We had been to a Panera Bread once with my parents in Brandon, but only for coffee and maybe some of the free samples of fresh pastries, and really had no idea what a great place to get lunch it was. So, today we found out. I know, for those of you already familiar with this place, feel free to say, Duh at your convenience.
Since we were in the area anyway, we stopped into the Panera in Lincoln Heights. I assure you with the assistance of my wife, I was properly attired for the visit into '09 and no residents of the area were offended by my presence. She can't take me anywhere!
I really like the set-up of the place. I guess you get the all the benefits of a Starbucks, what with the coffee, pastry and Wi-Fi hotspot, without all the obligatory not-very attractive people who sit there looking overly smart waiting to engage in conversations about, well, I don't know what they talk about. But in this place, the people sitting at booths and tables looked normal. Many on laptops or writing notes from books, and others just enjoying a conversation with a grandmother or spouse.
When we walked in, there was not a single person in front of us in line to order and of course, that sends me into an immediate panic. When confronted with a new menu, my mind simply begins to spin for fear of ordering something crappy only to look up a minute later and see exactly what I wanted. So, I did the responsible thing when another customer came in and asked them to order ahead of us. My wife on the other hand got on the phone and called our daughter (who is a Panera regular) and asked her what she should order. Right down to the lemonade and potato chips. By the time I figured out my order, an entire crowd of people came in but luckily, we were ready to go rather than have to have a flood of people rush the counter.
On the suggestion of my daughter, my wife got the Bacon Turkey Bravo on Tomato Basil Bread. Smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes and dressing. Solid choice! My wife was doing her happy dance and offering me bites of the thick sandwich before I could even start on my order. We both sort of thought that the sandwiches would come toasted (sort of like Schlotskies) but they didn't, and in fact, the soft, fresh bread was really a bonus.
I ordered up the Italian Combo on Ciabatta. It is oven-roasted beef, smoked turkey breast, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, peperoncini, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and their special sauce. I don't know what a peperoncini is, but it had a little kick to it, and I liked it! When you order the full sandwich, as opposed to a half order, believe me, you will not leave hungry. Like any good sandwich place, they do not skimp on the meats. If I was smart, I would have had just half the sandwich and saved the other half for later. But no; it was good and I simply gorged myself, ate my bag of chips and both my pickle spear and my wife's. It's a wonder I fit through the door on the way out.
Turns out, if you purchase a $25 gift card, they will give you half a sandwich and cup of soup combo. Too bad we didn't know that before we ate. But my wife has lunch for tomorrow. And they gave my wife a cookie just for being chatty with the manager.
Oh, I think it is reasonable to see a famous person if you are in a restaurant in Lincoln Heights or Alamo Heights or any of the other fancy places where celebrities hang out. I figured, maybe we would see Tommy Lee Jones or a Spur or two. Do you remember that time we saw Rod Stewart* at Good Time Charlies? Well not to be outdone, we saw the lady who plays the wife on the TV show Still Standing, Jamie Gertz*. We didn't bother her for her autograph.
So the big question is this: Will we get a Panera Bread in the Alamo Ranch? Apparently not. According to my wife's insider source (the same guy who gave her a cookie) they plan to build several more Panera' in San Antonio, but the closest one to us will be on Bandera Road. I guess.
Great atmosphere, wonderful vittles and delicious lemonade gets Panera Bread the Tasty Treat!
*Not really. Just people who look like stars.
Mark another one off the list... and get me to a cardiologist, Stat!
I have been wanting to try Good Time Charlie's for years but just never made it for whatever reason, and since we were in the area anyway, decided to pop-in for a quick dinner.
I liked the place as soon as we walked in, what with the well worn look of a diner that hasn't been made over by consultants every few years. Lots of stuff on walls (a requirement for me to be able to eat, for inexplicable reasons), but nothing that was distracting. We weren't sure how the place worked so we sort of stood in the door way for a minute or so and finally my wife grabbed a few menus and we found a table.
Right away, I was pleased that the waitstaff was made up of normal, non-uniformed folks with pleasant attitudes and fast! No sooner had we sat down and our waitress was taking our drink order. I also observed that the waitresses helped one another out with filling water and tea glasses, and removing plates. Everyone seemed to have a good flow to running the place, and I like that efficiency.
We noticed a group of ladies seated across the room from us, mostly wearing purple outfits and all festooned with fancy red hats. I later asked one of the ladies what the deal was, and it turns out they are a bunch of gals who like to meet to wear hats and eat. Sounds like a plan, but I don't have any red hats, and I'm not fifty. I do have the eating part down.
