Carrabba's Italian Grill
511 Courtfield Drive
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina 29576
843-652-3800
Classification: International - Italian
Waterfront? No
Dress Code; Casual
Reservations Required? No
Reservations Suggested? Yes
Price Points: Moderate
Specialties: Italian
Rating: Dynamite
Summary:
After an afternoon of after Christmas shopping, Kim was feeling a bit peckish. So, we decide to head south of Myrtle Beach, to see what might catch our eye. I was in the mood for some good Italian, having been terribly disappointed by the food at Angelo's. So, we passed by numerous places, none which really reached out to me, saying, I"m good, try me.".
But, once I saw Carrabba's, their huge parking lot, filled to capacity with cars, I knew right away, we would have to give this place a try. We sat at the bar for about 15 minutes waiting for a table. Since they had menus there, it gave us a chance to become familiar with our choices before being seated.
We were seated, and Melissa, our waitress, greeted us quickly and was very friendly. We placed our orders, and had a look around. We were seated near the kitchen, which is surrounded by a glass partition, and a sit-at-bar for customers who want a close look at the inner workings at Carrabba's, with all the cooks in full view. See image above.
Kim had the grilled salmon, with a house salad, and Cavatappi Amatriciana at $15.99.I had the Chicken Marsala, with a Caesar salad,and also chose the Cavatappi Amatriciana.
The Caesar salad had lovely homemade croutons, that were incredible,and I don't generally like croutons. The Cavatappi Amatriciana is a nice spiral pasta, that is moderately spicy. It was just right for Kim, but a bit too spicy for my system.
My Chicken Marsala was $14.99. Both were cooked on the wood fired grill, and the chicken was so tender I could cut it with a fork. It just melted in my mouth. I had to give Kim a taste, and he said next time he is ordering it. Next time... did you see that? Next time. That is the salmon to the right.
Kim enjoyed watching them hand toss our Ti Piace Pizza appetizer, then place it the wood fired oven. We chose Italian sausage, olives, mushrooms, bell peppers, and sun dried tomatoes for toppings. The olives, while we were expecting the typical canned black olives, were instead nice Italian olives., and they were placed on the pizza whole, not sliced or chopped. They gave the pizza an awesome flavor. The pizza was about 12", and cost $9.99. It would be enough for lunch for two people.
We enjoyed fresh, hot from the oven Italian bread, and free refills on the beverages. The dining area was festive, but not over-done, and was very clean, in spite of being packed full of customers. Several parties were celebrating a birthday, and the serving staff brought out birthday cakes, and sang Happy Birthday in Italian.
Of course you know I had to do the obligatory restroom inspection, and what a surprise that was. As , busy as it was on Tuesday night at 7pm, ( remember, I said it was packed?) , the restroom was immaculate. It was decorated in lovely ceramic tile, rich woods, and plants ,and there were speakers in the restroom. Now, in the dining room those speakers were sending out music. In the restroom, they were teaching Italian. Fabulous ! Total cost of the meal was $43.24, $7.00 tip for Melissa, total bill $50.24. Yes, it was Italian, but it was not good. It was GREAT.
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