Chain Italian Food...Not So Bad

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

500 Rt. 38 East

Maple Shade, NJ 08052

www.carrabbas.com/

One of my friends from work’s wife had her last day at Carrabba’s recently, so four of my friends and I went up there one night last week to have a few beers and eat some dinner. I am not necessarily the biggest fan for corporate Italian restaurants, but I actually think that Carrabba’s does a pretty good job. It blows Olive Garden out of the water in terms of quality and menu choices.

We ordered a few appetizers to split, those being the calamari, mussels, and the grilled bruschette of the day. As always I forgot to take pictures of the appetizers, so I apologize for that. Each was very good in its own right. The calamari was very crispy and was served with two delicious sauces, a marinara sauce, and a spicy pepper lemon butter sauce. The mussels were some of the best mussels I have ever had. They were so meaty and the broth that they were served in was scrumptious. The wine flavor really came through, but not too much to overpower the dish. The bruschette was really different because the bread was grilled and was really buttery. It was a thicker slice of bread than a usual baguette, but it was definitely very delicious.

By the time the soup and my entrée came out, I was already full, but I suffered through my soup and ate a few bites of my entrée before I threw in the towel. The soup was really delicious! It was a Sicilian chicken soup that was spicy and full of flavor. For my entrée I had ordered the Tag Pic Pac, and I was disappointed in myself that I could not enjoy it all because I had eaten so much earlier. This dish was really fantastic! The sauce was tomato based, but it was different in that it had large chunks of tomatoes and a bit more spice than a traditional marinara. The tagliarini was very tender and paired nicely with the sauce. The addition of fresh basil really made this dish stand out even more than it would have without it.

I took a picture of the to go bag because it had one of the most meaningful quotes I have ever read on it. I actually sent the picture to my girlfriend with the tagline "Sorry baby, but its kind of true! haha".

Carrabba’s really is a place to get a good Italian meal. Sure you could get a more authentic meal at a neighborhood Italian joint, but for the price and the ease, I would definitely recommend Carrabbas to anyone. They do cheap food very well. Cheers!