Anyway, to get started, we ordered what is called Nuts and Bolts. Let me save you the dictionary search. Onion rings, fried mushrooms and fried zucchini served with delicious Ranch dressing and the same gravy you put on chicken fried steak. Served piping hot directly from the vat of grease, you just know it can't be good for you. The onions rings were good, the mushrooms were good, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fried zucchini when dipped in Ranch. If you want to go for just a snack, order up a pitcher of draft beer, get the Nuts and Bolts and you'll be set. Oh, and get something for your date.
The menu is loaded with options - chicken fried steak, catfish, burgers, salads and more, but we were trying to eat light, especially given the platter of heart disease we started with.
My wife decided to order the chicken fingers and split them with me, let me have the green beans and then she would have some of my entree. Starting with the green beans; don't waste your time. There was no taste to them at all, and I left most of them sitting on the plate. So much for anything healthy coming from dinner. The potatoes were okay and the chicken fingers were simply, non-remarkable. Nothing special about them - though certainly a generous portion.
When I saw the Bacon Cheese Franks on the menu, I was visualizing two hot dogs - in hot dog buns, maybe wrapped in bacon or covered in bacon bits, then covered in cheese. I was totally not expecting it to be served on a hamburger bun. But never the less, it looked pretty darn good. I liked that they are able to dress it like a regular bacon cheese burger - just hot dogs for meat.
Okay, not a good idea. My wife and I agreed that, aside from the goodness of the bacon and the fixin's, the fried hot dog taste just didn't work for us. Oh sure, we ate it...
Overall, I think Good Time Charlie's has a great atmosphere, excellent waitstaff and I'm sure we could have easily tried any of the different menu items and been totally thrilled with the place. But for this time around, we just wanted to get out and maybe go jog a few miles in hopes of putting off the inevitable triple bypass. I mean, it really is good home cooking - assuming mom is a fry chef at a truck stop.
On the other hand, Rod Stewart eats there, so we could be wrong.
Since we were in the area anyway, we stopped into the Panera in Lincoln Heights. I assure you with the assistance of my wife, I was properly attired for the visit into '09 and no residents of the area were offended by my presence. She can't take me anywhere!
I really like the set-up of the place. I guess you get the all the benefits of a Starbucks, what with the coffee, pastry and Wi-Fi hotspot, without all the obligatory not-very attractive people who sit there looking overly smart waiting to engage in conversations about, well, I don't know what they talk about. But in this place, the people sitting at booths and tables looked normal. Many on laptops or writing notes from books, and others just enjoying a conversation with a grandmother or spouse.
When we walked in, there was not a single person in front of us in line to order and of course, that sends me into an immediate panic. When confronted with a new menu, my mind simply begins to spin for fear of ordering something crappy only to look up a minute later and see exactly what I wanted. So, I did the responsible thing when another customer came in and asked them to order ahead of us. My wife on the other hand got on the phone and called our daughter (who is a Panera regular) and asked her what she should order. Right down to the lemonade and potato chips. By the time I figured out my order, an entire crowd of people came in but luckily, we were ready to go rather than have to have a flood of people rush the counter.
On the suggestion of my daughter, my wife got the Bacon Turkey Bravo on Tomato Basil Bread. Smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes and dressing. Solid choice! My wife was doing her happy dance and offering me bites of the thick sandwich before I could even start on my order. We both sort of thought that the sandwiches would come toasted (sort of like Schlotskies) but they didn't, and in fact, the soft, fresh bread was really a bonus.
I ordered up the Italian Combo on Ciabatta. It is oven-roasted beef, smoked turkey breast, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, peperoncini, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and their special sauce. I don't know what a peperoncini is, but it had a little kick to it, and I liked it! When you order the full sandwich, as opposed to a half order, believe me, you will not leave hungry. Like any good sandwich place, they do not skimp on the meats. If I was smart, I would have had just half the sandwich and saved the other half for later. But no; it was good and I simply gorged myself, ate my bag of chips and both my pickle spear and my wife's. It's a wonder I fit through the door on the way out.
Turns out, if you purchase a $25 gift card, they will give you half a sandwich and cup of soup combo. Too bad we didn't know that before we ate. But my wife has lunch for tomorrow. And they gave my wife a cookie just for being chatty with the manager.
Oh, I think it is reasonable to see a famous person if you are in a restaurant in Lincoln Heights or Alamo Heights or any of the other fancy places where celebrities hang out. I figured, maybe we would see Tommy Lee Jones or a Spur or two. Do you remember that time we saw Rod Stewart* at Good Time Charlies? Well not to be outdone, we saw the lady who plays the wife on the TV show Still Standing, Jamie Gertz*. We didn't bother her for her autograph.
Great atmosphere, wonderful vittles and delicious lemonade gets Panera Bread the Tasty Treat!
