Panera: The Cookies

Update Review, Summer 2026

I don't seek out Panera, nor do I seek out cookies, but when they throw freebies my way, of course I try them!

Dubai Style Chocolate Pistachio Cookie. $2.99.

"Chocolatey cookie filled with a pistachio cream, topped with a chocolatey drizzle and pistachio pieces."

I got this entirely out of curiosity and because I had a free treat on my account, not because I'm in love with the Dubai style item craze.  It was a relatively attractive looking item with the chocolately drizzle on top, along with all the bits of pistachio.

The cookie was a thick, hard style, relatively ok cocoa flavor.  Not an exceptional cookie, but not bad, about what I'd expect from Panera really.  I didn't taste much additional chocolate flavor from the confectionary drizzle on top.  The pistachios were good quality, they seemed fresh, strong nutty flavor, great crunch and texture.

Dubai Style Chocolate Pistachio Cookie: Inside.

Inside was the pistachio cream, which was the real let down.  It didn't actually have any kataifi, or anything for texture.  I find it hard to call this Dubai style when it really just means pistachio and chocolate.  The cream also didn't have much flavor.  The real pistachio flavor in this item all came from the topping.

So ... mediocre cookie, lower end confectionary "chocolate", decent pistachios, disappointing filling.  Low 3/5, not something I'd get again.

Macaroon 3-Pack. $5.

"Three deliciously crafted macaroons. Pick from Coconut Macaroon and Chocolate Coconut Macaroon flavors."

I ordered two of the coconut macaroons and just one of the chocolate version because I don't like them as much but wanted to at least mix it up a little, but ... alas, they gave me three of those because they were out of the ones I wanted.  Boo.

"A deliciously crafted chocolate coconut macaroon cookie finished with a chocolatey dip."

The chocolate in the base of these is really lost, but the coconut flavor is good, they are soft and chewy, and I really do like the seemingly decent quality chocolate dip.  I really do prefer the regular ones, these are very very low 3/5.  I like them as a topping crumbled on ice cream mostly.

Update Review, July 2025

Chocolate Coconut Macaroon. $1.99.

"A deliciously crafted chocolate coconut macaroon cookie finished with a chocolatey dip."

One day when I was at Panera picking up items for my Mom, I saw a different cookie I hadn't tried yet: the chocolate macaroon.  I haven't liked any of Panera's cookies before, but the regular coconut macaroon I thought was the best of any I had tried, so I was curious to try the chocolate version.  It looked much the same, as both are dipped in chocolate the same way, this one just actually had chocolate integrated in with the coconut too.

It was a decent macaroon.  Super moist inside, good texture from the shredded coconut, strong coconut flavor.  I didn't really taste that much chocolate.  It was fairly sweet, perhaps a bit too sweet.  It only had the very base dunked in chocolate dip, I would have liked more of that for a stronger chocolate flavor.

But overall, it was fine, and I didn't mind it, just not something I'd be all that excited to have again.  ***.

Lemon Drop Cookie (back). $3.09.
Whole Wheat Bagel (front). $1.39.

"Freshly baked lemon sugar cookie topped with lemon flavored powdered sugar."

It is true that I don't like cookies.  It is also true that I don't generally like lemon desserts.  Yet I ordered a lemon drop cookie?

Yeah.  I had a birthday freebie to use, and I've tried basically everything else at this point, so, for research purposes, I opted to try it.  Plus, compared to the other items, it actually looked decent.

It was, for a cookie.  It was thin but shockingly not crispy, really soft and gooey, the only way I like cookies.  The cookie seemed to be a classic sugar cookie, but with lemon added.  The lemon flavor was certainly there, but it wasn't overwhelming.  More lemon than I like, but, if you like lemon desserts, I think this could be a winner.  There was also white chocolate chips, which I liked for the extra texture and bursts of sweetness, but, this was a very sweet cookie anyway, sugar was the first ingredient.

It was also somehow 440 calories.  Sure, it was large diameter, but it was really thin.  I honestly don't understand how it racked up that calorie load.  I guess whatever made it soft and gooey was, uh, butter?

I'm glad I tried it, and I'd recommend to the lemon likers out there, but I won't get another.

Update Review, August 2023

I no longer live near a Panera (pandemic casualty in SF), so I don't frequently encounter their goods.  However, I recently attended an event in New York with Panera catering, and got the opportunity to re-try a few cookies, even though I had never loved them before.  The verdict?  Yup, still don't love these.

Candy Cookie. $2.99.

"Freshly baked sugar cookie topped with semi-sweet chocolate candies."

Big meh to this cookie.  Not as soft as I'd like, not a great chew, pretty boring base (not really buttery as I'd like), and even the off brand M&Ms weren't particularly good.  Not my style of cookie at all. *+.

Oatmeal Raisin with Berries. $2.99.

"A chewy oatmeal raisin cookie with sweetened, dried cranberries and infused, dried strawberries and blueberries."

I've had this cookie before, and didn't find it all that compelling, but, my appreciation of cookies has grown in the past few years, so I gave it another try.  I again appreciated that it was nicely soft, and that it used more interesting dried fruit than just raisins (cranberries, strawberries, blueberries), but, it wasn't actually a particularly good cookie.  Sure, it had a nice chew to it, and was well baked, but, it wasn't as buttery nor sugary as I'd like, and although it had oats, it certainly isn't actually a healthy cookie.  Eh.  ***.  

