Carrabba´s never, ever disappoints. The place may be so packed you can´t hear yourself think, and the portions big enough to feed the whole Planet staff, but you can count on consistently great food. We dream of the Pollo Rosa Maria, boneless chicken breast stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, then drenched in a deliciously fattening mushroom, lemon basil butter sauce. We crave the garlic mashed potatoes and the fresh, homemade minestrone soup. And the Cozze in Bianco (mussels) are utterly phenomenal. Texan duo with a Sicilian heritage Johnny Carrabba (yes, he really exists and we hear he´s a really cool guy) and Damian Mandola started the independent restaurant in Houston, and Outback Steakhouse has taken Carrabba´s and turned it into a chain.
Carrabba´s, 3530 Tyrone Blvd., St. Petersburg, 727-384-1818, and nine other locations in the Tampa Bay area.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.