Carrabba’s offers good, fresh food

When Uncle T for T called from Florida recently and we told him we had been to Carrabba’s Italian Grill, he asked us how long we had to wait.

“In Florida, we have to wait for hours,” he said.

Well, after an exhausting holiday shopping schlep at the Pheasant Lane Mall, we passed the Olive Garden expecting a wait, and we were just too tired and hungry for that. So, we decided to eat at the next restaurant we came across, and lucky for us, it was Carrabba’s. We got seated right away, but after our dining experience, I understood about the lines in the Sunshine State. It was our first visit to this chain restaurant – the only New Hampshire location is in Bedford – but we appreciated its proximity to Nashua’s busy shopping area in the South End.

When we came in and saw the, albeit nice, cookie-cutter chain restaurant decor, with its faux rustic tables and artificial grapes, we were wary that the menu might taste mass produced, as well. We were wrong.

The real clue to the cuisine lies in the framed Old World reproduction black-and-white photographs of the Carrabba/ Mandola families. The restaurant was founded by Johnny Carrabba and his uncle Damian Mandola, whose family emigrated from Italy and settled in Bryan, Texas, area.

This really tastes like home-cooked Sicilian food, with a big emphasis on wood-grilled entrees and pizza.

From the moment we sat down to hot, crusty Italian bread with the best dipping oil we’ve ever tasted to the moment we put our fork down after scraping the dessert plate, this was an excellent meal.

Back to the dipping oil: Carrabba’s gets it right because it gets it fresh. Instead of having dried herbs soaking in the oil, diners are presented with a high-grade extra virgin olive oil and a plate of fresh minced garlic, chopped rosemary, parsley, lemon juice, pepper flakes and salt.

Carrabba’s has a nice wine list, but we shared a pitcher of Carrabba’s Classic Sangria ($24), made with Korbel brandy, fresh fruit and a choice of Italian house white or red wine (we feel the only choice is red). It was refreshing and hearty. The bar also offered a Blackberry Sangria ($6.50).

For antipasti, we shared a small order of Calamari Ricardo ($6), served with a spicy Italian pepper and lemon butter sauce. The lightly fried squid was done perfectly – tender, not rubbery – and the sauce was amazing. Next time, we’re going to try the Insalata Fiorucci ($10), a mixed field-green salad, with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red bell peppers and grilled eggplant in vinaigrette and topped with a hazelnut goat cheese medallion, as an appetizer.

We also asked for an order of Italian Cheese Toast ($5), a kind of flatbread wood grilled white pizza cut in strips. Marvelous.

For entrees, Mrs. T for T selected the Sirloin Marsala ($16 for small, $18 for a regular), an intriguing-sounding twist on the standard Chicken Marsala. One of two small complaints on our service: Our server didn’t ask which size we wanted on this dish. We would have preferred the small, but she automatically brought the larger portion. Our other complaint was that Junior T for T had to wait a long time for an order of lemonade, and Mr. T for T was asked if he wanted a second Stella Artois Draft ($5). He declined, but our server brought him one anyway. Perhaps it was an acoustics problem in the restaurant, and none of the issues were deal-killers. We would come back to Carrabba’s anytime. Otherwise, our service was fine. In fact, our server was quick to respond to our request that Junior T for T be brought his Bambini Chicken Fingers dinner ($5.50) before the adults ordered.

By the way, his chicken was exceptional, not frozen rubbery nuggets, but rather thick, hand-cut chicken breast, lightly breaded and fried, with a side of penne and a drink.

Back to the marsala. A piece of center-cut sirloin, wood grilled and topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and Lombardo Marsala wine sauce. With this comes a choice of soup or salad – we chose Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup – and a choice of garlic mashed potatoes, pasta or a vegetable of the day, which in this case was sauteed spinach.

The soup, which is described as spicy, was not, but it was absolutely incredible, with a hearty chicken stock, tomato and oodles of fresh, white chicken breast. The seasoning was spot on.

The steak was also perfect. Mrs. T for T prefers her beef well done, which often ends up as a chewy hot mess. Not in this case. The steak could have been cut with a fork; it was tender and infused with the earthy marsala and mushroom. Her favorite element of the meal was the fresh, sauteed spinach with fresh garlic.

Mrs. T for T went for a more traditional meal – Linguine with Clams ($14), which he could have in a choice of marinara, creamy white wine or garlic and oil sauce. He chose the garlic and oil, and was presented a satellite dish-sized bowl filled with a half-dozen in-shell little neck clams, tossed with chopped clams, scallions, olive oil and garlic, atop the pasta.

Mrs. T for T was saving room for the amazing dessert of the day – the unforgettable Limoncello Bread Putting ($7). This was possibly the best dessert she has ever had – a brick-sized portion of bread pudding made with brioche limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur – and topped with vanilla ice cream.

The pudding tasted like the best french toast ever with a hint of citrus. The pudding had a wonderful crispiness to it and was never mushy.

It’s hard to find a restaurant that does everything so well.

After playing Santa for your clan, give yourself a gift and stop in at Carrabba’s.