Petite Chocolate Chipper. $6.69/12.

"12 mini versions of our Chocolate Chipper cookie, freshly baked and made with semi-sweet chocolate chunks & milk chocolate flakes."

Well, this is not a good cookie.  Yes, fairly soft, and yes, nice chunks in it, but, the base flavor wasn't particularly buttery or sweet, or notable in any way.  It tasted highly processed, and not particularly fresh.  Meh. **.

Update Review, January 2018

I've reviewed nearly all the Panera cookies before, but there was one more left to try.

Coconut Macaroon. $1.09.

"A coconut, chocolatey craving satisfied in two bites. A traditional small coconut macaroon with the bottom dipped in chocolate."

One day, I used Panera's Rapid Pickup option to make an order from my phone earlier in the day, with a pickup time set to when I'd be nearby and could just swing in to grab my bagel thin, intended to be used to make melts for dinner.  But when I arrived ... no bagel thins.  In fact, they were entirely sold out of bagels.  Doh.  It turns out that when you pre-order, it doesn't actually pull it from inventory.

To make up for this, Panera offered me any pastry item I wanted.  No pastry item was going to be a substitute for my dinner melts, so I used it as an opportunity to just try something new.  The one type of cookie we had never tried before: coconut macaroons.

The macaron was ... pretty much a standard macaroon.  Soft, shredded sweet coconut.  Nothing particularly notable about it.  The dark chocolate it was dipped in however was quite good, really dark, smooth, flavorful chocolate.  I was impressed with the chocolate.

The macaroons turn out to be one of the cheapest items sold at Panera ($1.09 at my store), and, one of the lowest calorie.  By a shocking amount.  A single macaroon is only 140 calories, compared to Panera standard fare of the 440 calorie lemon drop cookie (or even worse, the 800 calorie Kitchen Sink cookie!), the 720 calorie pecan rolls, 550 calorie cinnamon crunch scones, 580 calorie pumpkin muffins, 540 calorie bear claws, etc.

So, if you like coconut, and want a little sweet treat, this one is not a bad idea.

Original Review, March 2017

As I've said many times, I don't really like cookies.  But, Panera often adds freebies to my account in the form of pastries, and I've never liked most of the baked goods there (aka, the muffins, the coffee cake and danishes, and most of the scones), so, I finally ventured out to try most of their cookies over the past year or so.

The cookie lineup changes every so often, but always features their signature Chocolate Chipper (available in a petite size as well), a classic shortbread, and some seasonal version of an iced and decorated shortbread.  Other than those, they seem to introduce new cookies a few times a year, trying to find some crowd pleasers.  I'd like to note, they don't ever have peanut butter cookies, which would be my top choices!

Anyway, for the most part, I expected to try the cookies, take some notes, and hand over to a cookie-loving friend.  I was pleasantly surprised that I genuinely liked a couple of them.

Oatmeal Raisin with Berries Cookie. $2.39.

"A chewy oatmeal raisin cookie with sweetened, dried cranberries and infused, dried strawberries and blueberries."

Every once in a while, I actually like oatmeal cookies, particularly soft ones, and particularly when they miraculously aren't oatmeal raisin.  I hate raisins, and I'm so grumpy they have taken over the oatmeal cookie market!  Why!

Anyway, this looked like a big, soft, butter cookie, with oatmeal, and NOT raisins!  Score.

The verdict?  It was ... fine.  It was actually quite soft, which I appreciated.  And it did have a decent distribution of bits of dried cranberries, strawberries, and blueberries, decidedly NOT raisins.  But it wasn't particularly buttery or interesting in any way.  I gladly handed it off, and wouldn't want another.

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookie. $2.19.

"Almonds and a fruity hint of raspberry jam and powdered sugar. A perfect little treat. An almond butter cookie with a thumbprint of raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar."

I really liked this.  It was buttery and crumbly, with little bits of almond inside.  The powdered sugar added a nice touch of sweetness, and the raspberry jam in the center tasted fresh and wasn't too gooey or sweet.

A shockingly good cookie, and I'd gladly eat another.

Giant Cookie Box.

On one visit, there was a huge, I mean, huge, cookie on the shelf, unlabelled.  I asked what it was, and the worker told me it is the "kitchen sink" cookie.  It seemed to have everything in it, and sounded interesting, but it wasn't eligible for my freebie.  I didn't get it then, but I couldn't help but notice it every time I visited.  I had to finally get it, as ridiculous as it was.

It was too big for any of the normal pastry bags, so, he put it into a giant box.

Kitchen Sink Cookie. $4.39.

"A salty, chocolatey, caramel confection big enough to share. A large cookie with semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel pieces, pretzels & finished with flake salt."

They aren't kidding when they say this is "big enough to share".

I looked it up later online, and, I kid you not, it has 800 calories (and 43 grams of fat!).  In a cookie.  Yes, compare that to their "petite chocolate chippers" with 100 calories, or even the regular chocolate chipper with 380 calories, and you'll realize the scale I'm talking about here.  This is a monster.

