Kissed by the Italian Gods

A recent trip to Ft. Myers turned out to be much more romantic than I had ever expected.

We stumbled across Carrabba’s. Not just a normal Carrabba’s though – it was a palace. As we pulled into the parking lot it looked like a Carrabba’s I have never seen before….my first mission was to get a picture of the building so I could truly capture the beauty of this restaurant.

My wife, as expected, demanded that I stop taking photos of the outside of the restaurant because I looked like a “freak” and no one actually cared.

I ignored her pleas, and my photo-shoot continued. Hopefully you do enjoy the photo as it almost cost me my marriage.

As we walked inside, the manager greeted us at the door and my amazement continued. The bar area is completely separate from the rest of the restaurant with a marble bar top and a skylight above. The entire dining room is bright, vibrant and sophisticated.

We arrived at our table and noticed that they now have one panel menus which compliment the interior perfectly. For some reason something came over me and I decided to splurge: we ordered an appetizer. I was after the mozzarella sticks, but my wife insisted we get fried zucchini (she won, after all I had just made a fool of her in the parking lot).

Our server returned and I immediately requested more complimentary bread (I could live off of their bread and bread alone).

The fried zucchini came out and my mind was blown. It was like deep fried zucchini French fries with dipping sauce…….amazing….never have vegetables tasted sooo good. We cleaned the plate in a matter of minutes.

My splurge continued and I ordered off of their specials menu and got Seafood di Venezla. My wife got filet (laa dee daa… I guess I was still paying her back for the parking lot photos.)

Our food came out right on time and this was when the real experience began…..it was gorgeous. My plate looked like a colorful parade of food in front of me: crusted trout (soft, tender, delectable), beautifully designed crabbed stuffed shrimp, asparagus, and to seal the deal….cheese ravioli.

I couldn’t decide where to begin. So started with a bite of everything. It. Was. Perfect. Things turned awkward when I started paying more attention to my food than my family (however, this is not an unusual occurrence).

When I was finished, I looked to my wife and said, “Babe, this has been a romantic experience.” She responded with a sarcastic, “Oh really?”

I said, “No, not with you…..with the food.”

Just as I was about to be killed the chef walked over to our table with something delicate in his hands…..a toweringly beautiful dessert. I didn’t know what it was, and I didn’t care, it just looked really really good. He stopped at our table, set it down and said, “Our kitchen made an extra one of these desserts and since you are the only ones who finished their dinner tonight we would like to give it to you (are you calling me fat?!).”

In my head, heavenly music began playing, angels flown around me and I felt like I had just been kissed by the Italian Gods.

I did nothing to deserve it. I didn’t cause a scene. I didn’t make outrageous claims about the service or food. I was just the chosen one. The lucky guy – who did nothing to get a FREE dessert.

I graciously accepted it and told the chef I loved him.

Then, we began devouring this holy treat. It was the Sogna Di Cioccolata or "Chocolate Dream" and it is chocolate cake, homemade chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, homemade chocolate mousse, fresh whipped cream, homemade chocolate sauce and a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Truly glorious in every way.

As a whole, this had been one of the most satisfying dining experiences I have had in a long time – endless free bread, deep fried appetizer, phenomenal entrée, free dessert and amazing service.

Thank you Johnny and Damian, thank you – you’re both saints.