Panera stores in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton areas are saying thanks to local police, firefighters and EMTs with free You Pick Two combos all day Tuesday and Wednesday.

From Panera's website:

Hooray for our community heroes! For two days in February, we’ll be recognizing all the local police, firefighters and EMTs that selflessly dedicate themselves — and even put their lives in danger — to keep us safe. To show these northeastern Ohio heroes how much we appreciate them, Panera Bread® bakery-cafes will be treating them to a free You Pick Two® — on us! It’s a small way to say thanks for the big jobs they do every day. We also hope you’ll find some way to let them know how grateful we all are for their service and bravery.

Check Panera's site for the list of participating locations. Locally, the stores in Mayfield Heights, Highland Heights, Willoughby, Mentor and Bainbridge Township are in on the offer. Note: The email I got alerting me to the offer states those seeking the complimentary meal need to wear a uniform, present a service ID or show their badge, and the offer is limited to one per guest per day.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Rainy, cool days like today put me in the mood for soup, and luckily Giant Eagle is doing all the work for me.

Through Wednesday, with your Giant Eagle Advantage Card, you can pick up a 24 oz. container of soup, a 10 oz. container of salad, an Old World French baguette and a 1.5 liter of Pepsi for just $6.49 -- the price of the soup alone.

This deal is a TOTAL steal, and very tasty. I've had the chili and chicken noodle soup, and today I'm trying out the chicken tortilla soup, which I have heard is delicious.

I'm not sure if the deal is good at all Giant Eagle locations, but it is on at the Mentor and Willoughby stores.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

During the summer, former co-worker Dom Anselmo and I went to Chagrin Falls to get some Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. It. Was. Incredible. We reviewed the ice cream on this blog, and even just talking about it now makes me want to go back for some more.

If our blog post didn't convince you that the ice cream is amazing and you have to try it, consider that Vice President Joe Biden tasted it this week during his visit to Central Ohio (where Jeni's is based).

Jay LePrete/Associated Press

Vice President Joe Biden enjoys a double scoop ice cream

cone from Jeni Britton Bauer, owner of Jeni's Splendid Ice

Creams, at the North Market in Columbus on Thursday.

From The Associated Press:

Vice President Joe Biden took in some local fare as he stopped at an indoor farmer’s market during a visit to central Ohio.
Biden noshed on locally made Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams during the brief stop at North Market in downtown Columbus, ordering vanilla and dark chocolate flavors in a waffle cone and chatting with owner Jeni Britton Bauer.
Biden, accompanied by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, also talked with employees and shoppers inside the market and sampled some popcorn and a Belgian waffle.
Biden was in Ohio to talk about college affordability at a separate event held at a suburban high school earlier in the day.
Later Thursday, he planned to attend a fundraising event at the Athletic Club of Columbus.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

This time of year always brings back memories from my stint as a crew member at McDonald’s.

We had a lot of fun year-round, like when we sent a new co-worker to the supply room to get seeds for the buns.

But my favorite bit came during the holidays.

McDonald’s had a deal in which customers could get a discount on a VHS tape of a Christmas movie or a mainstream offering if they bought an extra-value meal. One year it was “Dances with Wolves,” and the other it was “Field of Dreams.”

This was in the early 1990s, so there was no live streaming or Internet pirating, and cable pay-per-view had a small selection. VHS was the main medium for home viewing.

We had the movies playing on a loop from a monitor we put on the counter. We had to stop “Dances with Wolves” and replace it, though. Apparently there is a scene that you wouldn’t want to see while eating. Because the monitor was facing the dining room, I never saw it. I haven’t since, either, so I still don’t know what happened that would ruin one’s appetite.

A guy who worked the drive-through had the most fun with the tapes. We were told to suggestive sell the movies -- suggestive sell is McDonald’s jargon for “Would you like fries with that?”

He took suggestive selling and ran with it. He suggestive sold to everyone, no matter what they ordered. For example:

My-coworker in the drive-through: “Welcome to McDonald’s. Can I take your order?”

Customer: “Yeah, I’d just like a medium coffee with two creams.”

Co-worker: “OK, that’s a medium coffee, two creams. Would you like to buy a Christmas video with that? We have “Field of Dreams” and “Babes in Toyland.”

Customer: “Uh, no. Just the coffee, please.”

Co-worker: “Great! That’s one medium coffee with two creams and a Christmas video. Your total is $16.97 at the first drive-through window.”

Customer: “No! I only wanted a coffee!”

