Last month my family had to go to an assembly in Lansing, MI. It was a time for spiritual refreshment and to get together with friends and family. Though we try to conserve our money now that we have four in our little family it is nice every once in a while to go out to eat. From the first time we ate at Carraba’s we loved it. I believe we were in Cleveland at the time. Then one opened in Toledo and we were thrilled that it was only an hour away.
Our favorite dish to get at the time was the thick cut grilled pork chops. Being used to dry chewy pork chops it was a delightful departure to savor some thick juicy perfectly flavored chops. This last visit we noticed that the chops were conspicuously missing from the menu. We were disappointed at first, but that didn’t last long.
My brother had gotten the Chicken Bryan before and was very pleased. So, we made a deal, my brother, DH and I would each get a different chicken dish and share so we could taste test. I’m so glad we did. The price difference was negligible so I just got a full portion – there were no leftovers. (The descriptions below are directly from the Carraba’s menu from the Lansing, MI location available at Carrabas.com)
DH got the CHICKEN BRYAN
Goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce
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I ordered the CHICKEN MARSALA
Mushrooms, prosciutto and our Lombardo Marsala wine sauce
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My brother ordered PoLLo RoSA MARIA
Chicken stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and a basil lemon butter sauce
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The warmth and earthiness in the Chicken Marsala was inviting and delectable. My brother gave me a piece of his Pollo Rosa Maria in exchange for a piece of the marsala. The Rosa Maria was wonderful with the mixture of the creamy cheese, the salty prosciutto and the basil lemon sauce. I tried my hardest to eat up as much of the sauce as I could. DH made the mistake of only getting the half portion – not that he was still hungry because we had plenty to go around, but he didn’t have enough to share (and it is only $2 cheaper). He ended up eating the rest of my Chicken Marsala in exchange for his Chicken Bryan. It worked out well because I like rich, powerful flavors and he gets bored or overwhelmed with them rather quickly. Flavors like the sour goat cheese and sundried tomatoes just leave me asking for more. really the icing on the cake was that our waiter was friendly and attentive. He got a good tip that evening.
I visited the Carraba’s website and found that they also have a Facebook page. I’m now a fan of theirs on Facebook :). They also have a “club” called the Amici Club that informs you via email of new menu items, upcoming events and deals. I’m signed up for that now too. So for a family dinner out that won’t break the bank, but will provide supremely delicious food check out Carraba’s Italian Grill.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
