Since we all don't live in or near an art district in a big city, Panera sort of gives us a similar feeling of some of the avant-garde, modern cafes. With free wi-fi you never want to leave.Sure it's a chain but I can't find anything not to love. Their service is friendly, the sandwiches, soups, salads and of course bread is exceptional. I chose the "You Pick Two" which gives you a choice of a 1/2 sandwich, bowl of soup or salad. I ordered the chipotle chicken sandwich w/bacon and the new chicken tortilla soup. I loved the sandwich and felt the soup was so so. My favorite soup by far is the broccoli cheddar, it of course is the least healthy of the choices which isn't a coincidence.
They have a choice of 5 different brews of coffee including the house, decaf, dark roast, hazelnut and stronger Colombian. They have a unique process when roasting the coffee beans. Panera roasts them in smaller batches so they can closely monitor the process and make adjustments where necessary. The coffee is refillable so you can get jacked up on caffeine to take on the rest of the day's rat race. I will say the only negative is the prices. My order came to 9.41 and all I ordered was 1/2 a sandwich, a bowl of soup and a coffee. It would be more reasonable to be around 7.00 than over 9.00. I recommend Panera and go whenever I can.
Review by Ian Walpole
