabba Caesar with Chicken $10.99. It’s as good as any I have had anywhere. I especially love the warm bread and olive oil delivered to our table and kept coming. With a nice glass of wine I could make it a meal in itself!

This last dining experience was the best! They had the “Johnny” and “Damian” Specials which were combination plates with three entrée samplers and a salad along with our coupon giving us the Calamari and wine for free! What a deal!

The Calamari came with the marinara dipping sauce and was super crispy and hot just like we like it. The marinara was tasty and we cleaned the plate with bread dipping so as not to waste a drop of it! We were hungry too!

I had the Lobster Ravioli stuffed with tender Maine lobster in a white wine cream sauce with diced tomatoes, Shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, and Salmon all for $16.99.

The Lobster Ravioli was to die for! I could east a whole plate of those tasty little pillows of heaven! The shrimp and scallops were fine and the salmon just right… but oh those lobster ravioli… Did I say how much I loved them?

My daughter had the Lombardo 8 oz. USDA Choice center-cut tenderloin, Chicken Bryan, grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce and Mezzaluna the delicate half moon ravioli stuffed with chicken, ricotta and spinach all for $16.99.

So we shared and sampled everything! Culinary overload! But it was all fabulous. Her steak was perfect and the Mezzaluna very good in a mild creamy tomato sauce. They were mild but with good flavor. She wasn’t excited about the Chicken Bryan, but I thought it was good too.

Our server was attentive, informative and made the dining experience delightful.

The restaurants are popular and can get crowded so get there early! As for locations check out their website at www.carrabbas.com . There are 8 locations in the greater Phoenix area.