The Caymus wine dinner was a disaster, the wine and the firsy appetizer is the only thing they got right. While we know this restaurant is not affiliated with the real Carrabba's, it was still disappointing. We were seated in a community table concept, even with our reservation made ahead of time.. but were not told about the community style table until just before sitting down. Sat with friendly people, but they were even concerned, because others were in our seats before we got there and the waitstaff didn't even remove all of the previous people's silverware...so these customers we sat next to had to tell the staff to clear off the silverware. Then once seated, we had to ask twice for our own silverware and napkins, after they had poured us our wine and small appetizers. 3 out of 6 of us had water and the other 3 of us just kept waiting. The Salad course had sea scallops that were grilled nicely but were cooked too long and they were rubbery; the greens portion salad part was good as far as taste. 2nd main course was short ribs and mushroom risotto, in portions either so giant or so tiny, totally inconsistent for serving people in the same party. The glob of risotto was overcooked, sticky, lacking in flavor and barely resembled risotto on the plate as well as on the pallette...and 4 of ours were served nearly cold and 2 other's were very hot.. 3rd course was a filet and shrimp. Some of us got a very rare piece, and others arrived way too well-done. We all just laughed and passed around the steak on our forks to those of us who preferred to have a different temperature. Filet tasked great but the shrimp was an afterthought, not much taste at Last was the dessert, which was to be a hazelnut cake, but we were told as we sat down that they were out of it and we'd get tirramisu. They served an overly large portion of the tirramisu to a few of us and others got more normal portions, so more inconsistencies, but it was very delicious.. we did take home 3 very larger portions so as not to waste them. We did have fun because we all have a sense of humor, and the staff was very very nice and helpful, and it was obvious that they were overwhelmed. We didn't complain to them but they were aware that it was a frazzled and busy Wednesday night in December for the staff as well as us who were dining. So we don't blame the waitstaff at all. This location just needs to get it together when it comes to special wine dinners like this, otherwise people will stop coming. We will likely never do a wine dinner with courses here again. The cheesey raffle ticket drawing they did 3 times during the night was to win a free dinner next time, it was odd and strange at a presumably fancy place to do this kind of raffle ticket thing while trying to enjoy a nice course meal. And Caymus obviously threw a fine of lapel pins to this location, which were handed out like candy. Being in the promo business myself I know there is a time and place for lapel pins, and a wine dinner is not one of them! I believe everyone in the restaurant would have left theirs on the table or they'd throw them in the trash at home. Complete waste of marketing money and another cheesy way to promote a classy and expensive wine. Maybe they need to give away these raffle ticket dinners in order to keep people coming back? This was a chaotic hot mess, and if it weren't for such a friendly staff, we'd have had a bad time. Again, we went home laughing so...
Read moreLong review, but informative.
My family and I have been coming here for years and we absolutely love it! Unlike similar restaurants (who's names I will not disclose) Carrabba's has a great variety of menu options and is willing to sort of "mix and match" different ingredients on certain dishes and all you have to do is ask and they're more than willing to accommodate you.
The food quality is top notch. Ingredients are fresh, cooked to order, and in my experiences, I've never had to send anything back because it was under/over cooked or any other anomaly.
The service is exceptional, food wait times will vary based on how busy they are BUT, even with a full house I've never gotten to the point where I think I may need to ask how much longer for the meal(s) to come out. Waiters and Waitresses are extremely professional, friendly, and knowledgeable.
With the economy the way it is as of writing this (6/17/2022) the menu prices aren't shocking like you'd find from similar restaurants. And unlike those other restaurants you may visit frequently where you find your favorite dish's prices always seems to go up .50¢ to .75¢ every time you go or find an item that looks like it should cost 25% less for what you're getting. At Carrabba's, this definitely doesn't seem to be the case. While they understandably have had to increase their costs in this crazy time we're all living in, it's not much. Especially considering the quality and quantity of food you receive. And if you want extra sauce, that's what you'll get at no extra charge.
I've lived in this area my whole life and have had the opportunity to dine at many similar and also different restaurants ranging from fast food to places you seem to pay $60 (or more) for meals the size of an appetizer. And don't get me wrong, the meal was great but when you leave and get hungry an hour later, it just feels like you got ripped off.
But anyway, I believe Carrabba's to be in that very rare class of fine dining with extremely reasonable pricing that leaves you full and possibly have leftovers for a light lunch the next day. And I'm not a light eater either. If you've never been here before, it's a must try restaurant. You won't leave disappointed or feeling like you need to work overtime to fill a hole in your wallet. This is coming from a very hard working person who works 60-70 hours a week (pure commission w/ no overtime) and earns what the average Houstonian makes. Even in my time working part time and going to school, I found this place comfortably affordable.
I work in an industry where CSI (customer service index) and basic Google reviews influence your pay and it's unfortunate that statistically most people who have good experiences won't take the time to leave a written review let alone a rating at minimum. And of all of the people who visited the establishment, people who have had a bad experience are 2 to 3 times more likely to leave that bad review. That's mostly the reason I take the time to write (or speech-to-text) a thorough review. It truly means a lot to the establishment.
And just in case you're wondering, I don't get paid or bribed to write reviews. I hope to make the slightest difference to encourage you to make a firm decision and educate you on the impact reviews have...
Read moreTook our daughter and her new boyfriend out to eat. The service was bad from beginning to end. The hostess goes to seat us and walks us to the back of the restaurant then says, "oh, I forgot, we aren't using these tables". Then she tells us she can seat us at this table (which is clearly a table for 4) and said that she would put a chair at the end for the 5th person. That clearly wasn't going to work. The table was just too small for that and I had to tell her that it wouldn't work for us. Then, there we just following her around till she soon realizes that there are no tables ready. The restaurant wasnt even packed or busy. There were plenty of empty tables that weren't in use but there we were having to go back to the front to wait. We finally got seated and had to wait at least 15 minutes before a waiter even came to see us and that was because we had to ask for one. My daughter's boyfriend then orders an alcoholic beverage and it never comes. We finally get to order after waiting about another 15 minutes and kindly remind them about the drink that was ordered. Waited, waited and waited and we finally get our food but still no drink. Finally get our food. I ordered chicken parm and the chicken was clearly undercooked. I told the hostess to please get our waiter. Waited and waited. I tried to eat it but it was just too rubbery for my taste. Waiter finally arrives and I sent it back and the next one arrives and it was just as rubbery. The manager came, apologized and I told him to just pack it up for me and I would finish cooking it at home. For our trouble, the manager comps the 2 deserts that we ordered. Honestly, all I wanted was good service and good, cooked food. We get our bill and we were being charged for a sangria that no one ordered. So everyone got to eat their entree but me and we had horrible service from start to finish. We just couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. We have been eating at this Carrabbas since 1997. This is where me & my husband had our first date. This place has always been very special to us. I have never seen the service so bad here. After tonight, I don't think that we will be visiting this location anymore. The service was just so bad that it is unacceptable. In a service related industry, SERVICE should be your #1 priority. So...
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