This is a Sponsored Post, however, opinions, images and story are my own. #CarrabbasNewMenu #Carrabbas
It’s hard to beat home-cooked authentic Italian Cuisine when you dine out, because no one makes it like you do right? The key to any authentic Italian cuisine is fresh ingredients, and cooked-to-order food. Where To Find Authentic Italian Cuisine when dining out is a whole different challenge. We had just gotten off of our flight to Florida and the kids were starved, so it was time to feed the troops. Dining out with a child with severe food allergies is always challenging and the tougher challenge is that my family is spoiled from my food prep background. My family and I crave high quality, classic foods that are both healthful and not overly filling. Since we know where to find authentic Italian Cuisine when dining out, we headed there, and we also knew that our son with food allergies would be well cared for, so we could relax and indulge in our meal without worry of cross-contamination. Allow me to show you where to find authentic Italian Cuisine when dining out so you too can lavishly live food out loud eating from a new menu that will meet your expectations in every way.
Where To Find Authentic Italian Cuisine When Dining Out
Team Vento has landed in Florida for their January vacation. This is our favorite time to travel as a family especially to Disney and all the parks, as the crowds are supposed to be lighter. We were famished from traveling and it was time to head into Carrabba’s Italian Grill where 20 new menu items that offered contemporary Italian cuisine were waiting for us, plus the original yummy menu. With rumbling bellies and the need to feed, welcome to our night at Carrabba’s ~cheers.
Before we started our meal Rob (right side) introduced us to our outstanding server Ricardo (left). Each offered up wonderful suggestions and had complete command of the menu. The staff goes out of their way to make you feel right at home, which is what I like when I take my family out.
Now onto the New Menu At Carrabba’s Italian Grill
The new menu offers Small Plates, which are a great way to try out six different tastes of foods, and they are perfect for sharing, which is just what we did. These are totally affordable at under $6 a piece and we love taste-testing so this got food to the table that we all could enjoy without being overly filling.
So what’s on our plates above? In the top left hand corner you will find Grilled Asparagus With Prosciutto and a balsamic glaze, the Middle Top offers Three-Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Top Right is Mozzarella Rustica and the bottom is to die for: Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata and it offers the OMG YUM factor.
**Please note that the Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata is not a small plate, rather an appetizer offering.** The outside of the Fresh Mozzarella offers a firm texture while the inside is a softer texture a cream (resembling ricotta, but a bit more refined). The fresh basil, extra virgin Olive Oil, and balsamic glaze, coupled with the burst of red onion flavor against the tomato just make this THE plate of the evening, hands down! I believe I could have eaten this over and over.
What is in the Mozzarella Rustica? Trust me if you are a Mozzarella stick fan, you will be a converting fan as you munch on these little delectables as they offer up both mozzarella and ricotta with Italian herbs and then breaded into Panko bread crumbing. The Small Plate would not be complete without the marinara sauce.
Think if you ate one stuffed mushroom in your life you have tasted them all? Wrong you are. These little treats are stuffed with more goodies than a mouth deserves: sausage, spinach, ricotta, romano, mozzarella and Italian breadcrumbs and they are provided a bit more lovin’ with a tomato cream sauce that is spread over them.. Hello awesomeness.
I am an Asparagus Freak and it is a veggie that is either done right or it fails miserably. Crisp is good, over-cooked is just blah so meet perfection where wood-grilled asparagus is wrapped in prosciutto and fontina and then it is drizzled with a balsamic glaze. Salty, sweet, nutty and all over perfection. The plate below should tell you all you need to know!
Moving on, as we moved from item to item, the authentic tastes were there, and the classic foods were classic, just having new twists that updates them. I always believe that a meal that is authentic is like your wardrobe, nothing is meant to last forever, updates are good, they change-up the balance giving equality to what might be slipping behind and that is what Carrabba’s Italian Grills does. The food is updated, keeping it authentic, but providing some new twists on old favorites to keep it updated, balanced and truly classic.
Let’s talk allergen free dining for a moment because my son who has severe food allergies to all nuts, all seafood, all latex and latex foods, honey and more was able to easily dine here as food again is made-to-order. What did he eat? He ordered off the menu, and had a world of choices from Rib-eyes, to pasta, but all he wanted was that Wood-fired Pizza and that is what he got. Take a look at what other foods he had ranging from bread to salad and of course a delicious chocolate Gelato.
After testing out all the new small plates and the appetizers, we moved on to the main meal, and how could that possibly outdo the beginning of our meal? It is possible and Team Vento truly eats, we are all foodies to the core from vegetarian to meat loaders and everything in between. We ordered from Left: Linguine Positano from the New Menu which offers wood grilled chicken, crushed tomatoes, garlic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and basil atop a bed of Linguine.
Top Middle is also from the Carrabba’s New Menu and that is Chianti Chicken wood-grilled chicken that is cooked in the Chianti, demi sauce. There is an Arugula Salad with apples, grapes and toasted hazelnuts dressed in a lemon vinaigrette (are you salivating yet? )
Top Right was the special of the night: A Grilled 13 oz Rib-eye in a creamy Gorgonzola Sauce served up with mashed potatoes. Middle Bottom is a Margherita Pizza that was wood-fired and sauceless. My meal was the shrimp & sea scallop Spiedino. The seafood was coating with Italian breadcrumbs, and wood-grilled topped off with a lemon butter sauce, nothing short of perfection.
How do you follow-up the new menu items how about with dessert new menu items and some traditional favorites. Chocolate Gelato is what my son with food allergies enjoyed and he ate every last taste of it. My other son dined on mini cannoli that were stuffed tight with deliciously sweet ricotta and chocolate chip filling and then they were topped pistachios and powdered sugar.
My desire to indulge in total gluttony for the evening was satisfied when I ate the Sogno Di Cioccolata which is known as a Chocolate Dream. Layers of rich fudge brownie, chocolate mousse, freshly whipped cream and chocolate sauce all make this a dessert that you just have to have! It is incredible light to the spoon and delivers on chocolate flavor in every possible way.
Dinner was fabulous, bellies were filled up and it was time to leave. We’d love to thank Carrabba’s Italian Grill for such a fine night of dining. Fabulous food, authentic Italian tastes, with a twist on old classics made better because they are not only lighter and less filling but totally affordable. Remember dining out with a family needs to be affordable in order to be enjoyable and Carrabba’s Italian Grill is perfectly aligned with the concept for family dining. the question of where to find authentic Italian cuisine when dining out is easy when you have a Carrabba’s in your neighborhood and with 20 new menu items it’s time to get out there and try them all. Lavishly live food out loud and enjoy a night out family style enjoying great food in a great environment.
