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| - CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL
A 9.5 DINING EXPERIENCE
On a trip from Southern California, my wife and I (retired seniors, 74 and 70) decided to go to Carrabba's Italian Grill, at 5646 Bell Road in Glendale, Arizona. Thursday evening, about 8:00 pm we pulled into an uncrowded parking lot, expecting another 9.5-on a scale of ten-dining experience like the one we enjoyed at the Scottsdale location, months earlier.
The restaurant interiors are dimly lighted, modern and comfortable. The restaurant was about 60 percent full, and we were quickly seated and greeted by personable waiter. After a discussion with the informative waiter, we ordered our favorite dishes: The signature combination called the Chicken Trio (three half chicken breasts cooked to perfection each served with special sauces, Bryan, Marsala and Rosa Marie) with a side of Fettuccine Alfredo and two (large) glasses of Pinot Grigio house wine . The Chicken Trio is more than one reasonable person can eat, so we choose to split the meal. The delightful Caesar salad arrived quickly, following later by freshly baked bread and a packet of spices, which we dipped into the extra virgin olive oil from Spain. The Chicken Marsala was wood-grilled and topped with mushrooms, prosciutto ham and Lombardo Marsala wine sauce. The Chicken Bryan was topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, basil, and lemon butter sauce. The Pollo (Chicken) Rosa Maria was stuffed with Fontina cheese, mushrooms and basil lemon butter sauce.
While it was not old school Italian cooking, as a retired veteran of the Newport Beach restaurant scene (courtesy of corporate expense accounts), I can state that the food and wine was superbly delicious. The split Chicken Trio, side of pasta, two salads and two glasses of wine along with tip and tax, cost us $48. It was another 9.5-on a scale of ten-dining experience. The taste of the food lingers in your mouth for hours. As my son would say, it was pan-licking good.
Check out the menu at: http://www.carrabbas.com/Content/menu-signature-combinations
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