Gateway Shopping Center location
When people ask me to recommend “healthy” places to eat-out I am usually forced to offer up a shanty sandwich shop like Quiznos or Subway. Please note that these places aren’t necessarily healthy (don’t order a double meatball sandwich and expect to lose weight), but the basic ingredients give the consumer more power to choose well.
Panera Bread is an easy going cafe style resaurant that features fresh breads and a friendly staff. It might be a saving grace for those looking for a decently nutritious place to eat that won’t break your wallet. No, they are not the creme de la creme of health food restaurants but they offer a variety salads, sandwiches and soups made from all-natural and organic ingredients.
They also offer free Wi-Fi which makes it a popular place for students.
On this particular Panera run I ordered my favorite: 1/2 Veggie sandwich with a cup of soup and chips.
veggie sandwich, broccoli cheese soup, and chips
Feta cheese, red onion, cucumber, lettuce, and cilantro hummus spread
Potato Chips
Breads are made fresh daily and for breakfast or a light snack there is a cornucopia of bagles and specialty cream cheeses to choose from.
Each entree comes with a side of either chips, a baguette or an apple. When you order a sandwich an extra roll of bread seems like a bit much and so unless I have a salad as my entreee I usually opt for chips or fruit.
The salads are OK. They lack the hardiness in variety and quality that I’ve come to enjoy in a good salad. But if I am choosing between a Panera salad and any other convenience shop salad, I’ll choose Panera. Between the Fuji Apple Salad and the new Chopped Chicken Cobb, the Fugi Apple is by far the best. It has thin slivers of dried apple mixed in with field greens – YUM.
Lizzie and her Bread Bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup
All-in-all I think this a great place to eat and I give it 4 out of 5 Curly Pears (what do you think Meahan? Is this a good rating system?) So if lunch time rolls around and you are in the mood for something fresh, try out Panera. I think you’ll like it 
