Panera Bread
Panera Bread
Several locations in the US.
2226 Missouri Blvd
Jefferson City, MO
After my meal in Bandana’s Bar-B-Q, I decided to have something sweet and then call it a night. Not really wanting to guess what would be for dinner in a BBQ place, instead, I looked around. The caveat, of course, it had to be something close by, as I needed to be back to the hotel, pack and go to sleep (since I needed to drive back to St. Louis for my departing flight). That nearby place was Panera Bread.
It was already 8:00 p.m. or so and they were starting to pack to call it a day. Sure, it was still “early”; however, when you consider their location (read: you have to be driving by in order to stop there), I will certainly understand why. I did not bothered to check the whole menu, rather, I only looked at their baked goods. Or rather, what was left on display at the moment. But one item was good enough… That one item was a piece of Chocolate Brownie Cake (oddly, it is not listed as such in their site; rather, it appears as Very Chocolate Brownie).
In my opinion, that’s an odd mix, considering the qualities of each part, the brownie and the cake, are somewhat opposite of each other. If they had able to marry these together that would have been a hit… If… Had they labelled it only as chocolate cake, it would have been really good, just that adding the brownie part created an additional layer of expectation (no pun intended).
To go along, I had a cup of tea – no picture of it, though. And here is where something funny happened: For some unknown reason, the cashier gave me a plastic glass and pointed the fountain machine. He thought I wanted iced tea… I then repeated myself and told him I wanted a CUP of tea. That’s when he caught up and asked which one I wanted. In my case, I wanted something “fruity”. No, no orange pekoe; instead, I went for Earl Grey. Yeah, I know, there was a chance I might not fall asleep thanks to the caffeine but, hey, I would be sleeping during the flight(s)!
On the note about teas, here is my preference order: Oolong, Earl Grey and Darjeeling. Somewhat far is green tea which is not necessarily my cup of tea (pun intended!). One that I like but is not technically a tea (in the straight sense of the word) is chrysanthemum tea. But, in the end, I am always willing to try a new iteration/variation!
Finally, a screenshot of the dining room.
In my opinion, it looks quite cozy and inviting. Added the fact they have free wi-fi and it suddenly sounds like a winner (to some). And, about the place itself, if it wasn’t because of the labelling, I think I would have liked it a bit more.
i’m glad you had a nice time!
I’m with Pearl. Looks like a good way to finish the night.
On a side note about your lack of selection. Isn’t it funny, ironic maybe, that the best and freshest selection of pastries (donuts, etc..) is almost always in the morning; a time of day most of us are thinking about cereal and coffee. For me it isn’t until later in the day when the desire for something so indulgent kicks in.
Raidar, agreed! It is quite an interesting observation. I guess other people like their sweets in the morning (and then have a sugar crash right after)… When I was in Baltimore, I noticed a local bakery had 50% discount sales of their remaining baked goods after 5:00 p.m., when most of the people were leaving. From a business perspective, though, I wonder if that’s better than a “one-day old” sale…
Interesting thought about the one-day old sales; I used to see that type of sale advertised a lot more come to think of it. I know our T&T Supermarket puts a bunch of food on serious discount at the end of the day, but that just makes sense – who wants day old ginger beef and sushi :p
I was at a Starbucks just last week about 30 minutes before close and the staff emptied the display case and walked around with all the goodies offering them for free. Apparently this is common practice, and who am I to argue with 3 free muffins.