And he wasn't kidding when he said it had everything in it.  While chocolate (both semi-sweet and milk) flakes were certainly the dominant visual item, the caramel actually dominated the flavor, super sweet, and plentiful, infused into nearly every bite.  The chocolate helped balance the sweet though, and the large flakes of salt on top complimented it nicely.

It was a crispy cookie, but mostly in a caramelized way from the toffee bits, rather than a cooked too long way.  I don't normally like crispy cookies, but it worked here, since it was so caramelized.

I didn't find any bits of pretzel in mine, which was a bit disappointing.  Perhaps they were chopped finely and I just didn't notice?  Another ingredient would be nice, but, I don't think was actually necessary given everything else in it, so I didn't mind too much.

The cost of $4.39 sounds a bit insane, for a cookie, at a place like Panera.  This isn't a fancy bakery, this is Panera, selling a nearly $5 cookie.  It is twice the price of any other cookie they sell, because, well, it is more than twice the size.  There is a reason it isn't eligible for the free pastry award!

I'm glad I tried it, but I probably wouldn't get another, just because, well, still a cookie.

Jack-O-Lantern Cookie.  $2.49.

"Freshly baked, pumpkin-shaped shortbread cookie decorated with icing to look like a jack-o-lantern."

I have a memory of really liking Panera shortbreads years ago.  And what is better than a shortbread?  A decorated shortbread!  Panera seems to always have a seasonal shortbread, I recall seeing Easter Eggs around Easter, tulips and daises in the Spring, flip flops in the summer, mittens in the winter, etc.

The astute reader will realize that this is called a Jack-O-Lantern cookie, and the website shows a cookie with a face on it.  Mine had no such face.  I guess the decorators were lazy that day?  All cookies in the store were faceless.  Pumpkin, yes, Jack-O-Lantern, no.

I wasn't very good.  The icing layer was too thick and just sweet, the cookie itself was crumbly, too soft, sugary, and didn't really seem that buttery, the defining characteristic of a shortbread.  And ... this was the shocking part, it was 450 calories!  In a SINGLE COOKIE!  Besides their plain shortbread (only 380), all the other cookies are also over 400 calories.  I know Panera certainly isn't a healthy place, but it is a bit hard to believe that a cookie can rack up those stats.  Definitely not worth it.

$2.49 price for a large cookie I guess was fine, and they are only 99 cents if you get a meal.

Chocolate Chipper Cookie. $2.19.

"A traditional favorite, freshly baked and made with semisweet chocolate chips."

I got this for Ojan, who does actually like cookies.  It looked like exactly the sort of cookie I wouldn't like.  On the rare cases where I like a cookie, it is soft and gooey.  This looked hard and crispy.  Not my style.

Of course though, I tried a bite.  It was actually loaded up with tiny chocolate chips, far more than it looked like.  The bottom view would have revealed just how loaded it was.  The chips were tiny though, so, you didn't really get a deep chocolate flavor.

And it was indeed crispy, and quite thin.  Highly unremarkable.  It also tasted very unhealthy, but not in a good buttery way.  Believe me, I'm all for a decadent dessert, the more butter and cream the better, but this just tasted ... unhealthy.  Highly processed.  I don't know how else to better describe it.

I was curious, so I looked it up when I got home, and saw that this cookie, the single, thin, not actually large cookie, was 440 calories.  I don't really understand.  I wouldn't get this again, obviously.

Candy Cookie. $2.49.

"Freshly baked sugar cookie topped with colorful milk chocolate candies."

Another giant, hard, crispy cookie, another Ojan request.  And ... yup, a hard, crisp cookie, not particularly good, just a plain cookie.  He described it as "halfway between a shortbread and a sugar cookie".  The little tiny milk chocolate candies were basically just small M&Ms in spring colors, very milky milk chocolate.  Ojan liked the candy bits, but wasn't really into the cookie itself.  I didn't like anything about it.

[ No Photo ]

Gluten-Conscious Triple Chocolate Cookie with Walnuts. $2.69.

"A freshly baked flourless chocolate cookie with a soft, brownie-like texture, made with chocolate chunks, white chocolate chunks and walnuts."

This seems like a crazy choice for me.  I don't like cookies.  I'm not a chocolate lover.  And gluten-free baked goods are rarely impressive.  But, literally every time I visited Panera, I couldn't look past these.  They looked so good.

So finally, I got one.  And failed to photo.  Sigh.

It was a deep, dark chocolate cookie, with generous size chunks of both white and milk chocolate and walnuts.  The texture was soft, as they described, kinda brownie-like, except it was a cookie, and still had a crisp exterior.  A bit hard to explain really.  I liked that.

The flavor was also good, chocolately, fudgy.  I loved the sweetness from the big white chocolate chunks (I know, I know, but I like white chocolate!) and the crunch from the walnuts.

It is described as "gluten-conscious" which I think is because it is not baked in a gluten-free environment.  It does not contain wheat flour, nor, any flour.  I'm still a bit confused by that part honestly.  The first ingredient is ... powdered sugar?  I'm still not entirely sure how it holds together, but, it works out just fine.

For a cookie, this was really quite enjoyable and I'd get it again.

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7th Heaven Confections

7th Heaven is a vegan chocolate confection maker.

