Recently I had the opportunity to review Panera Bakery and Cafe soups with the aid of The Daily Food Buzz and the free $10 gift card them supplied me.  The weather here in the North East is turning definitely to winter with the winds picking up and the snowing starting to swirl around.  What’s the best way to warm up from the inside out? A hot bowl of soup. My soup of choice was the French Onion.  The French Onion soup had a rich broth and a sprinkle of cheese with a good balance of flavors, not too salty like some restaurant soups tend to be. The soup is served in a bread bowl and served with a bagette so there’s a lot of bread even though you are offered other choices, like an apple.  The flavor was rich but did not have a bitter or overwhelming onion flavor, this comes from using quality ingredients and a long, slow cooking process.  According to panerabread.com “French Onion soup is simmered in a light beef broth with the essence of tomato” which is an unusual yet very flavorful addition.  The simmering enhances the depth of flavor and brings out the natural sweetness of the onions.  Making French Onion soup at home is time consuming and doesn’t always turn out right each time. But at Panera you can get a delicious, tummy warming bowl of French Onion soup when no other soup will do. And you get to eat your dish!!

The $10 gift card was more than enough to pay for the bread bowl of soup — enough for me to go back for seconds.