We almost went to Outback Steakhouse tonight, but I suggested
Carrabba's Italian Grill instead. I love their understated old-world charm and quiet atmosphere, and that was as inviting and relaxing as ever. We were seated promptly and our server, Rachel, appeared immediately. She gets extra credit for accommodating my eternal pursuit of fruit-flavored iced tea. She had raspberry syrup added to it, and it was delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed the piping hot rustic bread served with herb-infused olive oil -- the perfect start to an Italian dinner.
Hunny and I ordered entrees that included a choice of House, Italian, Caesar or Mediterranean Salad, and we both opted for the Mediterranean. Not only did it
look fantastic, it was! Fresh field greens, ripe oil-cured olives -- and that Pesto Dressing --
molta bene!
Just as I continually seek good fruit tea, Hunny craves the perfect salmon. He ordered the Grilled Norwegian Salmon with the Chef's sauce of the day and steamed asparagus. The salmon scored a high note with fresh taste and perfectly-prepared flakiness, despite the unimpressive sauce -- it could hold its own without it, actually. The asparagus, unfortunately, was uncharacteristically skimpy on portion size for Carrabba's. But, since it was undercooked, with tough stems, that may really have been a plus.
My Pollo Rosa Maria was surprisingly good. I generally favor steak over chicken, but the menu description of this dish intrigued me: "Chicken stuffed with fontina cheese and proscuitto, topped with mushrooms and a basil lemon butter sauce." It was a wise choice. The chicken breasts were cooked perfectly -- thoroughly done without being overdone -- tender and juicy. For my side dish, I selected cavatappi amatriciana. A short-cut extruded pasta, cavatappi is a corkscrew-shaped macaroni, served with the slightly spicy amatriciana sauce, which features diced tomatoes and pecorino cheese. I think Hunny wished he had chosen this instead of the asparagus -- and I'm glad I did!
I really like Bread pudding. It's one of those homey comfort foods that appear simple on the surface, but it can easily go awry in the hands of the wrong cook. Carrabba's Limoncello Bread Pudding is made with fresh Madagascar vanilla beans and has a creamy, custard-y inside and delicate, golden-brown crust. The scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is drizzled with Caravella Limoncello, a lemon-infused liqueur from Italy (of course). It is exquisite!
Like the asparagus versus the pasta, Hunny did not fare as well with his dessert. The Sogno di Cioccolata ("Chocolate Dream") had the potential to be a chocolate lover's dream-come-true. It looked luscious and, at first bite, held real promise, but the discovery that the brownie was substantially overcooked quickly deflated that dream. The inside of the brownie lacked the moist softness expected, and the edges were downright hard. A nice dollop of vanilla ice cream in place of the whipped cream would have helped, but still wouldn't have been able to rescue that brownie.
I have to say that the service we received wasn't bad. It just wasn't the standard we expected from Carrabba's. We don't expect to see our beverage glasses stand empty, and they did a couple of times. And, we don't expect to have the check delivered when we've hardly started our dessert. It was, and even though our server said, "No rush," we felt rushed. All things considered, for a tab of over $60, we found ourselves wishing we had dined at the other end of The Horizon Center. (We have never been rushed or waited for beverages at Cheeseburger in Paradise.) Unfortunately, contrary to Carrabba's tag-line, it just
wasn't that good this time.