"Chocolate can make a positive impact and build a community – but it’s also just plain fun. We genuinely wish to delight with every bite of our chocolate. From the unique mix-ins to the creamy, nostalgic flavors, each recipe is crafted to bring a smile to your face, letting you taste the love and care we pour into every batch. Our chocolates aren’t just a sweet indulgence but a small moment of happiness in your day."

The company makes three product lines: bars (chocolate bars, not protein or other types of nutrition bars), bites, and cups.  All use Fair Trade cocoa, are kosher certified, and of course, vegan.  I've had only the cups.  The cups all use oat milk based "milk" chocolate, and come with fillings such as caramelized coconut, hazelnut + rice crisp, mixed nut butter, or as I had, the classic peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Cups.

"The childhood flavor you remember, tasting even better than what you remember. Saltier with a creamy-sweet shell, you wouldn’t want to go back from this 100% dairy-free treat."

These were interesting cups.  The first thing I noticed was the absence of the paper cup on each, which then made me realize that yeah, they are packaged, why do they need that additional paper?  Most other brands have followed in Reese's steps I guess to make it more familiar to folks?

The next thing I noticed was how uneven they were.  As you can see in the cross section, the left hand side was filled with the peanut butter, great ratio with the chocolate, but the right hand side was skewed towards chocolate.  Getting a bite from the right had very little peanut butter taste.  

The peanut butter filling was ok, but not smooth and creamy, more dry and crumbly.  I did not notice hte promised salt.  The chocolate was very smooth, and flavorful, but not in a "this tastes like chocolate" way.  I didn't necessarily taste oat milk, but I didn't taste chocolate, just sweet creamy confection, and that was a bit weird.

Overall, a pleasant sweet treat, but certainly not for someone who wants to taste chocolate, or values a creamy premium peanut filling.  3/5.

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Malai Ice Cream

I have a label on my blog entirely devoted to ice cream, as it is a food group that makes a daily appearance in my life. I'm always excited to find new brands, particularly those that are local, and particularly those that make more unique flavors.

"Malai, figuratively meaning “cream of the crop,” in a North Indian language, is an ice cream company that draws inspiration from globally-sourced whole ingredients, aromatic spices, and unexpected twists on old classics. "

Chocolate Coffee Cardamom Ladoo.

I discovered Malai Ice cream, a spice forward scoop shop in New York (also with locations in DC and Philadelphia, but they use New York dairy so I consider them local to here), at the annual Summer Fancy Foods Show in July.  It was there that I tried their newest product, ladoos, basically little ice cream bites encased in a chocolate shell, destined for grocery stores soon.  I was drawn in by the flavors, with rose, mango, passionfruit, saffron, chai, and cardamom all jumping out.  I got the chocolate coffee cardamom one, and I remember quite liking it, but I don't have notes from that event.

A few weeks passed, and it was a beautiful summer day, and I decided to take my co-workers on an excursion, to their actual scoop shop in the West Village.  The group had members who were as excited as I was for the less common flavors, and it had a few who were like "where's my cookie dough or cookies & cream, help!".  But everyone ended up enjoying their selections, and the staff were very patient with our slow pace of decision making (luckily no one else was there).

Hard Serve.

They had 12 flavors of hard serve available by the scoop.  These change every other month.  They allow you to sample up to 4 flavors, which I really appreciated.  I tried two:

Sweet Corn Saffron
"Summer seasonal. Using the natural sweetness of summer corn, mellowed by the honey-like notes of saffron, this pairing is perfect for the warmer months."

I was so excited for this one, but the flavor was pretty muted, I didn’t taste sweet corn.

Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds.

"Our most popular! Sweet, floral and spiced - there is nothing that this ice cream doesn't hit. It's unlike anything you've had before, in the best possible way!"

This was great, a pretty color, and good flavor.  If I wanted hard scoop style ice cream, I would have gotten this.  Easy to see why it is their most popular flavor.

Co-workers really enjoyed their choices of guava chile, pineapple pink peppercorn, and saffron pistachio.

Mango Lassi Special.

There are also two flavors of soft serve available, and these change out even more often, usually monthly.

I sampled the special swirl with cardamom yogurt and mango sorbet, e.g. the “mango lassi” and I liked it, but the mango sorbet dominated more than I like, given that I’m not generally into sorbet very much.  I was very tempted to get the swirl as my dish though.

Cardamom Yogurt. $7.

"Tangy yogurt spiced with warm and floral cardamom.”

In the end, I opted for just the simple soft serve yogurt.  It was an attractively swirled cone.

The soft serve was smooth and creamy, pretty rich, not icy.  Not too sweet.  The cardamom was faint and I’d prefer stronger, but it was good. 3.5/5.

I ordered a cone because I like my soft serve in a cone (it is just a thing of mine), but they had only waffle cones, which I don’t actually like nearly as much as a basic cake cone.  It was a big, fresh cone, but not what I actually wanted, which I realized only after I had it in my hand.  I wouldn’t get a cone again.

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Group Dining at Cafeteria

I don't remember what year I first visited New York City; I suspect it was somewhere around 2007.  What I do remember is going with a group of friends at some ridiculous hour in the morning to Cafeteria, where we ate mac and cheese.  It was after a long night out, so I don't really remember much else, besides the restaurant name as it is a bit unique, and mac and cheese (it did happen to be shortly after a phase of life where I led co-workers to get mac and cheese for lunch nearly daily so very on brand for me athte time).  In the few years that followed, we wound up there at other random times of day/night.  I remember it being busy, hip, and full of mac and cheese.  I vaguely remembered something about dessert.  And cocktails, lots of cocktails.

