Carrabba's Italian Grill
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
states. Its headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
History
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. A second location was opened soon after near the intersection of Woodway Street and Voss Street. Both original locations are still operated by the Carrabba family.
In January 1993, under a joint partnership with OSI Restaurant Partners, 10 new Carrabba's locations were opened in Houston and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
In January 1995, OSI Restaurant Partners acquired the rights to develop the Carrabba's chain nationwide.
In 2007, the OSI Restaurant Partners, which include Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill
Bonefish Grill
Bonefish Grill is a seafood restaurant chain founded on January 15, 2000 in St. Petersburg, Florida by Tim Curci and Chris Parker. It is owned and operated by OSI Restaurant Partners headquartered in Tampa, Florida....
, Roy's, Flemings, and Cheeseburger in Paradise, went private. The company's stock is no longer traded on the market.
In 2008, OSI Restaurant Partners teamed up with HMSHost to open the first airport location in Tampa International Airport.
Menu
Many of the recipes for the dishes on Carrabba's menu are those of Damian's mother Grace and his sister Rose, who currently still work at the Woodway/Voss location in Houston. After a considerable enlargement of the restaurant, it was renamed "Rosie Carrabba's" in her honor. These recipes are often featured on the PBS cooking show "Cucina Sicilia", which is hosted by Carrabba and Mandola.Unlike many other restaurants, Carrabba's does not provide nutritional information for their menu to the public.
Chicken Bryan
Chicken Bryan is one of Carrabba's Italian Grill's most ordered dishes. It consists of an 8 oz (usually around 227 g) grilled chickenChicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
breast, topped with Caprino cheese
Caprino (cheese)
Caprino is an Italian cheese traditionally made from whole or skim goat's milk. The name of the cheese derives from the Italian word for goat, capra. With modern methods of production the cheese is made from cow's milk as well or a combination of both cow's milk and goat's milk...
, sundried tomatoes, and a basil
Basil
Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum , of the family Lamiaceae , sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries....
lemon butter sauce. It is served with a cup of homemade soup or a guest's choice of a House, Italian, or Caesar salad. It is also served with the guest's choice of garlic mashed potatoes, cavatappi amatriciana, or the vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
of the day. (The "vegetable of the day" varies based on location and seasonal availability; typical selections have included broccoli
Broccoli
Broccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is used as a vegetable.-General:The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of , refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage"....
, green beans, zucchini
Zucchini
The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...
, etc.)
It is named after the city of Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, where the Carrabba family settled in the United States.