[TV Admirer]

I can't speak for the Carrabba's in TV as on our (too short!) 7 day LSV we wanted to try restaurants unique to the Villages. However, we are regular diners at the one here in Louisville. (We were fortunate to grow up in upstate NY which has a large Italian population and tons of great Italian restaurants. However, it appears any Italians migrating west passed right by Louisville and kept on going so we were thrilled when Carrabbas opened here!) After the first few visits we had a server that suggested the filet marsala and now we can't seem to order anything else. It is SUPERB! It's on the menu as Filet Florentina (sp?) but is offered with 3 other toppings - marsala, Bryan, and one other. When in TV we had a filet at Palmer's and we both thought the filet at Carrabba's was much better. All their reviews on the Village Gourmet only speak about the Italian food and wondered if there are any out there who had tried the filet. If not, give it a try and let us know what you think.

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by TV Admirer

I can't speak for the Carrabba's in TV as on our (too short!) 7 day LSV we wanted to try restaurants unique to the Villages. However, we are regular diners at the one here in Louisville. (We were fortunate to grow up in upstate NY which has a large Italian population and tons of great Italian restaurants. However, it appears any Italians migrating west passed right by Louisville and kept on going so we were thrilled when Carrabbas opened here!) After the first few visits we had a server that suggested the filet marsala and now we can't seem to order anything else. It is SUPERB! It's on the menu as Filet Florentina (sp?) but is offered with 3 other toppings - marsala, Bryan, and one other. When in TV we had a filet at Palmer's and we both thought the filet at Carrabba's was much better. All their reviews on the Village Gourmet only speak about the Italian food and wondered if there are any out there who had tried the filet. If not, give it a try and let us know what you think.

I would expect the steak at Carrabbas is the same steak that is served at Outback since they are owned by the same company (as is Bonefish as well).

[TV Admirer]

I know it's definitely not the same as Outback which we definitely weren't impressed with. I have had the filet at Bonefish and it was fine, however I think what makes the Carrabba's version so good is not only the quality of the steak but the way in which it's prepared. I can only recommend the "marsala" version as I have not tried the other preparations.

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by TV Admirer

I know it's definitely not the same as Outback which we definitely weren't impressed with. I have had the filet at Bonefish and it was fine, however I think what makes the Carrabba's version so good is not only the quality of the steak but the way in which it's prepared. I can only recommend the "marsala" version as I have not tried the other preparations.

Thanks for the heads up. I now know I won't be buying any Bloomin Brands (BLMN) stock, since management has decided to source their better beef for their Italian Franchise rather than their Flagship Steak House.

[BarryRX]

In the past, I've had the steak Brian at Carrabas and it was very good too!