Where's the butter? (Avery Road Panera. Dublin)

The entrance and the sample table.

This is my first Panera post in which I must report disappointment. I was quite excited for this visit, as this Panera is located in a very nice area of Dublin and this was my very first visit to this site. The reason for my disappointment revolves around 2 things: 1. The food I selected 2. The overall ambiance of this Panera.

The REVIEW.

Date visited: 1/27/11
Time of day: 5:30PM
Those in attendance: Myself and Abby
Items ordered:
Me: Pick 2...Grilled cheese and the steak chili, whole wheat baguette, unsweet tea...and large quantity of butter.
Abby: Pick 2...Grilled cheese, creamy tomato soup, whole wheat baguette, water w/lemon

I knew that I was going to Panera all day, so I had already decided to order something different from the menu tonight. Because it is freezing outside, chili sounded like a great idea...and a nice grilled cheese sandwich goes great with a bowl of chili. Abby, the vegetarian, chose a grilled cheese as well and opted for the tomato soup, for obvious reasons.

The very blah grilled cheese...but note the corn bread on my chili.

Immediately after ordering the grilled cheese, I had my doubts about the quality of this grilled cheese. I thought to myself, "Is Panera really someplace that would make a good grilled cheese?" In my many years of ordering grilled cheese sandwiches, I have found that the best place to get a grilled cheese is at a greasy spoon diner. A good rule of thumb with grilled cheeses...the fancier you make them, the worse they are. A grilled cheese sandwich in my mind, should be cooked on an iron skillet, with the standard american cheese slice, and drenched with REAL butter. Panera's formula is this: take 2 pieces of customers bread of choice, throw on on slice of cheese of choice, and press in the panini machine. Bland doesn't begin to describe this sandwich. WHERE'S THE BUTTER?

The chili on the other hand, was a delightful surprise. They call it steak chili, and include a little bit of cornbread on top. Although I like my chili a little spicy, this chili was made to appeal to the masses. So it was very tame...but good.

The LAYOUT.
It was a unanimous decision that this layout is off-putting. I can't decide if it is the layout, the color palette chosen (Browns, oranges), or perhaps the time of day. Whatever the case, I don't think I will be back. I wonder if it was just the time of day...the dinner rush had a lot of families tonight. Kind of loud, and non-relaxing.

Random notes.

• Our cashier was by far the friendliest, nicest, and most attractive Panera cashier I have ever seen. He was friendly, funny, and even allowed us to order the grilled cheese and chili as a "Pick 2" even though it's not on the menu.
• It would have been nice to include a picture of the cashier, but I think it would have been really weird to A) take his picture and B) explain why I am taking it
• This Panera had an interesting "bar" seating area, that is perfect for your laptop. (See photo)
• There were a group of old ladies sitting a couple of tables over. As they left the building they snatched up a few more of the free samples. One of the ladies seemed to unnecessarily keep using the tongs to distribute the free samples.
• Abby snagged her tights on the chair at the table.
• Abby also thought she recognized a gentleman at the restaurant...as I write this, she still hasnt figured out who he is.  

To date, I have been to 6 Columbus area Panera's of the 19. I have also been to 2 Florida Paneras.
Stay tuned for my next Panera review. There is talk of a visit to the Clintonville site, this weekend.