I did an hour of cardio in preparation for this, my first-ever trip to Whataburger. And I didn't even get a Whataburger, if you can believe it. No, my first trip to Whataburger was dedicated to two new, limited-time-only items on the menu: the Pineapple Milkshake and the Honey Mustard Chicken Club Sandwich.
I should have gotten the burger.
That's not to say that I didn't find the Honey Mustard Chicken Club tasty -- it was surprisingly good. And the problem that I encountered could have been rectified had I dined in, but I got my meal to-go and thus I was S-O-L when I got home and discovered I had been given the crispy Honey Mustard Chicken Club rather than the grilled sandwich I actually ordered. I have never been a big fan of any fast-food crispy chicken (not that the grilled stuff is gourmet), so this was kind of a major bummer, especially because it was my very first trip ever to a Whataburger!
On the plus side, the wheat bun is pretty tasty and the chicken patty itself was actually kind of crispy, though I suspect eliminating the "bun oil" would render it more so. There was plenty of tomato and lettuce, too, and the honey mustard dressing was good--not amazing, but honey-y and mustard-y, and that's all I can ask for, right? I could have done without the bacon, but then it wouldn't have been a club sandwich ... and I'm waiting for Godot here.
The fact is, I wanted a grilled sandwich and I got a crispy sandwich so I wasn't happy. On its own merits, the sandwich was good, even if I couldn't taste the Swiss cheese. That said, I was shocked to discover that ordering the grilled sandwich only saves about 70 calories and 8 grams of fat; asking for no oil only saves about 25 calories, but eliminates three grams of fat as well. Frankly, if I had to order this again I would skip the oil altogether, since it added no discernible flavor. I would also reiterate GRILLED before stepping out of line.
As for the milkshake, I remain a firm chocolate milkshake girl. I didn't anticipate falling madly in love with the pineapple shake, particularly after seeing the alarming yellow color. The first few sips gave me the impression that I was drinking a tropical chewing gum-flavored milkshake, but after the shake warmed up a little the pineapple became identifiable, if not naturally delicious. Whataburger is running with this pineapple thing, offering a pineapple pie in addition to the shake, so if you are a huge pineapple pie lover (do you exist, pineapple pie lover?) head over to your nearest Whataburger.
The verdict: next time I'm getting a regular ol' burger and a Coke.
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