Mood:  a-ok

http://www.carinos.com/menu

Ok, first of all what I want to say is that Johnny Carino's offers a lunch punch card M-F, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Tuesdays they give you double punches. I have gotten several free meals this way. Always check to see if restaurants have punch cards! Also, on Mondays they have half off family platters. Once I went out with two friends and we each ordered our own family platter since it was almost as much as a regular entree would have cost. I had left overs for like 2-3 more meals!

Johnny Carino's offers the most delicious egglplant parmigiana, way better than Olive Garden. It is a thick, breaded and fried (or maybe baked?) cutlet served with spagetti with meatless marinara sauce. You can get an unlimited side salad for an extra $2 with your entree. I don't know if the unlimited salad also applies to dinner entrees, but it does apply to family platters (per person cost). Of course this all comes with bread.

Like most Italian restaurants, they also offer a fair amount of vegetarian options. They have a good amount of meal salads, all of which have meat, but of course you can request without (but why pay $10 or up for just lettuce and some veggies?)

Appetizers: Stuffed mushrooms; Bruschetta bread

Soup: No, the minestrone there has a meat-based broth

Lunch entrees: Eggplant parmigiana, baked cheese tortelloni (note: this comes with meat sauce unless you request otherwise)

Dinner entrees: Those listed in lunch entrees, also angelhair with artichokes, and create your own pasta (choose sauce and can add vegetables)

Family Platters: None are specifically vegetarian, but I remember I just requested one without meat. I wish the eggplant would come in family platter size, I would eat all of it!

Eggplant Parmigiana