Carrabba's Italian Grill – Orem

Posted: November 4, 2010 | Author: Jarom | Filed under: James and the Giant Peach | 2 Comments

With a new addition to our family, Roni and I were convinced that we would never be able to eat out again. But not being able to eat out doesn’t mean not being able to enjoy quality restaurant food. Roni and I are big fans of doing pickup for orders. This week we decided to try and review a place we hadn’t been to before, Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

When ordering something for pickup, the easier it is for us, the better. Obviously, most places have some sort of system where you can call in and pick up your order. While this allows for easy pickups, there is always the concern that the other party won’t hear everything you say. Conversely, you could have problems hearing them because of screaming kids in the background. Our new favorite is an online ordering system. You can take as long as you want to look over the menu. Another bonus is that you can add in a note for any specific instructions you want to add, so you can be as picky as you want without your server rolling their eyes. Part of the online ordering (at least at Carrabba’s) is that you put in a brief description of your car so that they can bring your food right out to you, another great service for those of us with kids.

One of my big worries when ordering for pickup is that the quality of the food will diminish. I am glad to report that this was not the case. Items coming from Carrabba’s wood-burning grill are heavily featured on the menu, and for a good reason. I ordered the chicken trio (Chicken Marsala, Rosa Maria, and Bryan) and Roni ordered The Carrabba (Chicken and Sirloin Marsala). In my dish, you could taste the smoky flavor in the chicken, and the three sauces were complimentary to the flavor of the chicken without overpowering it. The chicken itself was cooked well– not dry, not undercooked. While all of the chicken trio was good, the standout in my dish was the Chicken Bryan. It was topped with sun-dried tomatoes and a soft goat cheese. Now, I’m not normally a goat cheese kind of guy, but this cheese was milder than your standard feta, and had a soft creamy texture that left me wishing I had more of the dish to go around. Roni’s sirloin was perfectly seasoned and cooked exactly as she ordered.

The portions were also quite generous. My dish came with garlic mashed potato that tasted fresh, as well as a salad. The salad dressing was flavorful, but not overwhelming. For a side salad, the portion was actually quite generous. One nice touch was that they gave us a loaf of the bread they usually serve to the tables to take home with us. The crust of the bread had a satisfying crunch, but the inside remained soft (in my opinion a problem with Italian bread in general).

The one downside was that our appetizer of fried zucchini was a bit soggy by the time it got home. I recognize that is not really their fault, so I didn’t mark them down. Even so, you should probably stay clear of fried items, as they won’t transport as well. That being said, the zucchini was well seasoned and came with a great dipping sauce.

Overall, I would recommend Carraba’s for pickup. It was reasonably quick, quite delicious, and very satisfying. We look forward to eating from there again!

Ease of Ordering: 5
Food Quality: 4
Portion Size: 4.5
Overall Experience: 4.5
Price Range: $12-$20

tl;dr: very easy online ordering for tasty food.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill
683 E. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84097

Orem Shabu Shabu House

Posted: October 24, 2010 | Author: Jarom | Filed under: James and the Giant Peach | 2 Comments

Let me begin by saying that I love shabu shabu, and as such, I have high expectations for it. I was introduced to it while on my mission, and it was one of my favorite dishes in Korea. I was told at the time that it was a Mongolian dish, but most sources say it originates from Japan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with shabu shabu, here’s a quick rundown.

You start out with a broth in a large pot, and then order what type of meat you want. The protein is usually served very thinly sliced and is accompanied by another plate of vegetables. The vegetables can include cabbage, mushrooms, or whatever is in season. You bring the broth to a boil, and cook the vegetables and meat in the broth. Because the meat is paper-thin, it cooks very quickly, and by the end you’re left with a very flavorful broth. You can then add in some noodles and eat it as a soup.

Now for my more specific experiences at the Shabu Shabu House in Orem, UT.

A plateful of napa cabbage plus two carrot sticks, two mushrooms, and a chunk of tofu does not equal “a lot” vegetables. It was definitely not a substantial amount of vegetables and once everything was in the pot it was still mostly broth. To give you an idea, here was the pot once we added HALF of the vegetables and meat at the last shabu shabu place I went to in Korea.

Our pot looked VERY empty. Then there was the meat. While I was impressed with the marbling and tenderness of the kobe beef, there simply was not enough of it. Paying $21 for the “large” sized portion, you get maybe 15 slices of beef. Remember, that this beef is very thinly sliced, so 15 slices probably under a half-pound of beef. Lest you think that the high price for the portion was just because it was kobe beef, even the large portion of the regular beef or chicken was around $19.

Our service was also lackluster. We went on a Friday night, but the restaurant was not very busy. Even so, we went 15 to 20 minutes between the waiter visiting our table. We probably sat at the table for a half hour after having asked for our check.

The experience, however, was not without its impressive points. The sushi was, for example, quite good. I ordered the spider roll, which had soft-shelled crab. The couple we were with ordered the California roll and also said it was above average. Also, once the vegetables and meat were cooked, the soba noodles and broth made an excellent soup.

All in all, I cannot recommend Shabu Shabu House in Orem. All ratings are out of 5

Food Quality: 4
Portion Size: 2
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall Experience: 3

tl;dr: good food, but high prices for the portion size, and mediocre service.

Shabu Shabu House
73 south state st
Orem, UT 84058