Starbucks’ panini is a good side for your espresso

I seldom think of Starbucks for lunch. For me, it's a place to eat breakfast (food, maybe, with my Americano) or enjoy a late-afternoon drink (usually an Americano or, on a hot day, occasionally a frappucino).

But maybe I should change my way of thinking. After all, when I'm driving back from Seattle, we usually stop in Issaquah and get coffee (just off the freeway on Gilman Avenue). And sometimes I grab one of those tasty mini-egg salad sandwiches.

Now, it seems, along with its expanded breakfast menu, Starbucks is working to offer more sandwich options for lunch. As you can see in the above photo, which I took at the store sitting at 2nd and Division, Starbucks is serving three new hot panini (the word panini is the plural in Italian for "sandwich"), which is making some critics gastronomically happy.

Don't think I'll be ordering one of those in Issaquah. I don't like the idea of driving over Snoqualmie Pass while trying to eat a hot, cheesy sandwich. But maybe in one of the Spokane locations.

Long as I leave room for the important product. Which would be coffee.