A Review of my favorite Italian Restaurant
Italian food is my most favorite cuisine. Give me a pasta dish of some kind and I'm in the dining room of heaven! Currently the local restaurant that I most favor is one called Johnny Carino's Italian Kitchen.
Our Rocket Moms assignment for extra credit this week was to do a review on our favorite restaurant. Follow along with me to find out why I pick Johnny Carino's over all of the other choices in our area.
Mangia!
Lasagna: My favorite entree
Whenever I visit a new Italian restaurant, I pick the lasagna first. It is my measure of just how good of a restaurant I'm at. If they can't fix a decent lasagna then I probably won't return. That is just my way to measure if the chef really knows how to cook classic Italian dishes.Upon my first visit to Johnny Carino's Italian Kitchen, I tried the lasagna and it passed my test with flying colors! It is incredibly good.
Several layers of pasta, cheese, Italian sausage, beef, meat sauce provide a taste treat beyond your expectations! I think I counted 8 layers of pasta. The noodles are freshly made which makes all of the difference in the world in how any dish turns out.
A little history of Johnny Carino's Italitan Kitchen
It began as Spageddies and was owned by Brinker International. In the 1990s Kona Restaurant Group acquired the chain and changed the name to Johnny Carino's Italian Kitchen. In 1997 the Texas based group Fired Up Inc purchased the chain of five and has pumped it with enthusiasm and zeal.
Menu Choices
Appetizers
Pizza
Salads
House Specialties
Classic Italian
Family Platters
Signature Italian Drinks
Atmosphere with Italian Music
Grilled Italian Sirloin at Johnny Carinos
One of my husband's favorite dishes on the menu is the Grilled Italian Sirloin. He loves his steak! The entree comes with an 8 oz premium aged sirloin and can be topped with Gorgonzola sauce or a Marsala sauce. Johnny Carinos Italian Kitchen lets you decide which pasta you want with the meal. My husband usually chooses the Fettuccine Alfredo with his meal.I'm not usually a fan of the Alfredo sauces as most of the time they are just a little to creamy for my taste buds. However, at Johnny Carinos the alfredo is light and scrupulously delightful.
Dinner Out
My husband and I don't get to have dinner out very often due to our busy schedules. I actually prefer to cook at home, anyway.Occasionally, we do decide to celebrate a little and go out to dinner. If it is my turn to pick the restaurant, I will always pick Italian.
Johnny Carino's Italian Kitchen is my first pick because I love the food and enjoy the atmosphere. We can't always go to this restaurant because it is a good hour's drive south of where we live. That means a two hour road trip just to go eat. So, I save Carino's for the very special occassions like my birthday or our anniversary.
Visit Carino's website to find a location near you.
Be sure to call ahead for reservations, as the food is so good that there is always a very long wait.
That is usually a very good measuring stick for any restaurant - a long wait indicates tremendously good food and exceptional service.
Italian Restaurant Must Have
Moonlight Serenade (Frank Sinatra/Glenn Miller Orchestra Cover)
My tribute to Frank Sinatra, as a singer, and to Glenn Miller as one of the pioneering Big Band conductor/arranger/initiator. ...with the help of the wonderful Glenn Miller Orchestra, and a couple of photos found online, i managed to put together a small collage of music, image and sentiment - with this wonderful song. Hope you all find it appealing. Don't forget, feel free to Subscribe, Rate, Comment and Share. Thanks for stopping by.
Runtime: 3:29
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10 Comments:
curated content from YouTube
You can cook Italian at home
when you can't dine out.
The Ultimate Italian Cookbook: Over 200 Authentic Recipes from All over Italy, Illustrated Step-By-Step
Amazon Price: (as of 11/10/2009) 
Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites
Amazon Price: $21.45 (as of 11/10/2009)
Easy Italian Cookbook: The Step-By-Step Guide to Deliciously Easy Italian Food at Home
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 11/10/2009)
Quick from Scratch Italian Cookbook
Amazon Price: (as of 11/10/2009)
Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 11/10/2009)
Lasagna and a Salad
you've got a well balanced meal.
Lasagna comes from southern Italy. It is a dish that is layered with pasta noodles, cheeses (commonly ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan), and the chef's choice of meat or vegetables.Typically red sauce is used, however Vegetarian lasagna uses an alfredo sauce.There are so many different varieties of recipes for lasagna but as a whole the ingredients supply us with several of the food groups that we should have every day. Grain, dairy, vegetables (either the tomatoes in the sauce or added), and meat.
The great thing about making lasagna at home is that it makes enough that you can have leftovers at least one more night. Personally, I think lasagna on the second night tastes better.
Serious Italian Cooks
need a pasta machine
CucinaPro 178 Fresh Pasta Set
Amazon Price: $57.99 (as of 11/10/2009)
I like this machine because it has the different pieces to make a variety of pasta.
Critic's Review
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Menu of Comments
Please be so kind as to sign our little menu and let us know you were here. Mangia!
Rokusan wrote...
I just went to Johnny Carino's for the first time this evening. It was fantastic! I ordered the Skilletini, soooo good. And it will be sooooo good tomorrow for lunch. The portion size is HUGE, I might even get two more meals out of it.
Very friendly servers, great food, good music ~ I'll definitely go back.
Posted August 01, 2009
Pastiche wrote...
Italian cooking is a staple in our German-Norsk household ! 8-D Home made pasta is heavenly - lasagna is my favorite pasta dish.
Posted July 15, 2009
annetteghallowell wrote...
I love lasagna too, but I like mine the best! I do love to go to Italian restaurants since I am always hungry for pasta!
Posted July 03, 2009
kiwisoutback wrote...
I don't know what I'd do without Italian food. I eat it at least once a week. Nice work!
Posted July 01, 2009
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Copyright: June 28, 2009 by BevsPaper (Beverly Owens)
by BevsPaper
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