It has finally happened. Porto's in Downey has opened! I just got word from my trusty tipster Cecile, who lives near the area, that the long-awaited and OC-close outpost of the acclaimed L.A. Cuban bakery had their grand opening today.
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She knew that I had been waiting in the wings, biding my time, checking in for at least a year. It must be said we came close once, with Cafe Contigo in Anaheim, which merely imported the goods from the L.A. stores.
But that place folded two years ago, leaving me to routinely make the car trip to Glendale for my fix of soft potato balls, broth-gushing empanadas, fresh-baked cheese rolls, and their pastries, all those pastries!
Now, they're in Downey. And they're open.
Porto's Bakery and Cafe, 8233 Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA 90241, (562) 863-8888 www.portosbakery.com
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.