rev:text
| - Artisano Bakery reminds me a lot of Panera Bread. The concept is very similar: artisan sandwiches, soups, salads and baked goods. You order at the cashier, and they give you a buzzer that lights up when your food is ready. I recently discovered this location right where I work, so suddenly, my weekday lunch possibilities appear infinitely more appealing.
There is a half sandwich and soup/salad option, so I ordered a steak and provolone panini with a side of corn chowder. The sandwich featured steak, fire dried tomatoes, grilled eggplant, caramelized red onions and provolone cheese with a horseradish mayonnaise. I absolutely loved the onion focaccia because it was so dense and rich with flavours. The steak was tender and the onions, tomatoes and eggplant were lovely accompaniments to delicious meat.
My corn chowder was sweet, creamy, and satisfying. In addition to being loaded with corn, the soup also had chunks of carrots and potato. The soups are served with a piece of baguette, but I didn't eat any of it because I was so full already from the soup and sandwich.
My friend's order of Southern pulled pork sandwich was also quite good: pulled pork smothered with Artisano BBQ sauce and topped with freshly made coleslaw, all piled onto a Calabrese bun. She opted for a split pea soup as her side. The portion of both the half sandwich and soup was quite large, definitely bigger than Panera bread. The split pea soup was super thick and full of hearty goodness. Although $9.49 for a sandwich combo is quite pricey, I can definitely taste the quality of the ingredients.
After one visit, I'm already quite in love with this place, especially since it's near my workplace. Though it's not exactly cheap, the high-quality sandwiches, soups and salads define perfect lunch food for me!
|