Carrabba’s: Tasty Italian Standards and Specialties
10562 Emerald Coast Pkwy, Silver Sands Factory Stores,
837-1140
Hours: Open Mon-Sat @ 4 p.m.
Sunday @ noon
Reservations: Not Accepted


By Bruce Collier March 6, 2008 Issue

We ate at Carrabba’s on a weeknight, early. Within an hour, the place was packed, and stayed that way. It’s a large restaurant, with dining areas separated by partitions, and tables in the bar. The walls are pale in color, decorated with framed prints and photos, mainly of families, and homey Italian touches. Tables and chairs are dark wood, and the lighting is dim. The tables are set with large pitchers of olive oil. The waiters — the staff looked to be pretty large — have their timing down. Ours was familiar with the menu, answering questions and making suggestions. When we told him we were not in a rush, we were not rushed.

The menu at Carrabba’s is divided into starters, soups and salads, grilled items, pasta specialties, “family classics,” and pizzas. Nightly specials are printed out and inserted in the menu. We ordered drinks, and had a look.

The starters include two calamari dishes, which meant I had to get one, called calamari Ricardo. My friend ordered shrimp scampi. That night, the kitchen was offering the squid in a half-portion. Our waiter said the half was a hefty serving, and I’m glad I didn’t get the full-size.

The squid had been deep-fried crisp, and dressed with an Italian pepper and lemon butter sauce, which cut through the rich, tender seafood. Eight garlicky shrimp, large and tender, were served in a sauce with as many slices of buttery grilled bread. We were already working on a basket of warm bread and seasoned olive oil dip, but the scampi sauce called for grilled toast. We barely finished both starters, but we did it.

At my suggestion, my friend ordered pollo Rosa Maria — grilled chicken breast stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with sliced mushrooms and basil lemon butter sauce. I had tried that, and some of the other specialties, but this time I decided to go traditional. I ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce and grilled sausage.

In the interim, the waiter brought salads — Caesar for me, a mixed green salad with creamy Parmesan dressing for my friend. I enjoyed the Caesar, especially the anchovy-rich dressing. Of course, both of us were completely full at this point, but business is business.

The entrees came. My friend was very pleased with the juicy chicken, which tasted as good as I remembered it. The basil lemon butter sauce is fairly light (in taste, that is, I’m sure it packs plenty of calories), and the pasta on the side had a slightly spicy tomato sauce. My spaghetti came in a high-sided bowl — protects the shirt, you know — with two plump, densely meaty links of sweet fennel sausage and a tangy tomato sauce. There was still bread, but we needed to have dessert.

Other regular menu items, both starters and main dishes, include mussels in white wine, bruschetta, fried zucchini, mozzarella marinara, salads with grilled seafood, grilled salmon, chicken and veal marsala, veal piccata, chicken parmesan, chicken Bryan (with goat cheese), lobster, chicken or cheese ravioli, lasagne, grilled steaks, traditional or make-it-yourself pizzas, and assorted pastas with meat or seafood. The specials menu that night offered pork chops Marsala and trout.

We had four desserts to choose from: cannoli, tiramisu, a chocolate fudge brownie, and a butter cake with fruit and whipped cream. We ordered the last two. The waiter thoughtfully brought two forks each, for sharing. The mousse-filled brownie was flavored with Kahlua and a thick, robust chocolate sauce. The butter cake was both rich and light — Italian design — and filled with fresh bananas, strawberries and pineapple. My friend took much of the brownie home, along with half her chicken.

I have eaten at Carrabba’s restaurants several times, in Montgomery, Panama City, and now in Sandestin. Being part of a chain of restaurants has advantages and disadvantages. Carrabba’s seems to have made the most of the advantages — consistent quality, well-organized service, and reasonable prices. The most expensive item on the menu (beef tenderloin) is $22, and many of the entrees are in the mid-teen price range. And the food? It’s good, and there’s lots of it.

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