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Today, I am introducing a new section to the blog, restaurant reviews.  My intention is to review not only local restaurants in my home state of Maine, but also chain restaurants that many people across the country frequent.  I think this could start a great discussion among restaurant goers and give people an idea of what is out there.

So, today’s restaurant review is for Panera Bread.  Panera is a chain company started in 1981 with headquarters in Missouri.  They currently have 939 bakery-cafes in 37 states.  602 of these cafes are franchised, the others are company owned.  Okay, so enough on the background, let’s get to the good stuff.

Panera is a fun little place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch.  The breads are baked fresh daily and are excellent.  My favorite bread happens to be the asiago cheese loaf.  This bread has a great outer crust with a nice, chewy crumb.  I find it to be an excellent accompanyment to any pasta dinner.  The tomato basil loaf is also an excellent choice especially for sandwiches.  This bread has less of an artisan style than the asiago cheese loaf. 

If you are coming in for breakfast, the choices are vast and delicious.  Panera makes a large variety of breakfast goods including: danish, bagels (again try the asiago), bear claws, scones (the orange is excellent), croissants, muffins, etc.  Many of these dishes are not geared toward those on diets, but there are some options available with lesser fat and calories.  One of my favorite lower cal options is to get a triple berry lowfat muffin and a small fresh fruit cup.  They carry lots of options for drinks including:  fresh squeezed orange juice, tea (Republic), coffee, soda, water, etc. 

If you are going for lunch or dinner, I highly suggest trying one of the many soups they offer. If you are a vegetarian you will be pleasantly surprised with the variety of vegetarian soups they offer.  I would suggest trying the Vegetarian Garden Vegetable. They also have salads and sandwiches.  The sandwiches are excellent and they offer a number of fresh vegetable choices.  For parents, they offer sandwich combos that include and apple and juice, rather than the usual chips or fries. 

Overall, Panera is a great place to grab a quick bite.  The lines can get pretty busy during lunch, but they work hard to get you through fast.  The restaurant is nicely decorated and they give away free wi-fi for those of you interested in having a business meeting  off-site. 

Serving: Soups, Salads, Baked Goods, Drinks

Vegetarian Options:  Yes, surprising how many in fact

Call your local Panera for hours or check them out on the web at www.panera.com.