Sometimes he had us laughing so hard that customers inside the restaurant who couldn’t hear the conversation would wonder what was going on.

I’m guessing the customers in the cars weren’t laughing as hard. But we thought it was funny.

I recently drove past the old store. It’s been torn down and rebuilt with two drive-through lanes. I can only imagine what my co-worker could have done with that.

- Howard Primer

I know it's the season for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but I've recently been cheating on this fall favorite with Salted Caramel Mochas.

But, honestly, how can you choose between these two?

The Pumpkin Spice Latte:

Espresso, pumpkin-flavored syrup and steamed milk. Topped with sweetened whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices.

The Salted Caramel Mocha:

Espresso and steamed milk, blended with mocha sauce and toffee nut flavored syrup. Topped with sweetened whipped cream, caramel sauce and a mixture of turbinado sugar and sea salt.

Both hot drinks are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up on cool (and rainy!) days.

I've made a weekly ritual out of stopping by Starbucks on Saturday afternoons, and the Salted Caramel Mocha has pulled me away from my usual Pumpkin Spice Latte. I wish the drinks weren't so expensive and calorie-laden because the seasonal nature of the beverages means I'm limited in how many opportunities I'll have to drink them, and choosing which one to order is already difficult enough ...


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

I love a place where I can get a good burger with exactly the toppings I want, and Five Guys in Mayfield Heights is a place where I was able to do just that.

The Five Guys menu is pretty basic, allowing your to customize your order with whatever toppings you choose. There isn't anything really special about the toppings, but there is a good variety of items from which to choose. I really enjoy a good hamburger - and a customizable hamburger - but making them is sometimes just too much work for me, so like the Five Guys will do all the work for me, and fast.

The meal is made fresh when you order, but it's also made quickly, so you won't waste a lot of time drinking extra calories before your meal comes. And apparently you can order in advance, online or via text message. Five Guys has a help page for online ordering if you want to check that out.

I liked the atmosphere of the place. Casual, reminiscent of a diner, with praise from restaurant critics and media covering the walls. Maybe that was propaganda influencing my subconscious into enjoying my meal more. But boy, that burger I had was super good.

I just looked at the nutritional information and WOW I can't believe how many calories I consumed in one meal. It was a good meal, but it's not going to be a meal that I eat on a regular basis.


Five Guys Burgers and Fries
FiveGuys.com

View Five Guys Restaurant in a larger map
1237 S.O.M. Center Road, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124
Phone: 440-442-6700
Fax: 440-442-6774
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Everyone has their menu trigger words, right?

You know those words that, when you spot them while scanning an eatery's food selections, make you stop in your tracks and take notice? And I'm not talking about general words such as "steak" or "salad." I mean more specific terms such as "Cajun," "smoked" or "Cuban."

Those last three are a few of mine, but my two biggest are "chipotle" and "Thai." Put one of those words in the name of your dish or its description on the menu, and I'm going to at least consider it. And, most likely, select it. (If I ever see, say, a "Thai chipotle chicken pizza," that bad boy is getting ordered -- no questions asked.)

So when I realized that Panera Bread at some point fairly recently had added a Thai Chopped Chicken salad to its menu, I knew it was only a matter of time before it and I would get to know each other a little bit.

Here's the description from Panera's website: All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, romaine, Thai cashews, fire-roasted edamame, red peppers, carrots, fresh cilantro & wonton strips all tossed in low-fat Thai Chili Vinaigrette and drizzled with peanut sauce.

Um, yes, please.

I believe at the new Willoughby location, the salad sent me back about $8. Like most items at Panera, it's a little pricy for my liking -- with a regular soft drink my bill was more than $10, more than I want to pay at a place where you order at a counter as opposed to being waited on -- but it was a great-looking, tasty and filling salad. (And I had a lovely view of Target from my table on the patio.)

The salad boasted a bit too much cilantro for my liking -- I never really like much cilantro in my Thai dishes -- but that didn't stop me from inhaling it. Yes, I was really hungry, but it was simply good.

Really, the worst thing about it is that now I have a choice of two salads I like at Panera, as I've been a regular orderer of the Asian Sesame Chicken for years. (And yes, count "Asian" and "sesame" among my trigger words.) Just as I always knew I'd be getting the Thai wings at The Winking Lizard before the spicy sesame flavor showed up, I used to have my go-to salad order at Panera. No more. Ah, life used to be simpler.

Anyway, if anyone knows where I can get that Thai chipotle chicken pizza, be sure to let me know.

-- Mark Meszoros | Entertainment@News-Herald.com | @nhfeatures