Porto's Bakery

3614 West Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, California
(818) 846-9100
www.portosbakery.com
$(less than $10)


Another fucking line. I hate lines. I hate standing in a crowd of people waiting to give some person behind a counter my order only to wait in another line to pay and pick up my food. Porto's has a line. Porto's has a system to make that line go away so you can get to what matters -- the food.


Standing above the rest, on the corner of Magnolia & Burbank, Porto's serves some pretty damn tasty baked goods and Cuban(esque) sandwiches for very inexpensive prices. Again, don't fear the lines, you won't be waiting long at all.
    

Fruit Tart $2.95
Fresh blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, peach and apple slices atop a custard filled buttery pastry shell.  

I don't normally shell out for fruit or pies or tiny fruit-pies for that matter, so I am glad Jewel ordered this refreshing treat. The crust on this miniature fruit pie is light, flaky, and surprisingly didn't leave any after coating on the roof of my mouth.  

Triple Chocolate Mousse $2.95
White chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate mousse.

This may look like a glorified Jello Pudding cup but that's where you're wrong, Bill Cosby's got nothing on Porto's. Dark, milk, and white chocolate topped with chocolate covered malt balls. I quite liked this three tiered mousse.

Opera $2.95
Coffee soaked almond sponge cake, a layer of chocolate ganache, and a layer of mocha butter cream, topped with, what else, chocolate.

I don't care much for coffee cake, and essentially, that's what this is, just a coffee cake. The coffee soaked almond sponge cake combined with the chocolate ganache and mocha butter cream makes for a richer bolder flavor. As a whole, the cake is a little dry; I don't really think I need a coffee with this -- it'd be nice though.

Parisian $2.95
Devil's food chocolate cake, layered and decorated with chocolate whipped cream and shavings.

Decadence, thy name is Parisian. This Parisian chocolate is what originally brought me to Porto's. Rich chocolate upon chocolate upon nothing else but more chocolate. I don't know what Satan was doing when she(let's be honest) created "Devil's Food" but I think she needs to reconsider the definition of sin. Every morsel of this cake is moist, light, and delicate, you almost forget about the Horcata you had ordered on the side.   

Potato Ball $0.90/ball
Mashed potato ball filled with seasoned ground beef, then, deep fried until golden brown and delicious.

A wise man(Jim Gaffigan) once said: "If you deep fry a rubber hose, it'd taste good," but this is... just fantastic. Mashed potatoes wrapped around seasoned ground beef balled up and deep friend until golden brown and delicious. I love how the texture changes from crispy to soft to gooey.

Ropa Vieja $6.70
Traditional Cuban style shredded beef, with bell peppers, onions,  and tomato sauce served on an in-home Cuban bread.

Ropa Vieja, which means "old clothes" in Spanish. For what reason they named the sandwich this, I have no idea, and I don't really care, all I know is that this is quite a tasty sandwich. Shredded tender flank steak cooked and marinated in a rich tomato sauce piled on Cuban bread with peppers and onions all very satisfying to the last bite

Proto's is a great place to grab something and go somewhere else(your car) to eat. From savory sandwiches to sweet confections, I have little doubt in my mind that tells me that you won't enjoy getting fat here.