Carrabba's serves up new location in E.B.

MICHAEL ACKER Carrabba's Italian Grill opened Monday in the Lowe's plaza on Route 18 in East Brunswick. A portion of opening-night sales benefited the Raritan Valley YMCA.

EAST BRUNSWICK - Carrabba's Italian Grill opened its doors to diners Monday in the Lowe's plaza on Route 18.

Carrabba's, located in the building that previously housed Chi Chi's, features Italian specialties made in a lively exhibition kitchen, as well as a full-service bar.

Owned by Outback Steakhouse Inc., the restaurant is one of more than 200 Carrabba's locations in the United States.

The 6,605-square-foot restaurant, serving dinner seven days a week, seats 241 patrons between its dining room and bar. It also offers car-side carry-out and call-ahead seating.

The East Brunswick Carrabba's, which is operated by managing partner Rich Covey, has chosen the Raritan Valley YMCA as its charity of choice in the community. It donated a portion of opening-night sales to the Y, which recently opened nearby on Tices Lane.

"This is a significant honor for Raritan Valley YMCA," said YMCA Executive Director Gina Stravic. "Our Y board is proud of the success of our YMCA construction project and we look forward to doing greater things for the community with the help of Carrabba's. The number of lives that we touch each year in day care, aquatics, camp, and sports and wellness programs will multiply."

Carrabba's founders Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, hosts of the PBS cooking show "Cucina Toscana," opened the first Carrabba's in Houston in 1986.

"When Damian and I decided to start Carrabba's, we wanted our customers to feel like they were in our kitchens at home," Johnny Carrabba said in a press release from the restaurant. "From the very beginning, Carrabba's has been a fun place to hang out with family and friends, just like the kitchens Damian and I grew up in. For us, cooking is a passion and a way of life. Being able to share these special recipes with our guests is a labor of love, and a kiss to our parents and grandparents."

Carrabba's signature dishes include crispy calamari, cozze in bianco (white wine steamed mussels), chicken Marsala, filet fiorentina, and fresh fish cooked over a wood-fired grill. Other favorites include lasagne, chicken parmesan, and hand-tossed pizza baked in a wood-burning oven. A wine list featuring Italian and California vintages is designed to complement menu selections.

The restaurant's interiors feature colorful Italian ceramics, copper pots and framed black-and-white photos of the Carrabba/Mandola clan. There is a large exhibition kitchen and several prime seats fronting the kitchen allow diners to watch the cooks preparing meals.

The PBS cooking show hosted by Carrabba and Mandola is now in its third season, and the pair has released a companion cookbook titled "Ciao Tuscany."

Outback Steakhouse Inc. also operates Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Roy's, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Lee Roy Selmon's, Cheeseburger In Paradise and Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits.