Dogs are the best. A tribute to Boomer.

We lost Boomer on November 2, 2019.

He was just 10 ½ years old. His illness came sudden and seemingly out of nowhere.

The night I found out he had cancer and odds were not in his favor, I wrote down a few thoughts – after several glasses of wine – which were as follows:

I just learned that Boomer has an aggressive cancer on his liver. Or is it "of" his liver. I don't know. Little details concern me right now - which goes against my nature. I question everything. Today, of all days, I had few questions. I took Boomer in because his urine looked darker than normal. When I called the vet they assumed a UTI. That's what I thought I was going to the vet for today. A UTI. Granted, Boomer has never had a UTI. Didn't really know animals could get those. But really, never really thought much about it. So I thought good ol' Boom Diesel. Another random vet visit.
During Boomer’s life he was known for random vets visits. His illnesses started from the moment I adopted him as a puppy – when he was 8 weeks old ish. He soon developed a pretty serious case of pneumonia. I didn't realize how bad the pneumonia was until my vet at the time finally found the medicine that started helping him and she confided in me that she didn't think he was going to make it - that this round of antibiotics was the "Hail Mary". During his illness as a pup he spent some time at the Emergency Vet. I had adopted him perhaps a week prior to having to take him to the ER. I remember the technician taking me into a private room and having me sign papers about DNR.

I had 2 dogs growing up. One got hit by a car, tragically. The other lived a pretty damn good unprecedented 19 years. I however, never thought after being an official "dog owner" after 1 week that I would have to sign something so official as a DNR. So mortal.

Boomer bounced back from that pneumonia. Whatever the medicine that was prescribed, it did the trick. I have no idea what it was. That was nearly 10.5 years ago, and really feels like a lifetime ago. All I cared about at the time was that Boomer was healthy and happy. And I knew that I loved that little shit more than a lot of fucking things in life. Dogs are fucking amazing.

So, life went on. Boomer grew up. I grew up. Sort of. Lots of things happened in the 10.5 years of living with the best fucking dog.

What do I love best about Boomer? Hard to describe. Anyone that knows Boomer would understand. Is he cuddly? Nope. I think Boomer’s version of cuddly is constantly having his eyes on me. He always wants to know where I am. One of my favorite quirks about him is when I am upstairs with him and then I go downstairs, but he stays upstairs – after about 5 minutes or so he realizes that I am not upstairs with him and he kind of mumbles a bark looking for me – similar to how a child yells out “MOM”. I then say “Boomer I am down here” and then you hear him trot down the stairs – look at me, and then proceed to lay down on the couch near me. Is he an active let's play fetch kind of dog? Hell, no. What kind of dog is he then?

Boomer is the best traveling dog. He loved car rides. Sometimes you would forget he was in the car because he was so silent on the rides. He was so content just laying there. As he is coming to an end of life, I will be taking him for more rides. My car will feel very void without him in the backseat.

Deb. My mom. Boomer loves that woman. Hard to tell who loves who more. Because Deb loves the Boom Bot a lot. During the early years, Boomer would spend his Monday's with Deb due to my work schedule. Unfortunately I couldn't thread this into a "Tuesdays with Deb" short story, but let's just call it "Monday's with Deb". Boomer loved his Mondays. I don’t know what Deb and Boomer did every Monday, but when I brought him back home he would fall asleep quickly with his old man snores.

Very shortly after Boomer was diagnosed with the cancer, he rapidly declined and we had to make the decision to say goodbye to him. Obviously you never think that doing that will be easy…but I never really fathomed how extremely difficult it would be. It fucking sucks and there is just no other way to say it.

As I write this now it is January 25, 2020 – roughly 3 months have passed. While I know this blog is dedicated to Panera – I wanted to acknowledge Boomer in a post. He was there for many Panera visits after all. I am including some fun pictures of Boomer. Some include my Panera Bread posts in which Boomer was my dining companion.

