The most flawless, beautiful, astounding fast food meal that I can’t even consider fast food meal, is a baja grain bowl from Panera. The warm, but not hot, not cold, grain bowl with salsa verde, roasted corn and black bean salsa, the fresh juicy red cherry tomatoes, soft bright green avocado with a perfect dollop of unflavored greek yogurt, sprinkled with some small bits of tangy but delicious feta cheese to go on top of a perfectly cooked blend of quinoa and brown rice as the base of the bowl. The perfectly crafted sharp taste of the feta cheese mixed with the greek yogurt with a little bit of added spicy sweetness from the salsa verde, paired with the refreshing sweetness of the corn and blackbean salsa as well as the bright, fresh cherry red tomatoes create a flawless variety of flavors to put in your mouth, especially mixed with the neutral, subtle tastes to perfection of the avocado and blended base, all in just one bowl. 

The Baja Warm Bowl from Panera is arguably one of the best things on their menu. There isn’t much else to say. It is the perfect temperature when you receive it, warm, not hot,  but not cool either. Its ingredients are placed in the bowl strategically to make it visually appealing, with the bright colors of the fresh ingredients against the light brown colored base creating such an appetizing look to the bowl. Its combination of almost every flavor is stunning, with its slight spice, cool and sour greek yogurt, sweetness from the corn and tomatoes, all while being made with outstanding fresh ingredients. 

I have eaten this bowl a good deal, and the only thing that brings this bowl down from being the leading menu item is the inconsistency of it. The tomatoes are always fresh and juicy, though sometimes the avocado and black beans can be more firm than is ideal, though the flavors of the bowl combined into a single bite will change your life. This bowl gives you a bite of perfection, bite after bite.

The main character of this bowl is unexpectedly the greek yogurt. The greek yogurt adds more of a light, fresh, healthy feeling after eating this bowl opposed to sour cream. Sour cream is heavy, and has a slightly sweeter flavor, which would add too much sweetness in this dish added with the corn and tomatoes. After eating the bowl, you feel full with fresh, healthy, good ingredients. The baguette side that comes with the meal is the perfect touch to round out the meal with it’s soft and airy inside, and paired with a fuji apple cranberry lemonade charger is truly a proper meal from a restaurant that is considered fast food. The term fast food does not do Panera justice, especially this bowl. Many restaurants can’t compete with Panera’s Baja Bowl, and it is considered fast food.