And then about 19 years passed, and suddenly I found myself with an invite to a group work dinner at Cafeteria.  I was slightly amazed it still existed (and has been around since 1998 it turns out), but my brain had a bit of trouble thinking of it as a place for a formal work dinner, when my previous experiences were always not at regular dinner hours.  I was still kinda excited to go, because, mac and cheese.

Setting

The restaurant is large and loud. There is an outside dining area, a main dining room on the ground floor, and a downstairs, in addition to the private back room where we were.  In my younger years, I think we were always seated downstairs, and I think I was probably part of the ruckus, so the noise level isn't anything I remembered from back then.  But it was a dominant aspect of our experience this time.

Private Dining Room.

We had the private dining room, which was separate from the rest of the restaurant, however the noise still carried significantly.  The wall adjacent to the dining room was padded, which somehow didn't seem to help damper the noise. It was impossible to hear the person directly across from you, let alone someone elsewhere at the table not immediately to your side.  This was a bit of a bummer given that this was a team bonding event.

However the space was quite nice, and they did a nice job with seasonal decorations at the table.  We also had a private bathroom directly attached to our area, which made it feel a bit special and exclusive (and it had great quality products in it!).

Wall.

The wall that wasn't padded was instead decorated with takeout boxes, cups, and bags.  It was cute, but very visually busy.

Prix Fixe Menu.
Dinner $75/head.

The menu for groups is all family style.  They do not have options for format, only which dishes the host selects to be offered.  All dinners start with their biscuits, have choice of 3 apps, 3 mains, 2 sides, and 2 desserts, which yes, seems like way too much food.  Within most categories you can upgrade to pricier options for $5 or $10/pp, which could make this actually $115/person.

Our Menu.

I was a bit let down by the menu selected for us, as it just wasn't the dishes I was most excited for.  

• First Course
• Blistered shishitos (citrus sea salt)
• Mac + cheese (cheddar & fontina with truffle oil)
• Old school meatballs (roasted tomato sauce, fresh ricotta, basil, parmesan, toasted filone)
• Second Course
• Shrimp risotto (meyer lemon, buffalo butter, sautéed garlic, white wine, aleppo chili)
• Cavatelli (slow cooked short rib ragu, roasted tomato sauce, soubise, gremolata, grana padano)
• Fried chicken & waffle (buttermilk waffle, crispy sage, grilled lemon, chili butter, maple jus)
• Ravioli (spinach, ricotta, first pressed olive oil, lemon, 36 month aged parmesan)
• Sides
• Broccolini (lemon, chili, garlic)
• Polenta fries (basil aioli)
• Desserts
• Yodels (red velvet)
• Berries and cream

For appetizers, I adore deviled eggs, and I'm mostly pescatarian, so I really wanted the crispy calamari and crispy rock shrimp for apps, but we had the ho-hum shisitos and meatballs instead (but was glad we had the mac and cheese!).  I sorta wanted the meatloaf and mash or branzino for a main, and wasn't really interested in any of the pastas, yet we had all of them.  I hate broccolini, and would have preferred mashed potatoes for the sides.  And gah, no carrot cake for dessert?!  Just not the items I would have selected.  Our menu was also very carb heavy and low protein, a fact which multiple people commented on.

It was also waaaaay too much food, but the staff did nicely provide containers upon my asking for us to box up what we wanted to take home.  Most of us left with goodie bags, either for ourselves, partners who couldn't join, or, in some cases, beloved dogs.  

Our host did upgrade one entree (+$5/pp) and also opted to include a 4th main, which was an additional $15/pp, which meant our menu was $95pp.

Drinks

Cafeteria offers several drink packages charged by the guest for several hours, but our host picked the unrestricted charge on consumption option for us, which I greatly appreciated. This meant I could select from their actually interesting full cocktail menu, rather than a reduced drink package selection.

Smoke Show. $17.

"Mezcal, ginger lime, blackberry ice cube *limited availability*"

I love mezcal, so I was excited to see a mezcal cocktail on the menu as they aren't all that common. It was marked as "limited availability" but myself and two others had no trouble ordering it.

It was an attractive drink, hard to see the photo, but there is a huge blackberry ice cube in the center.

I really liked it at first - smoky, mezcal forward, but as the ice melted it got considerably sweeter, until I was drinking a fruity cocktail, which is not what I wanted at all.  If you get this, and you don't want a fruity beach drink, drink it faster. 4/5 at first, but 2/5 by the second half, so 3/5 overall.

Upwell Cabernet Sauvignon. $18.

"Sonoma, CA. 2024."

I moved on to the only cab available by the glass.

It was not very good.  Harsh. Too young.  Priced per glass higher than the cost of a bottle elsewhere. Meh. 2/5.

Appetizers

The meal started with biscuits served 30 minutes after we were seated, then with a lull for 20 minutes before the rest of the appetizers.  I would have preferred the timing be pulled in about 15 minutes, as it felt a bit long.

Biscuits.

"Homemade buttermilk biscuits salted butter."

