Over 15 years ago I had my first brush with the Chili’s experience. That was the day I discovered my new favorite dish — individually crafted, perfectly balanced Chicken Nachos.
Years later I fell upon my new, new favorite Chili’s dish; the Grilled Chicken Caribbean Salad: Marinated Caribbean chicken, fresh pico de gallo, juicy pineapple, mandarin oranges and crispy tortilla strips. Served with honey-lime dressing.
More recently I had become very fond of the Heart Healthy Grilled Chicken Sandwich found in the Guiltless Grill section of their menu. The rather simple, but satisfying sandwich is served with black beans and quite possibly the best seasonal steamed vegetables on planet Earth.
If you find yourself confused and wondering why I would possibly offer a downgrade after positively describing several of Chili’s entrees? Well, I have my reasons:
a) To my dismay and horror, the Caribbean Chicken Salad has been inexplicably removed from their recently remodeled menu.
b) The Chicken Nachos are M.I.A themselves; sure, you can add chicken to their regular nachos, but actual Chicken Nachos is no longer a menu item — and the new variation simply pales in comparison to the old.
c) The last time I ordered their well-known-for-supposedly-being-good Chicken Fajitas, I’m pretty sure someone forgot to season the chicken. I can only assume that I was accidentally served the Amish-Mex version.
d) On a recent trip to Chili’s with my brother, we both ordered a burger, mine medium, his well done (seriously, who orders well done?). In any case, 3/4 of the way through my super dry over cooked burger, I realized that our waitress had given me his jerky on a bun without bothering to notice.
e) When I realized the Caribbean Salad had met an untimely death, I gave the Southwestern Cobb a chance at bat. Let’s just say it struck out miserably, on all counts.
f) And lastly, the interrogation lamps they have hanging over their booths have seared my retinas exactly one too many times.
Will I ever revisit the newly downgraded Chili’s? Sure, perhaps in desperation; after all, they do still offer the Guiltless Chicken Sandwich, and one hell of a fine Diet Coke with Lemon.