I will end with a quote found on the internet, and since it was found on the internet, it must be legit and probably from someone famous…

“Every time a dog I love dies, they take a piece of my heart with them. And every time a new dog comes into my life, they give me a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the pieces of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.”

Boomer you were the best pup. I will forever miss you but I am so glad I got to spend 10.5 years with you. Love you Booms.

 He did love car rides but always appeared like he was auditioning for a spot on an ASPCA commercial while in the car.

Another more, regal car look.

Storm coming and he was not a fan.

Panera in Alabaster, AL, I believe. We made a road trip to Ohio.

He loved Debbie's green chair. Basically, it was his chair.

Loved this pose. Not sure how it could have been comfortable.

Boomer and the boys.

Looking svelte in his thunder vest.

Boomer and his cousin Coco relaxing with Maddie and Michael circa 2010?

Deb and Bob with Boomer in Deerfield Beach, FL.

Boomer got to ride in a rickshaw with Tipp and I in NOLA

Deb left her glasses at our house and I sent her this pic to tell her where the glasses were.

Boomer with his neighbor and best bud, Nate.

Remember that one time I made you do a 5K with me...

Don't judge.

Post Hurricane Michael. Hence the beer and the destroyed fence.

An Impromtu Kissimmee visit

It was an impromtu Panera visit just outside of Kissimmee. A Lego Land visit of all things brought us to visit this Panera. Like most things unplanned, this unplanned Panera visit was just a real nice surprise!

Let's dissect the visit.

How did we visit this Panera?
This requires a short back story. We were in town to visit Lego Land over the MLK weekend. It was - as most of my trips are - a short trip. Arrived in town late Friday - did the Lego Land thing on Saturday - and drove home Sunday morning. Truth be told - I enjoy planning meals - particularly on a trip. This trip, however, I did zero research, which explains the impromtu-ness of this Panera visit.

When we left on Sunday morning to drive home - we just got on the road and boldly declared "Let's just stop at a Starbucks".  The decision to stop at Sbux might seem counter productive for 2 boys under the age of 10 - but - a breakfast sandwich is a breakfast sandwich. And if the adults are happy on a 6 hour drive home, everyone benefits. Regarding the logistics of Sbux- I thought the decision would be fine - we were just outside of Orlando and why the hell wouldn't there be a plethora of Starbucks?

After some serious Yelping - it was determined there were not any conveniently obvious Sbux in sight. Which leads me to the Florida Turnpike. I mean, once you hit that - you are severely limited on options. So, we are about to hit the Turnpike and I see an exit with a Target and Panera and many other chains. We stop at that exit thinking - worse case scenario there's gotta be an Sbux in Target. Much to our surprise, there was zero obvious signage noting the SBux at Target. There was, however, a Panera just a stones throw away. The decision was made. Panera it is.

The Food.
Nothing super noteworthy on the decor, design, or layout. Very standard. We all had a breakfast sandwich. For me, I hold strong opinions on anything I order here (hence, the blog) - for Tipp and the boys, they just wanted a sandwich. I struggled with my order - it was roughly 9:30AM, and I am not a gigantic Panera breakfast fan. The boys ordered an Egg, Bacon and Cheese sandwich "scrambled egg" - apparently the Brioche bun is the standard bread but they were out - so they subbed with ciabatta. Tipp ordered an egg, ham and roasted tomato sandwich. I waivered on my order from a lunch item to a breakfast item and finally reluctantly ordered a ham, egg and cheese sandwich with an "over easy" egg.

The boys were over the moon about their sandwiches. While I am not one for ciabatta, the boys seemed to enjoy the sandwiches quite so. Tipp reported that her sandwich was good - but nothing over the top excited. My sandwich was good - but nothing you couldn't make at home.

Cal giving the thumbs up on his sandwich.

With the prominently placed baked goods and the gentle up sell of the sweets provided by the cashier - the boys won the battle and a chocolate muffin was purchased. Tipp and the boys split the muffin - (note I was superior and turned down the dessert). They reported that it was very good.

