Just wash it down with a fishbowl...The UD Panera review.



The front entrance.

 I had an unexpected, very random visit to my alma mater, UD. I had to be in the Dayton area today for work...and I made detour to the UD Panera, located on Brown St.

Though I was tempted to call it a day and relive the glory years, with a fishbowl at The Fieldhouse, I made my way into the Panera for a late lunch. (Late for me at least. It was 1:30)

If you don't remember, I talked about this Panera location in my very first blog post. It was this Panera that I DESPISED going to during my college years. As I discussed in detail in that posting, I always thought Panera was too expensive.

My first impression upon walking into this Panera, was....wow, I am OLD! Not surprisingly, the place was swarming with college kids. Most of them were dressed quintessentially college casual...sweat pants, sweat shirts...and some even in shorts! As it was 1:30, I can imagine many of them had just woken up from a rough Thursday night...and decided to get a meal in them before the Friday night festivities began.

Either way, it was borderline annoying. I tend to dislike a crowded Panera, and a crowded Panera filled with college students, certainly didn't get my goat.

Back to the review.
Date/Time of visit: Feb. 18, 1:30PM
Those in attendance: just me
Items ordered: Thai Chicken Salad that came with a baguette...and of course the unsweet tea.



The food

 I had been hearing a lot of good things about the Thai Chicken Salad that appeared on the menu a few months ago...so out of curiosity, and for the sake of this blog, I ordered it. I would rank it as good...but I don't think I would order again. The ginger dressing is quite deceiving. At first bite, you think it is sweet. By the time you have had a few bites, you feel that kick of spice from seemingly nowhere! I enjoyed that aspect...but, I will warn my non-spicy food loving friends that you probably can't handle that salad. Sorry, that's just a fact.

The My Panera card came in handy again today...as I had accrued a free drink! I happily cashed in on that, as my total bill came to $10.37. But with the My Panera free drink, it came in at just under $9. (Another reason the salad will not be ordered again)

Despite the crowd, I was able to find a nice quiet table near the window facing Brown Street. It was fun people watching.

Random NOTES.

• The napkin situation was a nightmare. Typically, when you get your food at a Panera, they have two napkins on the plate for you. That wasn't the case today. They did not put the napkins on my plate. I looked around the prep area and didn't see any napkins there either. So I started walking toward my table, and noticed there was an island that had the coffee and sugars, straws, etc. I looked all over that area, and still no napkins. I decided to forgo the napkins for this meal. Thankfully, a salad doesn't require much napkin usage, so I survived.
• So, I ordered the Thai Chicken Salad today...and literally 3 hours later, I get a text from my friend Schramms, who lives in Orlando, that she just ordered that very same salad for the first time! What are the chances? She ordered hers takeout, and commented on how much of a rip-off the Panera take-home containers are. I concur.
• Community Rooms...yes that's PLURAL! They had not one, but two community rooms. One in the back and one in the front. I guess that's for the campus lifestyle? Not sure.
• This trip makes me want to do a Dayton bar hop. Would anyone like to go over there sometime soon?



Some of us drinking the a fishbowl last year @ The Fieldhouse.