Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Date night and restaurant review - Carrabba's


The title says it all! J and I went out for a date night after a really long time (well the perks of being married, I say!) we spent the whole day getting things straight in the house (read, DE cluttering, setting up furniture, vacuuming) Basically all activities when you move in a new place and have put on hold for quite some time ..well, till you are tired of the procrastination itself J

after a pretty hectic day at home there is not an ounce of energy to step in the kitchen and cook/microwave up a pack of Maggi (read:  instant noodles) and when you have had such an energy zapping day Maggi jus did not sound so appetizing (no offense Maggi, I still love you damn much)
But yeah, I did have some energy left to put an outfit together (give my boring jeans/slacks a break) and head out.

We had some stuff to return in good ol’ Target, so once that was out of the way we headed out to a new Italian chain restaurant – Carrabba’s. New I say ‘cause it was nowhere to be seen in the great New England region. Well and that Carrabba’s was just across Target also helped in our decision to pick a restaurant for date night.

overall I would give Carrabba’s 4 stars here – special mention to the service (now it was a weekday night so turnaround time was exceptional, and wait staff was extra attentive and catering to our needs)
Ambience was decent enough – very much Italian or so – old pictures of Italian men, women and children hanging above each booth, dim lighting and choice of both table or booth sitting (though I found the lighting more dimmer than in olive garden). We stepped in arnd 8pm and the restaurant wasn’t crowded much. There was a bar area and one end of the restaurant that was pretty much crowded given that a match was playing on one of the LCDs

The server was funny chap. He suggested us great drinks that we oh-so-loved!! There..he earned his tip-brownie-points. I got a Peach sangria by glass and J got an iced tea that was spiked up. While waiting for food, we gorged on on-the-house bread with garlic and herb olive oil – delish!

We started off with an app (or antipasti as the Italians put it) – Shrimp Scampi – it was a delectable shrimp cooked to perfection in garlicy butter sauce with some parsley for garnish – aah!! the sauce was so divine, and smooth and silky. Love to start off with shrimps, they are so light and don’t fill you up instantly. For main course we got a Sicilian chicken soup and we shared and entrĂ©e – Mezzaluna – ravioli filled with tender ground chicken, spinach and fresh ricotta cheese served in a creamy tomato sauce. Loved the dish and the fact that the sauce was not overpowering with tomatoey (tangy) taste or cheese.

Finished our meal with a delectable Tiramisu. I go by the saying – ‘when in an Italian restaurant, do eat the Tiramisu’. It really speaks bounds of how Italian they are ;) and yes the Tiramisu was light, flavoured with coffee and topped with shaved chocolate, chocolate sauce and cocoa powder. I just loved the fact that they skipped on the whipped cream part – it just becomes heavy and dilutes the main dish.
Well out and out a very memorable and not-so-light on calories meal – but hey we did our part by sharing the apps, appetizer and desert! Now how much more can you skip on calories when in Italy….oops I mean Italian restaurant..haha!

And, Eureka!!I think I have found my secret to mixing prints now - printed skirts and striped tees are made for each other. Add a scarf if it’s a lil cool, which it was that eve.
Top - Old Navy 
Scarf - H&M
Belt & Skirt - NY & Company
Shoes - Audrey Brooke - DSW
I wanted to keep the two prints in center and so did not go heavy on accessories. 


What are your tips for mixing prints? How do you spend your date nights? Any favorite hang out spots  or dishes? I would love to know.

Until next time, as they say in Italy – Grazie ‘n Ciao J







Yum Tiramisu - Carrabba's








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