Salted Caramel and an Inadvertent Review of Red Robin

Can we just have a brief discussion on salted caramel?

I don't know if salted caramel used to be a thing, went away, and is back, or if people are just suddenly obsessed with it because. I mean, I know it's been around, but in the past year or so poor caramel is made to feel like it can't exist without salt. Every other pinterest recipe is for salted caramel cookies or brownies or who knows what all.

Now I will be the first to admit that there are certain situations in which salted caramel is completely delicious.

Most often that situation is when there are pretzels involved. For example, my roommates once made me brownies with pretzels in them that were drenched in caramel once they came out of the oven. Delicious. Also, once my friend Lauren and I decided we needed ice cream at midnight so we went to Macey's and got a salted caramel pretzel ice cream and ate it out of the container with spoons on my couch. No regrets.

But sometimes it just goes too far.

Last week, I was having a craving for Red Robin, so my sweetie took me there for dinner. Some of the burgers looked good, but being my typical self I decided that chicken really sounded delicious so I opted for the ridiculously named "clucks and fries". Then Trenton said I could even also have a milkshake if I wanted. Wow! What a guy!

Well, ever since going to a Josh Groban concert with Sarah and stopping by Wendy's afterwards where I, for the first time, experienced the pleasure of the caramel frosty shake, I very much have come to love caramel shakes.

These are the faces of people who tried frosty shakes for the firs time. And also who got their upper bowl Josh Groban concert seating switched by Joshy himself to floor seating. Row 8, baby. But that's another story. But that is the real story behind those excited faces.

Tangent aside, my love for caramel prompted me into the choice of a salted caramel milkshake.

FOLKS. 

BAD CHOICE.

PLEASE, NO MATTER HOW DELICIOUS IT SOUNDS, FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR TASTEBUDS DO NOT DO IT.

I am 100% serious when I say that it was a salt and caramel milkshake, not salted caramel. They used Hawaiian sea salt and the shake was gritty and tasted like salt and not like caramel. And it made me really sad. Trenton offered to trade me for his mint brownie shake which was actually delicious the way all milkshakes should be, but I just couldn't do that to him.

Because I wouldn't wish that salt milkshake on anybody. Except a slug, which it would kill, because I don't believe in the preservation of slug life. 

The shake was about as salty as my fries, which I added the yummy Red Robin salty season-y stuff too. I also put that seasoning on my chicken because them clucks were bland. 

All in all it was a rough experience and one that has kind of ruined the idea of salted caramel for me.

Unless there are pretzels involved.