Restaurant name: Johnny Carino's (known just as Carino's)
Food type: Italian
Category: Frequent Flyers
Location: Mount Vernon, WA
Reason for dining out: Lunch with the fam as a kick off to vacation
Bonus features: FUN kids' menu, delicious real food we all love, the ever necessary diet coke, the BREAD!
Food ordered: Lobster Ravioli
Items of inspiration: Apple sticks?
Chance of repeat visit: Without a doubt
The Critic and I found this place years ago... might even have been before we had kids. It's like a fancy Olive Garden with different food options. Even we like the occasional chain sit-down restaurant, especially with the kids. Especially when the food is unique. Especially when they have paninis with housemade potato chips with parmesan (for The Critic).
First thing we noticed... the kids' menu is REALLY unique! Sure you can get a few standards (like The Big Guy getting, wait for it... pepperoni pizza!... surprise surprise). But other options include pizza sticks, pizza pasta, and a simple turkey panini which was what The Little Guy ultimately chose. He LOVED the "apple sticks" which were just julienne cut granny smith apples. I think I can manage that, if he'll put them away like he did at Carino's!
But enough reading... next comes the favorite about Carino's. The bread! They toast up this roasted garlic until it's like chips, then they swirl around their oil with spices and seasonings in it and pour it into a little dish table side for you. Who isn't a sucker for a little table side presentation? This one delivers on taste as well. The Guys would tell you all about it, but their mouths are too full from diving in.
I opted for a new dish on the menu, the lobster ravioli. It was AMAZING! So good. The Little Guy loved it as well. I think there is nothing better than an adventurous eating 4-year-old. I hope next time I remember how much he loved it so we can share it (and I'll ask if he could have a small dish of apple sticks on the side).
Overall a wonderful meal and a tasty start to a 5 day family vacation. All I ever wanted!
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| The Little Guy likes to eat lemons, so this is all that was left at the end of my meal! |
If you want to make apple sticks to pack in lunches (instead of just for eating on the spot,) slosh them around in any juice containing vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to prevent browning. (Drain excess juice. If you store them in the juice they get all mushy and/or slimy.) You can use lemon or lime juice, but apple juice doesn't make them taste so funny.
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