This particular Carrabba's is in a great location and has very friendly staff. The interior is beautiful and has a good Italian restaurant vibe. We sat outside and enjoyed a mild Vegas night. We showed up about an hour before they closed but felt very welcome. It was a Monday night and they had a very good deal for a 3 course meal for $12-$16 that includes an app, entre and soup or desert. We had a ton of good food and drinks for under $40!
During the dinner the obvious debate ensued of Carrabba's Versus Olive Garden. I prefer the atmosphere of Carrabba's because it feels a bit more classy and updated. My girlfriend is more "stuck in her ways" with OG.
The food is a bit of a toss up and needs to be broken down to the two things that matter in an Italian Restaurant.
Bread:
Carrabba's has a warm loaf of hard-crust with soft-inside bread sliced and fresh from the oven, with olive oil and herbs to dip. The breadsticks at Olive Garden are world famous, but I tire of them. My gf prefers the OG breadsticks but I pointed out to her that night that she sucked down the Carrabba bread like Kobyashi on the Fourth of July.
Sauce:
The last few times at OG I felt like the sauce was more underwhelming than I remembered. Like it was more watered down and bland. Carrabba's sauce seems a little thicker and sweeter, a little less mass produced and a little more home-made than OG.
I asked the waiters at both OG and Carrabba's if the pasta is made fresh in store. OG replied no, but Carrabba's does make two of it's pasta's fresh in-store.
Either place is okay in my book. But I think I lean towards Carrabba's