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Culinary Connection
Panera Bread: A Healthy Breakfast and More
By Lark Aldrin-Clement
Panera was created out of a convergence of the East Coast chain Au Bon Pain and The St. Louis Bread Company. Built on a strong foundation of freshly baked artisan bread and pastries, Panera now has multiple locations nationwide and in Canada. With the allure of daily fresh baked goods, and the appeal to the technology minded with free Wi-Fi (wireless internet connection), Panera Bread cafés make for a perfect location to break out your laptop and spend an afternoon consuming restaurant quality food at a reasonable price.
For lunch fare, try the sourdough bread bowls with a variety of soups ranging from "Cream of Chicken" made with long grain wild rice, celery, and onion or "Broccoli Cheddar" blended with shredded carrot and a creamy cheese sauce. Each day of the week provides a different schedule of soups. If you're in the mood for a sandwich, try the new "Tomato & Mozzarella" on Ciabatta with sun-dried tomato pesto or the "Turkey Artichoke" on Foc-cacia with Asiago -Parmesan cheese and caramelized onions. To compliment such tasty food, Panera also provides delicious hot and cold drinks. The "Chai Tea Latte" bursts with flavor of honey, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. The "Cappuccino" is the right balance of Espresso with fro-thy foam. For those looking for a fruity edge, try the "Mango Smoothie", blended with sweet mango and topped with whipped cream and a raspberry swirl. The orange juice is fresh squeezed too.
For busy commuters, Panera has introduced a new hot breakfast sandwich. When you typically think of fast food breakfast, McDonald's Egg McMuffin and Subway's Breakfast Sandwich come to mind. Ever wonder whether those eggs came out of a box? How processed are those choices of breakfast meats? Imagine a made to order sandwich with all natural eggs, Vermont white cheddar, and a choice of Apple wood-smoked bacon or all-natural sausage grilled on freshly baked Ciabatta bread. Doesn't that sound more appealing? With less sodium and cholesterol compared to McDonalds and less saturated fat compare to Subway, stop by Panera Bread bakery and cafe and try this tasty breakfast with your next caffeine fix.
If you want just a typical grab bag of bagels, Panera has classic plain bagels along with "Signature" bagels with tantalizing flavors such as cinnamon crunch and gingerbread. For an exciting spin on plain cream cheese, try the hazelnut or the honey walnut flavor.
A great place to take the kids, Panera has a display case of pastries and sweets such as "Pineapple Upside-Down Cake" with coconut and poppy seeds, or for the ultimate sweet tooth, try the "Cobblestone Sweet Roll" with chunks of apples and spices, topped with streusel and white icing. For those who want to enhance tonight's homemade dinner, bring home a loaf of specialty bread like the tomato basil, sunflower, or white whole grain. For a limited time, try the "Holiday Bread", sweet dough blended with golden raisins, chocolate chips, cranberries, and filled with apples and cinnamon.
As an active participant of the community, Panera partners with Dough-Nation, and all unsold bakery products are packaged at the end of each day and donated to local food banks and charities. Panera also provides catering services for corporate meetings and special events. Platters of baked goods, signature sandwiches, or café salads are all prepared fresh for your specific needs.
An admirable establishment, Panera Bread delivers fresh bread, natural ingredients, and excellent customer service. As you rush to the nearest freeway on your morning commute or are looking for an inspiring environment to work on some creative writing, Panera is a great place to spend a lunch hour or if privileged enough, an entire afternoon. The staff will not rush your experience or limit your internet access. Although the food is served fast, this is definitely a nice alternative to the fast food chains we so frequently patron. Here's an opportunity to entice the senses and experience a distinctive menu for a very low price.
Northridge Location
19662 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 407-9400
Simi Valley Location
2900 Cochran Streets
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(805) 527-2500
www.panerabread.com