Over the last school year I have wasted an enormous amount of money on fast food and restaurants, however, I am not at the liberty to discuss this absolute figure. Alright what the hell I've spent about seven hundred dollars on food. Yep. That's a whole lot of money and if my parents are reading this now you can assume that I am indefinitely grounded and I may or may not have been sent to Samoa... or wherever the hell Earl from Wolf Gang went, I'm not sure it was supposed to be a joke but screw it now. Okay, I've gotten a bit sidetracked so let's get back on course. Food. It's good. I've spent lots on it. And what I have found, as my pallet has been exposed to a wide range of culinary combinations in various environments, is that Panera has, by far, the best atmosphere and cuisine out of all the chain restaurants.
There are several things that set Panera apart from the crowd and a major component is atmosphere. Compared to all of the sports bars and kitschy or just plain generic restaurants, Panera reigns so far supreme in decor, it's not even funny. When I went to St. Louis over the summer for vacation/a college visit, we saw the original St. Louis Bread Company, the original name for Panera. It so happens that the founder(s) (I'm not really sure how many there were) of Panera came up with the idea for a French-style cafe and bread shop while in France and wanted to bring that concept over to America. What is impressive is that the integrity of their idea has remained in tact over all of the various Paneras that have opened up across the country, including our very own here in Cedar Rapids. The decor inside of Panera includes wooden shutters on the walls that give off the impression that you're actually sitting outside at a French bakery. Works of art hang on the walls, all of which focus on bread as their main focus. All in all it's a damn classy place to have a bagel and a cup of coffee.
Of course, we can't forget the food. It's no five star restaurant but it is still above average. They have a nice selection of soups, sandwiches, and baked goods but the one thing that I would have to say stands above the rest it the hazelnut cream cheese spread. Paired with a cinnamon crunch bagel I would have to say that this is probably one of the better breakfasts that I can think of. I won't try to describe it because I couldn't do a justice to it's majesty. Honestly, just go and try one, you'll see what I mean.
I don't want to romanticize a chain bagel-joint to be more than it is, but for being a chain bagel-joint, I think that Panera is pretty darn good. It has a great atmosphere and a good selection of tasty food that make it a great place to skip school with your best of pals, strictly hypothetically.
There are several things that set Panera apart from the crowd and a major component is atmosphere. Compared to all of the sports bars and kitschy or just plain generic restaurants, Panera reigns so far supreme in decor, it's not even funny. When I went to St. Louis over the summer for vacation/a college visit, we saw the original St. Louis Bread Company, the original name for Panera. It so happens that the founder(s) (I'm not really sure how many there were) of Panera came up with the idea for a French-style cafe and bread shop while in France and wanted to bring that concept over to America. What is impressive is that the integrity of their idea has remained in tact over all of the various Paneras that have opened up across the country, including our very own here in Cedar Rapids. The decor inside of Panera includes wooden shutters on the walls that give off the impression that you're actually sitting outside at a French bakery. Works of art hang on the walls, all of which focus on bread as their main focus. All in all it's a damn classy place to have a bagel and a cup of coffee.
Of course, we can't forget the food. It's no five star restaurant but it is still above average. They have a nice selection of soups, sandwiches, and baked goods but the one thing that I would have to say stands above the rest it the hazelnut cream cheese spread. Paired with a cinnamon crunch bagel I would have to say that this is probably one of the better breakfasts that I can think of. I won't try to describe it because I couldn't do a justice to it's majesty. Honestly, just go and try one, you'll see what I mean.
I don't want to romanticize a chain bagel-joint to be more than it is, but for being a chain bagel-joint, I think that Panera is pretty darn good. It has a great atmosphere and a good selection of tasty food that make it a great place to skip school with your best of pals, strictly hypothetically.
No comments:
Post a Comment