*** Vegetarian Review ***
You know those Geico commercials where things just keep getting bigger. Extreme landscaping guy. Big belt buckle guy. And the original, Gym Bro.
The message ... more is better. I generally agree, but Panera's Four Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich is the exception where less is more.
Tips for first-timers:
1) Street Parking. 90 minutes free, but finding a place can be difficult if you go during peak hours. Panera is almost on the corner of 3rd and F Street, so if you find a spot on the nearby streets, just grab it. The Davis blocks are not long walks.
2) Seating. If you don't like to eat in a refrigerator, there are about 10-12 outside tables. In the Summer, they crank the A/C to an uncomfortable level and your hot bowl of soup turns into a cold gazpacho before you reach your table. Half of the outside tables are shaded.
3) Soups. They are marked "V" for vegetarian to make selections easier. You'll notice the broccoli cheddar isn't "V" worthy because it has a chicken base.
4) They will let you sample soups -- just ask.
5) They'll give you a buzzer when your order is ready. You pick up at the counter.
6) They have a free restaurant points program. Join it! You'll get freebies throughout the year and on your birthday, they have a free bagel to celebrate. This year (2018), for some unknown reason, I could get a free bagel-a-day for the entire month of January - no purchase necessary.
Would I come back test? Not for the soup and sandwich. There are so many half soup/sandwich options within 10-15 miles of Panera. It's like eating a Safeway pastry versus Estelles (Sacramento) or 85°C Bakery Cafe (South Sacramento) -- why waste the calories? However, I would come back for what I consider Panera's signature pastry ... their orange scone.
Alternatives:
1) Cafeteria 15L (Sacramento) offers the best tomato soup, grilled cheese combo in Sacramento. Even when I fly out of town, I make it point to make it to their airport location -- has the same quality and satisfying comfort of their main location on L Street.
2) De Vere's Irish Pub (Davis and Sacramento) have this classic combo and it makes for a great Sunday brunch after attending church.
Pick Two Menu:
1/2 Soup, 1/2 Sandwich and choice of chips, fruit, or a baguette $8.48
Four Cheese Grilled Cheese (Grade C):
As mentioned above, less is more. Paneras would be better served offering a simpler grilled cheese sandwich, focusing on a single type of cheese rather than this mega cheese blend of fontina, sharp, monteau, and smoked gouda.
Smoked gouda is one of my favorite cheeses, but it absolutely overpowers this average grilled cheese. The biggest test for me on all grilled cheese is the bite and pull test ... the cheese didn't pull at first bite. Maybe it's the chemical makeup of all the cheese blended together forming a non-pulling bond, but my best guess --- it was because they didn't cook it long enough to melt the variety of cheeses that melt at different temperatures. Another reason to simplify this classic sandwich.
My proof ... their Country Rustic Bread (tastes like a sourdough) wasn't hot and oddly only had grill marks on one side.
Vegetarian Creamy Tomato Soup (Grade C+):
Tomato soup is my all-time favorite so I'm fairly critical when I order this at any restaurant. Points for topping with homemade black pepper focaccia croutons for texture, but the overall taste is nothing to write home about.
It didn't do anything spectacular. It wasn't full-flavored enough. It wasn't creamy enough. And sadly, it wasn't hot enough. I didn't even need to blow on my first spoonful to cool it down. I read their website description and it says "hints of red pepper and oregano." I can't fully put my finger on it, but let's up the red pepper and oregano and serve this piping hot -- burn my mouth, lawsuit hot and I bet this would be a soup more people would return to.
If you're wondering ... it contains milk and wheat.
French Baguette (complimentary - Grade A):
The crust was flaky and the inners were soft. They have butter at the pick up station so enjoy!
Orange Scone (Grade A+):
I didn't order one of these on this visit, but in a calendar year, I'll probably eat about 6 and every time, it's mouth watering subtle tang aftertaste mixed with the overall texture of the scone is a perfect snack before boarding a plane or a long road trip. Need some proof -- they usually run out of these before 2pm so it's one of their more popular on-the-go pastries.
Overall restaurant observations:
1) Staff are friendly and don't rush you when you're ordering.
2) Half of the tables inside were not cleaned and/or wiped down. We ended up sitting outside and had to still had to wipe down our own table.
3) The restaurant is generally crowded with Macbook-studying students and Kindle reading seniors. This makes for a relaxed atmosphere. read more