Carrabba's Italian Grill released new special spring recipes this month and is preparing for graduation season and holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day with a gift card reward offer.
"With the new quarter, we want to give people a new variety for spring," says Miguel DeJesus, assistant partner. "We have new flatbread pizzas. They are not huge, but are good to snack on.
The new flatbread pizza appetizer costs $6.50 and is prepared using the restaurant's house-made pizza dough. The dough is topped with extra-virgin olive oil, grated Romano and mozzarella cheeses and the customer's choice of bacon and caramelized onion or spinach and goat cheese.
For those who can't decide what they want to try, The Damian is a sampler platter with a little bit of everything, including two shrimp and two scallops from the Spiedino di Mare, a 4-ounce portion of grilled salmon, three pieces of lobster ravioli and the vegetable of the day.
One of the new specials that is bound to be a house favorite because of its traditional bold flavors and roasted garlic cream sauce is the Pasta Fiorentina, with cavatappi pasta tossed in the restaurant's Fiorentina sauce and topped with grilled chicken, prosciutto, tomatoes and Romano cheese. For dessert, the restaurant's Limoncello Bread Pudding is back, with cubed brioche bread soaked in a heavy cream custard, vanilla bean, limoncello, eggs and sugar that is baked and served with vanilla ice cream and limoncello simple syrup.
kitchen with everything made to order," DeJesus says, "so guests can create their own dishes and anyone with allergies can ask for the dish without the ingredients they are allergic to."
This spring, as diners celebrate graduations, Mother's Day and Father's Day, Carrabba's is offering a new gift card promotion. Anyone who purchases a $50 gift card through June 17 will receive an additional $10 card, which they can use between May 14 and July 15. "One of the reasons for the bonus card special is that our cards are great for gifts and the special gives diners a chance to come and sample the food and see we are affordable," DeJesus says.
Carrabba's food menu is not the only affordable menu in the restaurant. Seven days a week, the busy Italian restaurant offers happy hour from opening until 7 p.m. with an all-day happy hour on Sundays. Guests can choose from four fresh sangrias, which during happy hour are served in quartinos for the same price as a glass.
During Wine Wednesday everyone can also enjoy $5 sangrias all day long as well as $10 off select bottles of wine.
Special events can be catered by Carrabba's and organized by the restaurant's catering manager Heather Wilson. The Carrabba's While You Work Program is a popular option for office parties or large lunch-style meetings.
"We go out now to the business," Dejesus says. "We set up chafing dishes with liquid heat, serving utensils and plateware and we set all that up with affordable prices. It is actually very reasonable.
LOCATION: 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd., Suite 100.
PHONE: 894-9970.
HOURS: Monday through Thursday from 4-10 p.m., Friday from 4-11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.