I love a good biscuit, and as these are a fixture on Cafeteria's menu at all times of day I had hopes they'd be decent, but I really didn't enjoy them. They were served warm, which was nic, but they were hard, dry, and had no buttermilk tang.  Meh.  Tied for worse item we got. 1/5.

Blistered Shishitos.

"Citrus sea salt."

I wasn't overly excited about these as I'm not all that into shishitos and our menu sounded so heavy I didn't really want fried veggies on top of that, but actually, I couldn't have them as they are fried in the same fryer as the avocado for the veggie tacos, and I'm allergic to avocado.   This was the only vegetable in our entire menu, but no one seemed into them, and they went unfinished (and no one wanted the leftovers).

$14 on the regular menu.

Old School Meatballs.

"Roasted tomato sauce, fresh ricotta basil, parmesan, toasted filone."

Our only substantial protein, and only non-carb dish (besides the shisitos) was meatballs.  They came attractively presented with fresh basil on top, and big gobs of ricotta. 

The meatballs were a large size, and were very herby.  A soft style meatball.  While I knew they were beef, I tasted more herbs, breadcrumbs, and sauce, that meat.  The sauce was fairly classic tomato sauce, not remarkable. Ricotta was ricotta.

A fine but not interesting or memorable dish. 3/5.

$16 on the regular menu.

Toasted Filone.

I say that the meatballs were the only non-carb besides the shishitos, but actually, they came with huge pieces of toasted bread. The bread was brought out much later though, and most people didn't realize it was for the meatballs or had already finished theirs.

I tried it and wished I hadn't.  It was exceptionally crusty, the kind of over toasting that makes it hurt your mouth. The other item tied for worst. 1/5.

Deviled Eggs. $9.
(Not included).

"Paprika, crispy proscuitto."

Because I couldn't have the shishitos, I was allowed to order another appetizer for myself.  However, they use the same frier for everything, which meant I couldn't pick any of my top choices such as fried calamari or crispy rock shrimp.  The other seafood starters had avocado.  But I do adore deviled eggs, so this was a nice choice.

It was an attractive trio, with vibrant slices of radish and functional garnishes of crispy salty prosciutto and capers.  Although only 3 halves, they clearly used more yolk than just the half in each.  The filling was creamy, the egg white bases not rubbery. Pretty classic overstuffed deviled eggs, but not very memorable as they didn't have any special element besides perhaps the tiny toppings.

My favorite of the appetizers, but still just a 3/5 as they were highly average.

Mac and Cheese.

"Cheddar and fontina."

As I've alluded to,mac and cheese is a signature dish at Cafeteria.  On the regular menu, it is an entire separate menu section, and not considered an appetizer. They make 3 varieties (cheddar and fontina, a truffle oil version, or smoked gouda and bacon). You can also get a flight of all 3, or opt for mac and cheese spring rolls with cheese dipping sauce instead.

We had the most basic version, and alas, the one with fontina, a cheese I don't really care for.  It did look decent though, with a broiled cheese crust on top (although I think I prefer bread crumbs, or some crispy bits of mac around the edges, this had neither).

Mac & cheese: inside.

It looked great inside too. Really creamy, nicey cheesy, not watery, etc.  But it didn't really excite me. It just didn't have that much flavor to it besides cheese, and the pasta was softer than I'd like. Nothing notable about this at all.  Very low 3/5.

$16 on the regular menu (or $17 for the bacon or truffle versions).

Mains

It took nearly an hour for our mains to arrive. The lull was extensive.  One person left, given that they'd had a full meal at that point really anyway.  It also took 10 minutes to serve the mains once they started coming out (the appetizers were served all within a few minutes), which was a bit awkward.

Shrimp Risotto.

"Meyer lemon, buffalo butter, sauteed garlic, white wine, aleppo chili."

I am not a risotto person, but this was the only seafood dish so it is what I went for first.  I almost liked it.  Almost. It was really nicely creamy. The rice was well cooked.  But it had a really strange sour aftertaste.  I later tried using the spicy and the sweet sauces from the chicken and waffles to mask it a bit, but, something was just a bit off there. Too much lemon perhaps?  Except it didn't taste overly lemon-y, just, sour.  It is a shame, as it was well cooked and so creamy.

The shrimp were fairly large size, and were succulent, but were a bit tough and not all were properly cleaned.

Another mediocre low 3/5. The worst of the mains, sadly. $30 on the regular menu.

Cavatelli.

"Slow cooked short rib ragu, spicy vodka sauce, soubise, gremolata, grana padano."

I'm not a red sauce pasta girl, and I don't eat that much red meat, but this wasn't bad.  The short rib was really tender and flavorful, and the sauce decent. The pasta itself was forgettable, but at least not too mushy.  I loved the fried basil on top.

My favorite of the main dishes, but not really something I'd get again.  3/5, $30 on the regular menu.

Fried Chicken & Waffles.
+$5/pp.

"Buttermilk waffle, crispy sage, grilled lemon, chili butter, maple ju."

The other well known dish at Cafeteria is the chicken and waffles, available at brunch or dinner.  It used the same fryer as the avocado, but also I don't care for chicken, so I didn't mind skipping this.  No one in the group seemed all that excited by the chicken.