The Tea.
I started making a random note about the tea and realized this topic warranted it's own paragraph.
Good lord, almighty. The hot tea options at Panera are horrible. Can we agree - the hot tea at Panera sucks? Virtually the weakest tea I have ever purchased. My hot tea of choice - earl grey.
What I do like about the Panera hot tea: Autonomy. They try to make hot tea feel equal to coffee - as in - let's just leave the tea out for anyone to roam by and choose which tea they want - when they want it, just like coffee. So I like the autonomy given to me, a tea drinker. I can choose to refill when I want, as often as I want. Lovely! Unfortunately, the tea is too damn weak. I ended up topping off my tea before we got on the road again with 2 more tea bags.

Random Notes:

• I should really just have a random notes section, because I find this the most fun.
• Starbucks - their tea is invigorating. Is it the best ever? No. But damn good and damn reliable. 
• I probably visit Starbucks more than Panera these days - most notably due to the hot tea situation.
• Earl Grey - okay - so I think that's a somewhat random order. Did you know that at Starbucks, I would say conservatively - Earl Grey is sold out 40% of the time? I usually have to settle for an English Breakfast in that situation. English Breakfast is okay - but don't trust a barista that tells you it is basically the same as Earl Grey. They have sinister intentions. 
• Americano. Tipp swears by the Sbux Americano. She hasn't found another place that makes it better. She tried a coffee drink from Panera and was sorely disappointed.
• Constant menu changing - The Panera lunch menu name changes tends to get out of control. The changes they have made with lunch - I am not a fan of - the salads have become a complete disaster. The breakfast, however, I applaud the changes. Prior to the changes, the names were too over the top. For example, my ham, egg and cheese sandwich used to be called the "Power breakfast sandwich". Now they just name the ingredients. That makes more sense. 
• Sorry, can't stop talking about Starbucks in this post -----

The Craft Beverage Phenomenon

Why does everything have to be described as "craft" these days? Craft is one hell of a marketing term that instantly changes something from drab to fab. It's not just a beer these days, it is a craft beer. And in the case of Panera, it is not just an iced tea anymore, it is a "craft" beverage, with a plethora of options.

Have you noticed the tea upgrade at Panera in the last couple of years? Prior to Panera going all in on the "craft" tea phraseology, they dipped their toes in the water with the Acai tea and a green tea option. It must have taken off because now their is an entire row of iced tea options at Panera.

6 tea options. 

I don't like to brag, but...I am a bit of a tea snob...but mainly in an old crotchety way....not so much in a fun, hip way. I like an old-fashioned fresh-brewed unsweetened tea. A sure fire way to agitate me is to give me a fountain tea, but tell me it is fresh brewed. There is a huge difference. As a general rule,  I don't like flavored tea, but the only exception to the "I hate flavored tea" rule is the Acai tea from Panera. I do enjoy a splash of the Acai on my regular unsweetened tea from Panera.

As for the other "craft" beverages from Panera...Maybe I will try them for research purposes. Anyone else try them?

My meal featuring a plain Jane unsweet tea.

Random Notes:

• Was the Kraft brand way ahead of it's time? Should someone come along with "Craft Macaroni and Cheese"? There would be a variety of macaroni shapes and cheeses to choose from. 
• I find it amusing that there is a sign on the tea machines suggesting that you "enjoy with ice". Really? Do we need that prompt? 
• I like their Acai tea, but lately at the Panera's in my neighborhood, they make them very watery. So I don't see the point in adding the splash of Acai. 
• I still don't feel comfortable saying out loud "Acai". How in the hell do you pronounce it?

No Russian Hacker Needed -- This Blog Has Been Found!

Haven't we all heard the warning: Once you post something on the internet it will be there forever? 

