A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

You would think that just after a major snowstorm, people would be in their houses, but as we made our way over to Panera at lunchtime on Wednesday…we were proven wrong. The Coolidge Corner Panera was packed to the gills with families, people on laptops and kids home from school. There wasn’t a seat to be found-and you know that those people who were on their computers were going to be there for the long haul-free wifi and all. We make the executive decision to go to the Panera on Commonwealth Avenue. It was a freezing cold walk, with the wind whipping snow in our faces, but it paid off in the end because there were only about 5 other people there.

Panera is wonderfully consistent. The food and the traffic patterns. Never try to go during lunch time, which could be anytime between 11:30 and 1:30 if you are in a rush. They now have a new Panera card that you swipe every time you buy something and you can earn rewards like free bakery items, or free drinks. I love the French onion soup (250 calories and 11 grams of fat for 14.5 oz) at Panera, and I feel like its better for you than the cheddar broccoli soup (290 calories and 16 grams of fat for 12oz)-even if it’s not by much. I had the pick two with the French onion soup and half of a  tomato and mozarella panini (Fresh mozzarella, roasted & fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and all-natural sun-dried tomato pesto on Ciabatta.) The panini reminds me of a cheese pizza.

My dining companion opted for the you pick two as well, with the Italian combo sandwich (Roast beef, smoked turkey, ham, salami, swiss cheese, peperoncini, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions & our special sauce, on ciabatta) and the new steak chili with cornbread. The chili is pretty good-and I love the corn bread croutons. A great way to warm up before heading back out into the snow to go home.