Pre-Wedding lunch at Lewis Center Panera

My good friend, David, invited me to a wedding in Tiffin, Ohio recently. When discussing the details as to when we leave and how we get there, I was excited to learn that we would drive directly past a Panera on Rt. 23! I kept this news to myself, until we made final plans...and casually mentioned that we should have lunch beforehand. He agreed. I then non-chalantly mentioned that we could stop at the Lewis Center Panera on Rt. 23. By that point I was caught...but he still agreed to go. I think he secretly wanted to be mentioned on this blog, if you ask me.

That morning of the wedding, another one of my friends, Candy called to see if I wanted to go to the New Albany Panera for breakfast. It seems I was double-booked for Panera visits. As luck would have it, Candy agreed to join David and I at the Lewis Center location.

The REVIEW.
Date visited: Saturday, April 30
Time of day: 11 ish
Those in attendance/items ordered:
Me: Chopped Chicken Cobb (my new obsession), unsweet tea, baguette
Candy: Greek salad and it appears like a lemonade?
David: Cuban chicken pannini, chips, and mt. dew

The location of this Panera is difficult to enter heading north-bound, as it is located on the left-hand side of the road. The entrances are confusing, and slightly dangerous. The layout is very similar to the Panera on Sawmill/161, however, this Panera is a free-standing unit.

Random NOTES.

• I actually made notes on my blackberry about this visit because there were so many random notes to mention, but I have since switched cell phones, and lost this in the switch.
• Candy was a bit late in meeting us. (Shocking)
• We discussed blogs during our meal. Abby, who is our mutual friend and frequently mentioned on this blog, also has a blog. Candy admitted to not reading the Panera blog or Abby's blog. I won't lose sleep over that confession. She did mention that she doesn't have time to read blogs, and can just read one blog...her chiropractor's wife's. Hmm.....interesting. What?
• I have decided to refer to Candace as "Candy" in this blog, only because she won't read it.
• The bathrooms were tricky...you couldn't tell if someone was in the stall or not. I accidentally walked in on an elderly lady. I felt terrible.
• This was also the day after the "royal wedding" of Prince William. We discussed our thoughts on the dress.

Diversity day in Bexley

For the past couple of months, I have been looking for a new place to move. During this process, Deb (my mom), decided to join me in my search efforts.

Now, I think by this point, Deb has accepted the consequences of hanging out with me on a Saturday morning. Generally speaking, any type of excursion with me requires some sort of a meal as one of the main events. Since the creation of this blog...that means Panera. Thankfully, Deb is a fan of Panera.

Bexley was next on my list, and seemed like it would be a nice area, so off we went.

Here are some of the high points...

Date of visit: April 2

Time of day: 11:30ish

Items ordered:

Me: Cuban chicken panini + black bean soup +  wheat baguette + unsweet tea 

Deb: Sierra Turkey + Chili + Hazelnut coffee

Random Notes.

• As you are driving down the main drag in Bexley (East Broad) you notice that the area is separated from extremely wealthy to extremely poor. While we were driving to Bexley we started out through the 'poor' side of town. Admittedly, we were a little concerned about where we were going to have this meal...and we were pleasantly surprised when we pulled up to the quaint neighborhood that this Panera sits.
• I have never seen such a heavily diverse crowd at a Panera...ever.
• The bathrooms were difficult to find. Both Deb and I tried to find the bathrooms on separate occasions and both walked toward the same wrong wall.

Final note...
Loved the layout. Enjoyed the area. Would like to go back for a summer visit to enjoy their patio/people watching.