4910 Telephone Road Ventura, CA 93003
Today I venture over to Panera Bread for the first time. They've been open a few years here in Ventura, I just never had the chance to go there.. I decided on today because they are doing a fundraiser where a portion of your bill goes to support The Kingdom Center, a transitional housing complex to help the homeless get on their feet.
When I walked in for lunch, I immediately noticed they have a pretty expansive menu of specialty items. When I told the cashier it was my first time there she suggested I order the "Pick 2" combo in which you get two half portions of just about anything on the menu. Good idea!
For my selections I ordered a Tuna Salad Sandwich and the All-Natural Sonoma Chicken Stew.
The Tuna Salad Sandwich is described as a sandwich using their special recipe tuna salad, leaf lettuce, tomatoes and red onions and salt and pepper on a whole grain bread that is sweetened with honey.
I was pleasantly surprised with the sandwich! The tuna tasted freshly made, it sure didn't taste like it came from a package or it was left over from the day before. It was cold, crisp and refreshing. I was also impressed with the produce on the sandwich. The lettuce, tomato and onion all seemed fresh and of high quality.
The Sonoma Chicken Stew is described as a creamy chicken stew with carrots, peas, leeks, red potatoes with sweet cream and thyme topped with a jack cheese biscuit.
A simple way of describing this stew is a chicken pot pie in a bowl with a biscuit on top. I was kinda expecting more from this item flavor wise. I wanted something to explode in my mouth and say, "wow! that was good" but it really didn't happen. The chicken itself was tasty, but it seemed minimal. I'd say only about 3 bites had chicken on it. The base of the stew was more creamy than soupy (which is why I compared it to a pot pie) and the base seemed like it needed more spices. The jack cheese biscuit on top was good. It made for a nice ending to this dish.
The meal included a baguette, apple or a bag of potato chips. I chose the baguette and was not disappointed It had a firm crust and the inside the nice and fluffy.
Overall I enjoyed the experience. The employees were very friendly and attentive. The food seemed of high quality and carefully prepared. I really enjoyed the tuna sandwich and the breads. I'd pass on the chicken stew next time, but I'd be curious to try something else off of their expansive menu.
