PalenQ

French friend visiting for the holidays went to Panera Bread here and said that the bread for the sandwich she had was "better than most any bread in bakeries in France"!

Wow - she said it tasted better than what one would expect in France.

Wonder if Panera Bread should open stores in France?

nukesafe

I honestly had never heard of Panera Bread before you mentioned it. I looked it up on line, and there are apparently 250 bakeries in the chain in the U.S. There is one 20 miles from our home in Washington State, up near the Canadian border. so I will give it a try.

I find it hard, however, to believe they are better than those in France. Even if it comes close, it will be a relief from most American imitation breads.

PalenQ

nuke - Panera used to be called the Saint Louis Bread Company and the goal was to make the best bread possible, on a large scale and perhaps they have?

Avalon2

I've had it and I'll pass for a real French baguette in a New York minute!!!

logos999

Too bad, they don't sell food in the US. It's impossible to get decent cheese, Quark, Harzer Roller,..., the essential foods that supply proteins. I'd give anything for quark. Bread is the smallest of your food problems!
I'd bring food from home, but then, most likely customs will take it from me.
Who needs white bread.

adrienne

I'd never eat in Panera again. The bread I've had is OK but nothing to rave about. They put tons of sugar in their food; everything they make is super sweet.

The last time I stopped at Panera I got a chicken salad sandwich. I took one bite and wanted to know where the chicken went to; did it fly away before it got to the sandwich? The sandwich was mostly super sweet salad dressing (instead of mayo) and a few grapes. Tiny bit of chicken.

nukesafe - save your gas and time for something worthwhile.

nukesafe

Had to look both those up online, logos. The Quark sounds like cottage cheese, which I detest, only unsalted. The Harzer Roller, flavored with caraway sounds interesting, though.

I can't argue about your assessment of most American cheeses. A few artisanal cheese makers in our area Pacific North West) are trying; but have a long way to go.

logos999

Quark isn't cottage cheese. It's what you use for a cheesecake. Eat 500g to a kilo a day. Makes boys strong and women pretty. Bread otoh is not really needed anyway.

Challiman

I really like Panera bread, but sure wouldn't say the baguettes are better than in France. I eat there regularly and haven't ever had anything I didn't like.

StCirq

Panera is generally gross, and their "baguettes" don't hold a candle to anything you can buy in France.

Quark is readily available at farmers' markets all over the USA, at least here in the NE/mid-Atlantic. It's nothing to rave about -- boring, bland cheese.

Challiman

LOL, big differences in opinions on this one!

emily71

Funny my dads friend who is a Frenchman swears by the bread at Le Pan Quotidian- saying it's closest to the bread in France.

Michael

<i>I can't argue about your assessment of most American cheeses.</i>

Most in amount but not in the number of cheeses. There is probably a greater variety of artisanal cheeses than there are "industrial" cheeses, but they represent only a very small portion of the market. If in the SF Bay Area, I recommend a visit to the cheese section of Rainbow Grocery in SF.

Michael

<i>Funny my dads friend who is a Frenchman swears by the bread at Le Pan Quotidian- saying it's closest to the bread in France.</i>

I think that Le Pain Quotidien exists in Paris.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s....1.tE1BFjj20SQ

Golemtoo

I think that Le Pain Quotidien exists in Paris.

It is a chain from Belgium so it is Belch. They should be careful, they could give chains a good name. First time we saw one was in Rome and now there are four or five within wlaking distance of the apartment.

Scootoir

We have both Le Pain Quotidien and Panera Bread within 10 miles of home and visit them regularly. Panera has good soups and bread but the baguettes are NOT as good as I have had in France. Best baguettes ever were at Chateau de Rochecotte in the Loire.

logos999

Do Fodorites actually still know how good food tastes? Try to stay away fron industrial food for a few years and your tastebuds and your body weight should return to "normal". It's that easy. The vast majority eats garbage made eatable with flavor enhancers.
There's not a chance discussing food quality, because people don't actually know, how food is supposed to taste.

Golemtoo

Try to stay away fron industrial food for a few years

But would what I do with my forklift?

We live in a neighborhood where we shop in the European tradition where the bakery, cheese, meat,wine, and produce are all in different stores on different streets. Unfortunately, it kills most of the day.

Ackislander

"There's not a chance discussing food quality, because people don't actually know, how food is supposed to taste."

Why then don't you go away and save your vitriol for a topic on which you have something informed to say?

Michael

<i>The vast majority eats garbage made eatable with flavor enhancers</i>

Perhaps of the American population as a whole, but travelers, including posters on this forum, who appreciate the food of other countries might be more discriminating,