Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Au Bon Pain Spring Menu






Spring is Finally here and Au Bon Pain has some terrific new items to make this season even more enjoyable! I was pleasantly surprised to see and taste the latest offerings at a recent blogger event and learn about the menu geared around indulgence and health awareness directly from Katherine See, Director of Culinary Innovation. Katherine is passionate about food and her native New England influence on Au Bon Pain’s latest concoctions is a hit in over 33 locations around the world. I enjoyed hearing her geek out over seafood and her family history in the fishing industry.  More on Katherine in a later post. For now, I have some excellent items to share with you. 

Pastries & Breakfast
First up was the monkey bread and strawberry muffin croissant pastry. Anyone who loves pastries and Au Bon Pain will find this monkey bread difficult to put down after one bite. Chunks of cinnamon roll pastry clumped together in one delicious, gooey treat. The croissant/ sweet bun hybrid called the "CroisBun" with flaky outside, strawberry middle and fresh strawberries and cream  is addictive. This is certainly not for the health conscious, but definitely worth the ocassional indulgence. I really enjoyed this croissant hybrid.




Veggie Frittata
The new veggie frittata is served with spinach here on an asiago bagel. This egg white only breakfast option can be served on any bread option. The vegetables were prominent and flavorful. This is an excellent source of protein to start off your day. 




Tongol Tuna on Multi-grain Croissant
Au Bon has added a multi grain croissant to the menu. I for one love this as a sandwich bread option as was served with sustainable Tongol Tuna during the tasting, or just eatten alone by the beautiful Charles River on a lazy warm weekend day.














Tomato Basil Bisque
Soup
Roasted tomato fennel bisque was full of flavor. Fennel is on e of my favorite root vegetables! A great lunch option and an excellent addition to the menu.


















Salads
The mandarin salad has a nice citrus dressing, slivered almonds, grapes with fresh chicken pieces. Au Bon Pain uses local ingredients whenever possible. 

Mandarin Chicken Salad


Steak sandwich and salad
The steak gorgonzola was very nice with Dijon dressing. Perfect for the warm days ahead. The steak is cooked Sous-vide method to achieve consistency and to maintain moisture. The salad version is great for those looking for the protein minus the cheesy bread.















A big plus at Au Bon is that most meals come in the petite plate size option, this way, you can feel less guilty about eating more monkey bread!


Lobster on Croissant
A delightful lobster roll. Not loaded with mayo. Fortunately, living in Boston, we are spoiled with fresh, delicious lobster all year round. Summer is the time to eat many. I am ready!










For dessert - The cookies are always large, delicious and fresh. I am particularly fond of the peanut butter. Luckily I have been running and can afford the calories! 

Peanut Butter Cookies



There you have it. The latest and greatest from a fast, local chain that keeps up with innovation, delicious, fresh food offerings for everyone as we continue live our busy lives and look forward to the warm, blissful Summer days ahead.

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