Did You Want Fries With That?

I finally get to review my first mac n' cheese that was made heated up for me at a restaurant!  I don't mind cooking (and I tend to do a good percentage of the home cooking) but there is something nice about going somewhere and just having (hopefully tasty) food served to you on occasion.  Most places that I'm going to find mac n' cheese will only be enjoyed at the restaurant, but with today's option, I got to bring it home.  My dinner came from a chain restaurant called Panera.  Panera is a bakery/cafe that does their own bagels, breads, pastries and all kinds of cafe meals (soups, salads & sandwiches). These guys are located all over the country and are a franchise operation.  They also do all kinds of seasonal stuff so they've got different things pretty much monthly.  It's a higher quality 'fast food' chain and luckily for me, they've got a mac n' cheese that needs reviewing!

The Review

Brand:
Panera's 'Signature Pasta' Mac & Cheese

 

Price:
$4.99 (Small)  $7.99 (Large)

Packaging Description:
Made with shell pasta and tangy Vermont white cheddar cheese sauce.  (From the Panera website)

Preparation:
*Walk into Panera Bread.
*Wait in line to place order.
*Tell the employee you'd like some mac n' cheese (don't forget to designate a small or large order)
*Pay 'em!

*If you're eating in, you get a number, find a table, sit and they'll bring you your bowl.

*If you're going home to eat, slide on down and wait at the counter.  They will call your name (no, they aren't psychic, but they did take your name when you were placing your to go order) and present your food wrapped and ready for travel.



All secured for travel abroad.



*Get home, bust out the provided spoon and remove the cover.

*Commence with the nomming!

Why are you still here?  Shouldn't you be at the taste section?  Oh you want to know how they actually prepare it. Well first a mommy mac and a daddy cheese who were in love decided ... (being afraid to venture into Rule 34 territority I'm stopping there.  If you don't know what Rule 34 is save your eyes the pain of a ruined everything and be happy there is something you don't know.)  

Still not what you wanted?  I was prepared for that and I asked the tough questions to the nice employee was getting my meal together.  I'm relaying what she told me, so if something's off I will claim faulty memory on my part (yeah right!), or her complete lack of understanding the importance of knowing the inner workings of Panera's mac n' cheese making and preparation to the internets and my faithful readers.

Panera's mac n' cheese comes pre-cooked in single serve vacuum sealed pouches.  This mac n' cheese just needs to be re-heated before being served.  They don't, according to the very nice lady who prepared my dinner last night, heat these up until just after the order is placed for food safety issues. 

All heated up and  just waiting to be unleashed on the world

They've got some fancy contraption that heats them up quickly (I'm guessing a boiling water system) in a kitchen behind the big stainless steel door.  Once they are heated up, the bags are brought up to the counter where they are cut open and the contents are placed into their temporary home.  I asked her if there are different sized bags and she said that they've only got the one size.  So if you order a large mac, you'll get two pouches.  She made a point to mention that the food is based on weight, as some people have gotten upset that their containers aren't full (hello first world problems) and thus felt they were being shorted our favorite meal and have to be shown by the preparer that they weren't at the short end of a small scooping disgruntled employee (As you can see in my picture below, the cup does not runnith over, even for a small order).



One small mac n' cheese kind sir!



Taste:

This is a creamy mac n' cheese that does have a nice bit of a zing to it thanks to using white cheddar cheese for its cheesy base.  It's not a stringy cheese type sauce but it's a nice thick one that coats well.  The noodles to me come across a little over cooked, but it's nothing that ruins the meal by any stretch. 

Final Score:

I've had this a few times and been very impressed with it and also felt that it was a bit lacking at other times.  I guess that I've gotten the top and bottom of the vat (way to sound appetizing there Steve).  What I really like about this mac n' cheese is that it has a nice zing and it's really filling.  It's a bit expensive for the size, but Panera does have a 'You Pick Two' combo where you can get it and a small salad or a half sandwich for a few bucks more, which is what I normally do with this.  The small is a nice side dish meal. 

Nutritional Information:

Coming soon!

Info is being compiled off the Panera website and some math needs to being done, as the only nutritional info listed on the site is the large size.