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Fast Break: Lunch at Panera Bread

Just before noon, Panera Bread is packed with hungry Baton Rougeans eager to try the new restaurant’s flavorful fare. After enduring the painfully long line, I gave my order to the cheerful cashier, and happily took the buzzer that would alert me when my food was ready.

My friend and I took advantage of Panera’s “You Pick Two” option and ordered half of a roasted turkey and avocado BLT and a Mediterranean chicken flatbread sandwich. We paired the sandwiches with creamy tomato soup and a strawberry, poppy seed and chicken salad.

Each choice was uniquely delicious. The turkey on the BLT tasted as if it had been freshly carved. It was perfect with the crisp bacon and fresh avocado between slices of chewy sourdough. Both plates came with a generous slice of Panera’s famous bread, which proved to be the perfect vessel for the tangy, smooth tomato soup.

The savory Mediterranean chicken flatbread, oozing with hummus and tzatziki, was delicious, but my favorite was perhaps the strawberry, poppy seed and chicken salad. The salad was a mix of strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and mandarin oranges, balanced by large pieces of all-natural chicken and crunchy pecans. The ingredients sat on a bed of crispy romaine lettuce topped with a fat-free poppy seed dressing. We finished the meal with a perfectly tart frozen lemonade, which was a refreshing end to our lunch.
Panera Bread (7877 Jefferson Highway) is open Monday-Thursday 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m.-9 p.m. —Hayley Nicholich