By Mindy Simmons and Codie Walsh
Staff Writers
Porto’s Bakery & Café is a place that makes us wonder;
why is the closest one to the Antelope Valley at least 40 minutes away and how
many signatures do we need to bring one closer to home?
There are three
locations: Burbank, Downey and Glendale. We went to the Burbank location on
Magnolia Blvd. Now, we don’t know if we can call it a trifecta based on the
fact that we haven’t been to the other locations in Downey and Glendale (the
original), but knowing what quality comes out of the Burbank bakery, we could
take a guess that all three would be worth the drive. If anything, it gives us
an excuse to review the other locations. Oh, twist our arms; we’ll go and check
out the other two locations for the sake of factual journalism.
Before
you judge us too much, let me just say that we are not morbidly obese.Okay, now here’s the laundry list of
things we ordered (and finished): fresh orange juice, green tea smoothie,
Cubano sandwich, Ropa vieja sandwich, stuffed potato ball, chicken empanada, Parisian
chocolate cupcake, apple empanada, chocolate croissant, lemon poppy seed cake,
mango mousse individual, tiramisu, crème brulee, fruit tart, flan, and a
coconut strudel. Actually, now that we see this typed out, go ahead and judge
us all you want. I think our list might be longer than the line we waited in.
You all
know that we take our jobs very seriously as The Examiner’s food critics, so
we’ll attempt to weed out the list of contenders and narrow down our
recommended choices for you.
My
(Mindy) top two picks would be the stuffed potato ball and the chocolate
croissant. The potato balls are such a fan favorite, but reasonably so. It’s
such a simple idea; a fried potato ball filled with savory meat. Did I mention
that they are only 90 cents? These are such a delicious steal. My other top
pick would be the chocolate croissant. It has been my go-to item for years.
Chocolate always goes best with chocolate, so when I found out that it’s both
filled and dipped in dark chocolate I fell in love. The croissant is soft with
a hint of sweetness with a light flakey crust.
Surprisingly, I
actually found something that didn’t impress me on their menu: plantain chips.
They are fried bananas that are served with the sandwiches. I appreciate the
fact that they are being innovative, but I’m sad to say that my taste buds were
underwhelmed. They were too earthy to be paired with these sandwiches. Maybe
the sandwiches themselves overpowered the chips, but next time I’ll just skip
out completely on them.
However,
something I thought I wouldn’t like almost made my top pick. I’m not a flan
lover, but when I asked the cashier what his favorite dessert was, I wasn’t
expecting him to say, “The flan is fabulous!” I couldn’t be rude so I went ahead
and ordered it.
My (Codie) two
favorites were the Cubano Sandwich and the Parisian Chocolate cupcake. The
first time I bit into the sandwich, I was hooked. This piece of heaven features
slices of slow roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles, butter, and a mustard
and mayonnaise mix all on freshly made Cuban bread. That’s where they get you;
everything is fresh. Bread is made in house, fruit is never frozen, and the
meat is always tender.
A slight crunch from toasting the sandwich, easy separation
of tender perfectly seasoned meat, and a crunch from the pickle join together
for a flavorful array of textures.The mustard-mayonnaise mix and pickle help to bring a salty, acidic bite
to the tender, slightly sweet meats. Through the tenderness of the perfectly
seasoned pork and the addition of a pickle, Porto’s Cubano sandwich has earned
a spot in my heart.
I’m not usually a fan of cupcakes, unable to
tell the difference from box-made or homemade cupcakes. However, this cupcake
brought tears to my eyes. The frosting is like a mousse: light, unbelievably
creamy, and simply delicious. It’s an incredibly moist dark chocolate cake. The
frosting and cake create a decadent cupcake that won’t weigh you down. Most
chocolate cupcakes are overpowering and too rich to finish, but this one isn’t.
The frosting is light and the cake is light, creating a cupcake that’s easy and
delicious to eat.
Porto’s Bakery really is one of Southern California’s
jewels. If you ever get the opportunity to visit one of their three bakeries,
please do so. Don’t let the long lines intimidate you, because it moves
quickly.
Next time you feel like going to Panera Bread,
take a minute and think, is it really worth saving gas to buy overpriced
wannabes? The answer is no. Make a day of it and travel to Porto’s. Your taste
buds will thank you.
