With a seemingly endless supply of pineapples at their disposal, Carl's Jr. is adding another new menu item to its list of those sporting the Dole seal of approval. The Hawaiian grilled chicken salad will join the Teriyaki chicken sandwich, and the single, double, and six-dollar Teriyaki burger in the pineapple line-up.
Touted as "a taste of the islands without the ridiculously high airfare," (hahahhahahahahahahahaha!) the salad features grilled chicken, pineapple slices, cucumber, and red onions on a bed of spring salad mix. It's served topped with wonton strips and Asian dressing and costs around $5.
All that sounds okay, but that ain't what was in my bag. Anything but Hawaiian, the folks at Carl's gave me a messy mash-up of America -- salad style.
Sesame Asian dressing? Nope. I got good ol' house Ranch. Wonton Strips? The folks at the Carl's Jr. on East Thomas Road called bullshit on those and gave me Santa Fe tortilla strips instead. Add those mistakes to tasteless processed chicken, clumps of iceberg lettuce, and barely-grilled pineapple rings and you've got an American amber alert for a salad in shambles.
Want a better deal when it comes to fast food salad fare? Check out my column on Wendy's new Garden Sensations Salads. At just a buck more, you'll be glad you passed on the pineapple.