*****  Carrabba’s Italian Grill, 6909 SW 18th Street, Boca Raton, Florida 33433 (561) 544-8838.

Unless you have been living under a stone, you know that Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a national-chain with locations all over the United States. Check Carrabba’s website at www.carrabbas.com for menu/pricing/locations…Trust me on this, if you live in South Florida, there is a Carrabba’s joint close to where you live or work. For those that like to know their facts, Carrabba’s is owned by the same parent-company which owns/operates Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill and Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Last week I ate dinner at the Carrabba’s Boca Raton location. This particular restaurant has indoor/patio seating…an open kitchen…full bar area…and is done-up in dark woods…very attractive looking joint, yet tee shirt/shorts fit in beautifully here.

The menu has six categories…Antipasti, Zuppe & Insalte, Brick-Oven Pizza, Wood-Burning Grill, Pasta Specialties and Family Classics. You will definitely find something to eat in this joint.

Last week I “sampled”…fried zucchini, crab cakes, minestrone soup, chicken marsala, griilled salmon, linguine with claims, chicken parmigiana and lasagna…don’t be a wiseguy…I know what you are thinking…there were 3 of us.

Anway…I have to tell you that the food and service were very-very good. I would rate Carrabba’s right up there with some of my favorite neighborhood “mom and pop” red sauce joints. As for price…no more expensive than what the local joints get.

Like I said before, the Boca Raton location has indoor/outdoor patio seating…this location must be doing something very right, as both areas had people waiting for tables…the nice thing about the Boca joint is that the outdoor patio overlooks a beautiful man-made-lake and on the evening that I was there, a 2-man combo was playing some very pleasant background music…Now, “your” Carrabba’s may not be set-up like this…but the menu/service are probably identical to what my party had.

Carrabba’s is open Monday-Saturday for dinner…Sunday for lunch-dinner.

Give Carrabba’s a try.