This dish carried a $5/pp upcharge from the regular prix fixe menu, which I found suspicious given that it costs the same as the risotto and the pasta on the regular menu ($30).

Waffles.

And of course, because everything needed carbs, the waffles.  Most people didn't even try one of these.  No one wanted more filler at this point.  I of course did try one, and found it pretty meh - not very warm, way too soft and spongy, no interesting base flavor.  Certainly didn't seem freshly made as it had no crispness.  Tied for worst dish with the bread for the meatballs. 1/5.

The sauces were described as "chili butter" and "maple jus". I tried them both, mostly on the risotto.  The chili butter was slightly spicy, but I'm unclear on the butter aspect of it, as it was a thick sauce and ... didn't taste like butter?  The maple jus was, uh, maple syrup? They were both fine.

Housemade Ravioli.

"Spinach, ricotta, first pressed olive oil, lemon, 36 month aged parmesan."

There are actually no vegetarian main dish choices on Cafeteria's prix fixe menu.  If you inquire about this, you can add one on (a token pasta or veggie burger) but it costs $15 more per person (for the whole group), which is crazy as it is just $26 on the regular menu.  For our group, that meant upcharge of $300 for 3 plates this size, which, best I can tell, was the regular portion.  This really didn't seem right. Our host added this though, as we had one vegetarian.

This was the least attractive dish by far.  It was interesting to see so little plating care given to it, compared to all the others.

The pasta itself was the most impressive part of the dish.  It was really pliable, fairy thin, and really well made. All were perfectly sealed. This is housemade ravioli, and you could tell.  It was far better than generic supermarket ravioli. The filling was quite flavorful - I was surprised by how spinach-forward the taste was, even though it was an equal looking mix of spinach and cheese.  The ricotta was fine, although it tasted a bit like goat cheese to me several times, which confused me greatly (also, I dislike goat cheese).  The sauce was simple and fine, although a bit broken. 

This was another ok, but non-memorable, 3/5 dish.

Sides

Our sides came after the main dishes, a bit behind.  There was enough of a delay that I wondered if they'd been forgotten, and enough of a delay that most people didn't end up trying them, as they were far too full by the time they came.

Polenta Fries.

"Basil aioli".

Cafeteria has regular fries, truffle fries, and sweet potato fries all on the menu, but our host picked the polenta fries, which sounded the most interesting to me, so I was excited for his pick.  But alas of course because they shared the same fryer, I shouldn't eat them.  They looked so inviting though, golden brown, massive.  And no one was taking them.  I couldn't resist.

I tried a small piece of one.  It was nicely crispy outside, creamy inside.  Definitely more polenta than fries though.  The basil aioli was not particularly strong basil flavor, but it was creamy and I like aioli in general, so this was something I enjoyed. I was sad that most people didn't actually try these, but they were just too stuffed full of heavy carbs at that point.

$12 on the regular menu, the best of the sides, and my favorite of the savory dishes. 3.5/5.

Broccolini.

"Lemon, chili, garlic"

Oh! We did have another vegetable. I actually forgot this was on the menu as I loathe broccolini, but, yes, we had broccolini.  Most people either didn't touch it, or took one piece, and disliked it. They said it was far too mushy.

Sauteed Green Beans. $10.

"Garlic."

Since I technically couldn't have the polenta fries, I was allowed another side choice, and picked the green beans so that I would have some vegetable in my meal.

The beans were ok, but really quite oily.  With such a heavy meal, they felt too heavy, I really wanted just steamed veggies at this point.  They were also softer than I'd prefer. And many still had stems on them.  I did like the big hunks of garlic. Low 3/5.

Dessert

The dessert from the Cafeteria menu I was most excited for was the mile high carrot cake, but alas, it wasn't on our menu.

Berries & Cream.

The berries were actually really good.  Just blueberries and strawberries, but they were perfectly ripe and flavorful. There was some fresh mint to brighten them up too.  Of course I adored the huge glob of whipped cream on top (yes, that is cream, not ice cream). 4/5 for both of these, above average.  My favorite part of the meal.

Not pictured is vanilla ice cream, also served in goblets.  It was very French vanilla / custardy style, which I don't generally care for, but the texture was great, it was served at perfect temperature, just not a flavor I like.  The also make chocolate, strawberry, brown butter pecan ice creams, and lemon or black currant sorbet all in house.

Red Velvet Yodels.

The main dessert was their yodels, red velvet.  At the restaurant for regular dinner, this is served with a vanilla milkshake, which is kinda cute, but ours came without.

These were fine.  The cake was moist, the cream cheese frosting was thick and rich, the chocolate shell was decent.  The ratios all made sense.  I'm not a snack cake person, and red velvet isn't one of my top flavors for cake, but this was enjoyable enough, particularly when paired with the ice cream.  Fine, but forgettable, like many elements of this dinner. 3/5.

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Sheraton Tribeca, Executive Lounge

I live in New York now, so why am I reviewing a hotel there?  Well, due to a conference getting cancelled at last minute (!), I wound up not using a high value free night award that comes with my credit card, so I decided to do a little staycation before it expired.  But in NYC, nearly every full service hotel has a daily amenity/destination/resort fee.  I didn't want to actually *pay* to utilize my free night, even if some of those come with a F&B credit that sorta makes up for it.  This left with me with only two options in all of Manhattan, besides Residence Inn/Fairfield Inn/etc level hotels: The Renaissance Midtown (which I've stayed at and reviewed before) and the Sheraton Tribeca.  Given that I didn't care for the Renaissance, and the fact that the Sheraton just completed a full renovation a few months prior, it seemed like the right choice.  

