History. The chain was founded on December 26, 1986, by John Charles "Johnny" Carrabba III and his uncle Damian Mandola. Together, they opened the first restaurant on Kirby Drive in Houston, Texas. A second location was opened soon after at the intersection of Woodway and Voss Road.

Offering authentic Italian cuisine passed down from our founders' family recipes, Carrabba's uses only the best ingredients to prepare fresh and handmade dishes cooked to order in a lively exhibition kitchen.

When placing your order, please let your server know that you are ordering a gluten-free menu item. Grilling over an open fire has been a part of authentic Italian cooking for centuries. At Carrabba's, we use the high heat of a 550-degree wood-fired grill fueled by natural hardwood logs, such as oak or pecan.

LUNCH MENU At Carrabba's, we are dedicated to the craft of cooking great food. Everything we do in our open kitchen every day reflects this – from using the freshest ingredients to using time-honored Italian cooking methods such as grilling over a wood fire.

Carrabba's slogan, “Non c'e amore piu' sincero di quello del cibo” (there is no love more sincere than the love of food) might be better phrased: “There is no love more sincere than the love of great Italian food at reasonable prices.

Offering authentic Italian cuisine passed down from the founders' family recipes, Carrabba's uses only the best ingredients to prepare fresh and made-from-scratch Italian favorites.

All purpose flour: The base of the bread. Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, dried basil, dried rosemary, and salt: Yes, the bread at Carrabbas is very plain but it does have a little seasoning in it.

In summer (May-September), caribou eat the leaves of willows, sedges, flowering tundra plants, and mushrooms. They switch to lichens (reindeer moss), dried sedges (grasslike plants), and small shrubs (like blueberry) in September.

The classic dish is made fresh every day in-house at Carrabba's, and the meat sauce is made with fresh ingredients like ground beef and pork, chopped onions, celery and finely chopped carrots.

Carrabba's makes every pasta dish by hand with the freshest ingredients. Pasta is cooked perfectly every time and signature sauces are made from scratch daily.

Bloomin' Brands, Inc. Since then, our family of brands has expanded to include Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and Aussie Grill by Outback. Together, these unique, Founder-inspired restaurants make up Bloomin' Brands, Inc.

Carrabba's Italian Grill will pay $690,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency said in a news release Dec. 9.

7 Signs of Real Italian Food

1. Seasonal Ingredients Cooked to Perfection. Authentic Italian food uses fresh, seasonal produce in its dishes.
2. They Serve Traditional Italian Dishes.
3. Italians Eat There.
4. They Serve Proper Pizza.
5. Several Courses Served at the Right Times.
6. Real Italian Cooking Techniques.
7. They Keep Things Simple.

Made simply of flour, water, lard, and salt, it never occurred to me while growing up that Cuban bread would require explanation - or that it would be virtually impossible to find outside of Florida. Like a New York slice or a Philly cheesesteak, there's no single ingredient or secret baking technique.

This recipe is pretty classic in that it includes diced onions, peppers, garlic, and ground beef. Once the vegetables are softened and the meat is cooked, the pot is deglazed with red wine. From there, the base of the sauce is enhanced with tomato paste, seasonings, and some subtle flavor enhancers.

Warda gourmet pasta is a premium quality pasta made from 100% durum wheat semolina. They are drawn with a bronze mold, which gives the whitish pasta a rougher and more porous surface. Like traditional pasta, the gourmet pasta is made in a slow drying process with low temperatures.