For the last 4 years I have been searching for my long lost Panera Bread blog. Okay, I wasn't really searching for 4 years, but it was probably a good 3 or so months that I diligently tried to reunite with this blog. You see 4 years ago my domain Panerabreadaddict.com expired. When I purchased the domain I purchased it through Blogger -- a platform that I was unfamiliar with. So when it came time to renew I couldn't figure it out -- so it expired. Once it expired I couldn't access the blog at all. Not even the Blogger platform. It was perplexing to say the very least. 

After my initial search and recovery mission to gain access to the blog failed, I would intermittently check back to find the blog. I literally could not find anything. Like not even a trace of this blog - which made me question the whole "once you post something on the internet it stays there forever" theory. It also made me wonder if maybe Panera was suppressing my blog -- did I need to find a skilled Russian hacker to let my voice be heard?

Turns out no hacker needed. It's a long random story, but the short story is that Google Adsense sent me a letter requesting me to verify information on this account. (I don't want to brag - but I have several Google accounts) Anyway, after a number of login attempts - I finally gained access to this blog!!

To say I was excited is a complete understatement. Have you ever found something you thought you had lost? It was emotional.

I am now reunited with this blog and I am pretty damn excited to provide all sorts of insights. There have been so many changes at Panera since I have last posted. So stay tuned for updates.

Random Notes:

• Goals. I don't have a solid goal for my next few posts. When I first started the blog I was living in Columbus, OH and had a goal to visit all of the Central Ohio Panera Bread locations. Now that I live on the Panhandle of Florida, there aren't many locations to visit. I will still do it, obviously, but the challenge isn't that strong. I do know that I have some strong opinions on the salad situation at Panera.
• Forced eating. The day after I found this blog again, I forced myself to eat lunch at a Panera. I feel like there will be a lot of forced eating at Panera in the future. I remember making special trips while on road trips last time around to eat at Panera. That's highly likely again. 
• Twitter drama. My old handle was @paneraaddict. Lost those credentials too. Might need a hacker to find that info. For now I am locked out and have created a new handle @panera_addict. I actually like the underscore better. I hate when two vowels are together with out separation. It's confusing. 
• Map. Here's a map and listing of my new Panera locations on the radar. 

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Let's talk chicken salad sandwiches.

Virtually every cafe/deli in America sells it, and Panera is no different. For the past year or so, I have been on mission to find the best chicken salad. It is more of a self-proclaimed mission, and I have been rather silent about the search...but it is time to unleash my findings.

Let's first discuss the Panera version, known on the menu as the Napa Almond Chicken Salad on sesame semolina sandwich. I like it. Is it my favorite? Absolutely not. Top 5? Maybe. But it is a reliably good chicken salad sandwich that appeals to the masses. There is no secret kick to this recipe. It's not showy. Reliable. That's the best description I can come up with. It's like a Toyota Camry. Reliable. Efficient. Gets the job done. But certainly not showy. If you are in search of a good sandwich and are overwhelmed with the Panera menu board, I suggest the chicken salad sandwich.

The ingredients are as follows:
All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, diced celery, seedless grapes, almonds & their "special" dressing. Served with lettuce and tomato on sesame semolina bread. (I always opt for the whole grain)

Propaganda photo taken from Panera website.

Calorie wise, it's rather substantial at 700. But it does fill ya up. Which is key. 

Atlanta Bread Company

Moving along to Panera's rival...Atlanta Bread Co. I recently had the opportunity to try their version out. I got it at the Atlanta airport, so I am wondering if these ingredients are accurate...but this version had a dijon mustard taste to it. Odd? Yes. Good? I thought so.

If I had to compare between ABC or Panera, I think I would choose ABC. I like a little kick in my food, and the ABC version offered that kick. The sandwich also included lettuce, tomato, and onion. I think onion was the key factor for me. Since I soon boarded a flight post indulging in the sandwich laced with onions, I can imagine my fellow flight passengers wished I opted against the onions.

Here are ABC's ingredients:


Nutritionals: They claim it only has 440 calories. 


Random Note:
This post was sitting in my draft folder for 4 years! I re-read the post and still believe I am spot on.