I did partially pick this for the Club Lounge, a rare thing in the city.  I visited both at night for the evening offerings, and in the morning for breakfast.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served 6:30-9am M-F and 7-10am on weekends.  The 9am stop seemed a bit early, particularly for those coming in from other timezones, but still nice to see they served 7 days a week, as many places have dropped weekends.

The lineup is your standard continental offering plus a couple hot items.  The single coffee machine was in high demand.

Fruit and Yogurt.

The yogurt was little pots of an off-brand (Upstate Farms), and the fruit was melons/grapes/pineapple only, no berries.  I'm allergic to melons so I had to avoid this.  The yogurt was just sitting on the counter like this, not kept cold, which was ... a choice.  They had plain, vanilla, and one fruity flavor.

Breads.

White or wheat bread, several kinds of bagels, and English muffins for toasting.

Condiments.

Generic packets of jelly, butter, and cream cheese, plus randomly some packaged room temp Belgian waffles were up top.

Pastries.

Below were generic pastries, all croissants/danishes, no scones nor muffins.

I first tried the almond croissant.  It was exceptionally dry and stale tasting.  The filling was even dry, not like a usual moist paste. 1/5.

Pecan Swirl.

I stopped back by the lounge to get more coffee 2 hours later, and they were cleaning up post-breakfast, but still had the pastries remaining.  I couldn't help grab another, this time, the pecan swirl.  The pastry was again very dry and not fresh tasting.  The bits of pecan were fine, the sticky topping was ok, sorta sticky bun inspired, but it mostly made me want it to actually be a sticky bun.  1.5/5.

Pain au Chocolat.

I was really, really craving chocolate.  I always have chocolate in the morning with my coffee, and although I brought some with me, I didn't bring enough.  I was really craving chocolate, so once breakfast was long over, and there was still a pain au chocolat sitting there, I grabbed it, not for the pastry that I knew at that point would be dry and stale, but for the filling.

Alas, even the filling let me down.  Instead of the usual bars of chocolate, this was actually a very thin layer of chocolate paste.  Barely any inside, just two thin strips of the paste.  Not chocolate.  Boo.  1/5.

Cereal.

Cereal rounded out the cold lineup, with Cheerios, granola, and what looked like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  I had the granola, it was fine, with raisins, but not a style I really like.

Juice & Oatmeal.

I tried the oatmeal, it was very thick, and not cooked very well. 2/5.  Toppings were things like cinnamon, coconut, sliced nuts, dried fruit.  No chocolate chips.

Scrambled Eggs.

The hot food was super basic, starting with scrambled eggs.  Clearly powdered style, dry, no real flavor to them. 1/5.

Bacon.

Bacon came next, I didn't try it.

Sausage.

The final hot offering was sausage links.  Not labelled, but I assume pork.  They had a nice snap, and decent maple flavor, but were clearly very low quality ultra processed meat, as they didn't taste like actual meat. 2/5.

There were no warm vegetables, pancakes, etc.

Evening Drinks & Snacks

It is notable that the Sheraton does offer complimentary drinks, including alcohol, and snacks, every night from 5:30-7:30pm.  Most Manhattan properties 1) don't have alcohol and 2) don't serve on weekends.  That said, this isn't a particularly compelling offering.

Soft Drinks.

All day long there is a fridge stocked with bottles of water, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, ginger ale and Fanta.  The bottled water was nice at least, and they did have a tap with sparkling water.

Wine.

I was impressed they had more than just a single white and red to pick from, but instead had 2 reds, a white (chardonnay), and a rose.  Unfortunately, neither of the reds I tried was good (they are in the $5-7/bottle range).

Gato Negro Red Blend:  This tastes like children's grape juice.  Not wine.  Grape juice.

Harthill Farms Cabernet Sauvignon: This was at least wine-like, but super harsh and acidic.

I wasn't quite sure if I was supposed to serve myself or not, but the staff member didn't seem to mind that I did.

Beer.

They also had two kinds of beer.  Likely a safer choice if you like beer.  They seemed ok with people walking out with the beer.

Veggies / Cheese / etc.

A pretty generic lineup of carrots/celery/tomatoes, one kind of meat, 3 kinds of cheese cubes, tortilla chips, and several dips (hummus, ranch, guac).  Strangely no salsa.

I tried the veggies, they were fine. Crisp. 3/5.

Mozzarella sticks.

The hot foods weren't labelled, but these were mozzarella sticks.  Soggy.  Barely warm.  No dipping sauce available. 2/5.

Spring Rolls / Dumplings.

Since they weren't labelled, I wasn't sure what to expect inside, but the spring rolls turned out to be veggie, the dumplings ... mystery meat.  Perhaps chicken?

The spring rolls were even soggier than the mozzarella sticks, and had mushy insides.  2/5.  The dumpling wrappers were ok, but some were really dried out.  2.5/5.  They did have sweet chili sauce to dunk these in, but no soy sauce.

Everything seemed microwaved perhaps.  Not high quality.

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