At Table
Panera Bread
By M.B.T. Gastronome
Panera Bread seems to be one of those new breed of chains that has it all. With a nice building and a comfortable décor, it offers a vast menu of light meals, breads and pastries which obviously appeal to a unique segment of the population, especially those who are into Wi-Fi.
Originally from the St. Louis area, the chain has rapidly expanded to more than 1,200 locations, two of which are in Mobile with one more in Spanish Fort. I visited the Schillinger Road location which was staffed by several young ladies who appeared to be late high school or early college age.
Ordering at the counter, I chose the Asiago Roast Beef
sandwich which was dressed with lettuce, tomato, cheese
and a type of horseradish sauce. It was served on an
Asiago Cheese demi roll. My dining companion chose a
half Chipotle Chicken Panini with a side salad. A bag of
potato chips came with each order.
My sandwich was, without a doubt, one of the worst roast beef sandwiches I have ever had ….. ever. The cold beef tasted as if it had been cooked long ago and sat in the refrigerator far too long. The cheese was cold and chewy. The lettuce …. well, it was lettuce. The tomato slices were too cold and too crisp. It was not a good quality tomato. There was only a hint of horseradish sauce on the sandwich. The bread was tough and not easy to bite or chew. The chips were the best item in the basket.
Even though I was hungry, I could manage to eat only half the sandwich. It was that bad. Actually, the PBJ sandwich I had for lunch was a far tastier treat than the Panera sandwich.
My dining companion made little comment about the panini. However, a portion of it, too, remained in the basket when we tossed the garbage in the appropriate bin on our way to the car.
On a previous trip to Panera Bread, I ordered the low fat chicken noodle soup. Much of it remained in the bowl at the end of the meal. The soup was heavy with sodium as was reflected in the taste.
I have had breakfast at Panera and found the pastries to be quite tasty. Not healthy fare, but tasty enough. The cinnamon rolls are large, calorie laden and tasty.
I was in Panera Bread about 6 p.m., long after the noon and early afternoon rush and before the evening rush. The floor was dirty, with scattered used napkins and bread pieces still under the tables. Some of the table tops needed to be wiped off. The trash bins were filled to overflowing. The charming young staffers were standing around. It is obvious that the staffers are in need of adult supervision to show them how to keep a restaurant clean.
This is an attractive restaurant staffed with very nice young ladies. I would prefer to give it a good review; however, I could find few redeeming values at this eatery. Will I return? Yes, for a cinnamon roll. Next time I want roast beef, I will return to Zorba the Greek for another beef shawarma. Next time my dining companion desires a panini, we will try a little place on Cottage Hill that I am told puts out a very good panini. I’ll let you know.
(Editor's note: Our pseudonymous gourmand visits area dining establishments and reports on the experience. Wherever food is served, our well-traveled critic is likely to arrive with an appetite and depart with an opinion. He dines at his own expense; remains anonymous to all; reports only on those restaurants he frequents in the regular course of life, primarily reasonably priced places. However, he does splurge on occasion. Bon Appetit!)
