Tulsa Tonight

A few nights ago, Byron and I and two guests, Angela and Rhonda, all who live and work in Tulsa, decided to pay a visit to Carrabba’s Italian Grill at the 4848 S. Yale location. We were greeted warmly by our hostess and within minutes had a great large table in a very welcoming and open dining room. Now, I have been to Carrabba’s once before several years ago and our 2 guests, Angela who works for Omni Air International and Rhonda who works for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklhahoma have both been there as well but TulsaTonight.com co-founder, Bryon, a travel agent at AAA - who has quite the discerning palette, had never been to Carrabba’s before. My last visit was memorable but since I am so busy checking out the latest and greatest Mom and Pop owned restaurants, I haven’t had time to return to Carrabba’s until this week. I am glad I did… read on…

I was VERY pleased to find out that Carrabba’s is locally owned and operated. Now many of you know that I have nothing against franchise operated restaurants but since there are so many locally owned and operated establishments in this great city, I always feel it’s best for me to patronize those places before I would patronize a large, franchise operation. Don’t get me wrong here, I have enjoyed the cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory but I prefer Roberto Vargas’ cheescake from El Rey Mexican. He’s won awards for his cooking and his cheesecake. His entire family works at his restaurant and I am all about family run businesses. Needless to say - the lure of a locally owned and operated restaurant such as Carrabba’s gets a vote in my book as a ‘must re-visit’ before I even look at the menu.

I was also pleased to find out that each Carrabba’s menu is talored to the locale in which the restaurant is located, taking advantage of some of the local’s flavor faves.

As the four of us perused the full menu, our server Joshua proceeded to tell us about the specials of the evening and since Rhonda and I both enjoy wine, he suggested ‘Clos Du Bois Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay which has a bright fruity taste with a very subtle toffee aroma. I am not a wine expert but this was on of the best wines I have tasted recommended by our server Joshua after Rhonda and I told him about the types of wine we normally enjoy. At $33.00 for a bottle, the price was right in line with costs in most restaurants I have been to in Tulsa. No compromises here.

Bread was served quickly along with peppered and herbed olive oil. The bread was warm, soft and quite good with no hint of defrosted frozen bread tastes that I have found at several un-named large franchise restaurants. A small bottle of olive oil was left at our table so we could drench every bit of the tasty bread.

For an appetizer we ordered Calamari Ricardo - Calamari served with a spicy pepper and lemon butter sauce. (7.99) A perfect blend of spice and butter… I wanted to take more of this home, and I did.

Angela ordered her favorite, Pasta Weesie - Shrimp sauteed in a garlic lemon butter, white wine sauce with sauteed mushrooms and scallions served over Fettucini Alfredo. (13.99) Her portion was large enough and so full of shrimp that she had to take some of it home. I had a small taste and was amazed at the perfect combination of wine and garlic lemon butter. I have tried several times in the past to cook a dish similar to this, but Carrabba’s wins hands down. Their cooks are no amateurs.

Byron, our Carrabba’s first timer, ordered Linguini Pescatore - another delicately prepared shrimp dish with mussels and scallops tossed with linguine in a spicy but not overbearing marinara sauce. (13.99) Remember what I said earlier - Byron is very particular about what goes on his palette and by the look on his face - he was pleased with the Linguine Pescatore so much so that he ordered some for his wife who was unable to attend because of a conflicting work schedule.

Rhonda has to follow a strict gluten free diet and it is sometimes difficult for her to find a quality menu that has selections of food from which she can order. Carrabba’s, I am pleased to report has one of the most extensive gluten free menus I have ever seen or heard of. Rhonda ordered Sirloin Marsala - 10 oz USDA choice center cut grilled and topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and Carraba’s Lombardo Marsala wine sauce. (15.99) The meal was prepared without a grill baste to further cut down on the amount of gluten in the meal. Carrabba’s Gluten Free menu is provided to patrons upon request and in cooperation with GIG - Gluten Intolerance Group. The steak was cooked perfectly according to Rhonda and she said the flavor of the Marsala wine used was the best she has ever had. I am a fan of Florio Marsala but Carrabba’s Lombardo Marsala has a better overall aroma and flavor to it as I found out when it was my time to feast.

I ordered what was quite possibly the best dish I have ever had at a large family restaurant - Mrs C’s favorite - a combination of two dishes - Involtini di Pollo - chicken stuffed with Italian fennel sausage, spinach, ricotta and Romano cheese topped with Marsala wine… then, add in Pollo Rosa Maria - chicken filled with fontina cheese and procisutto ham topped with sauteed musrooms and basil lemon butter sauce. (15.99) This incredible dish was served with a side of Italian green beans. One bite and I was hooked. Only in Thai food have I experienced a marriage of flavors as good as that of this dish. Nothing was overpowering in this dish, nothing left out and the care that was taken to perfectly cook this dish is something I am sure has taken years of practice to accomplish.

For those patrons that prefer a more ‘red sauced’ Italian menu, Carrabba’s has a great selection of traditional favorites including Lasagna, Manicotti, Spaghetti and Chicken Parmesean (9.99 to 13.99) but please do try Carrabba’s signature family plates for something unique and mouth watering. Carrabba’s also offers a great selection of wood fired pizza like their Quattro Formaggi with extra virgin olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, romano, mozarella, fontina and goat cheeses. (9.49) I will be visiting Carrabba’s again to try the pizza as well as their Mezza Luna - delicate half moon ravioli stuffed with chicken, ricotta and spinach in a tomato cream sauce. (11.79)

My grandmother, Rosemary and my Uncle Rich, have owned and managed restaurants in New Jersey since the early 70’s and I have worked for them as a bus boy and waiter - I know the attention to detail that has to be there when working in a fine dining restaurant. My uncle is the toughest boss I have ever had and my grandmother was very particular about how food in her restaurant was prepared… with the freshest ingredients - sparing nothing for her customer’s delight. Carrabba’s reminds me of how well my family ran their restaurants - with much love for the pallete and attention to detal and above all, attention to the customer.

We highly recommend a visit to Carrabba’s Italian Grill - with two locations in Tulsa.

11021 E 71st Street, Tulsa, OK 74133
Sun: 11am-9pm
Mon-Thur: 4-10pm
Fri: 4-11pm
Sat: 12-11pm
(918) 254-8888

4848 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74135
Sun: 11am-10pm
Mon-Thur: 4-10pm
Fri: 4-11pm
Sat: 3-11pm
(918) 481-9500

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Thanks for reading!

Vince L, Byron M, Angela D, Rhonda M.