Dinner -- 9/17/08

Carino's Italian Grill
1411 N. Valley Mills Dr
Waco, TX 76710

254.399.9111

http://www.carinos.com/

$$

5:45 - 6:45 PM

Ramona: Caesar salad, chicken Gorgonzola penne pasta, amaretto cherry cheese cake miniature dessert, iced tea

Jim: Caesar salad, Eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti and marinara sauce, tiramisu miniature dessert, iced tea

We are on a roll with Carino's! This was a third great meal in a row. The eggplant was not mushy, but rather crisp and tasty. We both decided on something different this visit, and we were both pleased.

-Jim

Dinner -- 8/18/08

Carino's Italian Grill
1411 N. Valley Mills Dr
Waco, TX 76710

254.399.9111

http://www.carinos.com/

5:35 - 6:40 PM

Ramona: Caesar salad, Bowtie Festival, Italian chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, iced tea

Jim: Caesar salad, chicken Gorgonzola penne pasta, amaretto cherry cheese cake, iced tea

We are always nervous about eating at Carino's, because they have been uneven in the past, but this dinner was very good. Ramona had enough left over for lunch on Tuesday.

We took advantage of the "two can dine for $19.99" and both dishes were excellent.

Bread, which is always key, is especially good here. The dish with baked garlic, oregano, and olive oil for dipping is also a nice treat.

The dinner included two mini-desserts and they were enough for us. Mine was a 1-1/2 inch square piece of cheese cake with two cherries soaked in Amaretto. Ramona's was about the same size.

-Jim

Dinner -- 5/24/08

Carino's Italian Grill
1411 N. Valley Mills Dr
Waco, TX 76710
254.399.9111

http://www.carinos.com/

5:00 - 5:50 PM

Ramona: Caesar salad, Bowtie Festival, iced tea

Jim: Caesar salad, chicken gorgonzola penne pasta, iced tea

Shared: Tiramisu

Carino's is having a special -- two can dine for $19.99, so we thought we would risk it. Carino's has been a roller coaster for us. A couple of really good meals, followed by a couple of really bad ones! Tonight, all was well. The food was hot and delicious.

One minor flaw -- a waiter (not the one that took our order) delivered our plates to the table behind us. When he announced the dishes, they took one, then said the other was wrong. We tried to catch his ear, but he walked away. Fortunately, our waiter heard me and stopped him. He retrieved the misdelivered plate and gave us our dishes.

-Jim

Dinner -- 2/13/08

Carino's Italian Grill
1411 N. Valley Mills Dr
Waco, TX 76710
254.399.9111

http://www.carinos.com/

6:15 - 7:30 PM

Ramona: Caesar salad, penne gorgonzola with chicken, tomatoes, olives, iced tea

Jim: Potato garlic soup, Artichokes, olives, Italian tomatoes over angel hair pasta, and grilled chicken, iced tea

Wine: Bell'agio Chianti, 2005

This meal was the start of a big Valentine/Anniversary weekend. Unfortunately, it started off on a sour note. A couple of years ago, we had two or three bad experiences at Carino's in a row, so we stopped going. Then someone gave us a gift certificate, so we tried it a gain. We had a good meal, and one or two after that. But that old monster inconsistency raised its ugly head last night.

We asked for my soup and Ramona's salad together -- they brought the salad, but not the soup. The waiter told us they ran out and were making more. When Ramona was about a third of the way through her salad, they brought the soup, and there was a gigantic, thick, curly hair poking out of the middle. I called the waiter back, and he brought me another bowl. He set it down, and they immediately brought our dinners. The place was by no means crowded; there were a few empty tables and no one was waiting, so this rush job was off-putting, to say the least.

Both our main courses were good. Dare we risk another trip there? I wonder what are the ingredients of angel HAIR pasta.

Tonight is Part Two -- our Valentine Dinner -- so tune in tomorrow for that.

-Jim