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The Sordid Details of the Foodie Atlanta Mailbag

Jun 22nd, 2010 by PJ

In the previous post, I alluded to the fact that Foodie Atlanta will, from time to time, get sent unusual invitations, press releases, and endorsement opportunities. Most of it is only this side of spam, so we just ignore it. However, two items recently have been so bizarre, I feel compelled to share.

The first one is an invitation from Carraba’s. Yea, that one.

Here is the email:

Hi there –

Hope all is well!

I am writing on behalf of my client, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, to invite you to an upcoming Amici Club event.  In case you are not familiar with Carrabba’s Italian Grill – the restaurant was founded in 1986 by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola. The restaurant focuses on delighting guests with fresh, made-to-order Italian cuisine and the ultimate dining experience.  Carrabba’s Amici Club allows select members to be the first to know what’s cooking at Carrabba’s and receive exclusive offers, rewards, and insider information.

As a notable blogger in the Atlanta area – we’d like to invite you and a guest to attend one of the following Amici Club dinners.  Simply please select a location and date that works best for you and let us know so that we can add you to the list.

Locations and Date

Athens June 24th 6:30 p.m.
(706) 546-9938
3194 Atlanta Highway
Athens, GA 30606

Douglasville June 28th 6:30 p.m.
(770) 947-0330
2700 Chapel Hill
Douglasville, GA 30135

Atlanta/Cumberland June 29th 6:30 p.m.
(770) 437-1444
2999 Cumberland Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30339

Town Center June 29th 6:30 p.m.
(770) 499-0338
1160 Ernest Barrett Pkwy.
Kennesaw, GA 30144

For more information on Carrabba’s please visit www.carrabbas.com.  We look forward to hearing from you – and hope that you can make it to an event!

Ciao!

I’m not trying to be an elitist obscurantist. Nor am I raising my nose at the plight of the proletariat. However, how can anyone use the phrase “ultimate dining experience” in conjunction with Carraba’s? Can’t we just agree as a civilization that there are restaurants that aim to provide ultimate dining experiences by maniacal focus on superb product and impeccable technique, and restaurants that provide “reliable” food to the people that love said food? Is it unfair to say that Carraba’s business model is based on the latter and not the former?

Have I strayed so far from the pack that I don’t realize that food blogs everywhere are fawning over Carraba’s?

In any case, the second piece of miscellany straddles the line between absurdity and humor so much so, that we’ve decided to do a video spot around it.

I promise we’ll have it this week. I promise you’ll smile.

Tags: , , ,

Posted in thoughts

  • Carrabba's Italian Grill
    Dear Foodie Atlanta -- while we'll give you that "ultimate" could be a stretch when placed in the same category as Babbo or Rao's, we are proud to offer our guests what we consider to be a truly outstanding dining experience. Because not everyone can dine at Atlanta restaurants like Pricci, Sotto Sotto or Veni Vidi Vici every night (or even get to a big city where such fine restaurants exist), we are proud to share our rich legacy of fine Italian cuisine with thousands of Americans every night in a way they can afford and access easily. To that end, we would be honored to invite you in to any of our Atlanta area restaurants as our guest in the coming weeks. While we'd ask you to judge us fairly within our category, we would challenge you to give your honest review of the experience we offer to our guests. You know where to contact us...
  • foodieatlanta
    I think that's a completely fair assessment. In fact, I've patronized Carraba's before. I only took exception with the superlative used: ultimate. And you are right, ultimate does usually come with an ultimate price tag. I'm still licking my wounds from my dinner at La Pietra Cucina, fabulous as it was.
  • Patti Davis
    Ummm, none of those places are actually in Atlanta. Just sayin'. lol
  • Missblondie13
    The hierarchy in my suburb of atlanta goes like this - Bottom: Provinos, Olive Garden, Ippolitos. Mid: Macaroni Grill, Carrabas, my own cooking. Top: Someone's Italian grandma's cooking.
  • "Simply please select"? Who wrote this mess? I think Carrabba's has been wooing all sorts of bloggers lately--I remember seeing a few giveaways here and there.
    And video? Yes, please.
  • Johnny Camp186
    Hey....I didn't realize that was you. I'm sorry!!!! Please forgive me.
  • VariableZ
    Actually, "Simply please select" is proper English. A bit stilted, but not incorrect. And you have to give the writer props for being so unwaveringly polite even after being so soundly rebuked for the unfortunate use of the phrase "ultimate dining experience."
  • Johnny Camp186
    I love reading the posts of knowledgeable people on this subject, but I hate it when people criticize the grammar of another. No one cares how smart you are, or how smart you think you are. Anybody who knows anything about the world can tell you that Einstein came across like a dumbshit most of the time, but he was still an incredible genius. Let's leave the condescending English lesson to the 6th grade teachers and the smart-asses of the world.
  • Hi. Maybe I should have been more specific with my nitpicking. In my little corner of the blogosphere, we've had problems lately with companies sending out badly worded form letters. These form letters could start out with something such as, "Dear Mrs. House, LOVE your blog! Would you be interested in giving us free press in exchange for some measly product samples?"
    (My last name is not House.)
    So anyway--that's where I was coming from, it just didn't come off that way. I am in no position to TRULY judge grammar. Seeing as how I can barely string together a complete sentence. <---AWFUL.
    P.S. My delicate feelings are still intact--no worries, friend. :)
  • Johnny Camp186
    Thank you for understanding and accepting my apology. I will see you soon.
  • VariableZ
    Hey, Johnny. Just to be sure, are you mad at me or Sara? And did Einstein really come across as a dumbshit most of the time? I had no idea.
  • Johnny Camp186
    No man...not at you. I should have put a general comment instead of replying to yours. As far as Einstein.....maybe not a dumbshit, but certainly forgetful. He made it a point not to clog his mind with useless knowledge. I'm paraphrasing here but he said having your mind all filled up with "trivia" didn't make a bit of difference in the grand scheme of things. Rumor has it he couldn't even tell you how many feet were in a mile, but I really doubt that one. Anyway, the point remains. I hate it when people correct the "bad" grammar of others.
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