I stopped getting pies/cakes - the presentation is really sloppy now. The last crumb cake I got was way too sweet as well. Potato balls and meat pies I don’t love anymore due to taste of olives.
Raspberry kisses / clam chowder / cheese rolls still good though…
Olives has always been a part of Cuban Picadillo. Perhaps they are using cheaper ones or adding more to keep the costs low. For some reason our booker always schedules our focus groups near a Portos. So consistently over the years from the Burbank, Glendale and Downey locations, everyone still stops by with yellow boxes.
Best thing at Portos: Dulce de Leche Kisses. One of the best cookies in the city.
Best Cuban sandwich in L.A.: Del Rey Deli. Been to Miami, this monster blows 75% of those there out of the water.
Pickles are a must. Salami on the other hand… I never noticed that at the Tampa spots. Most of them do offer the option of lettuce which is untraditional but adds a nice touch.
I haven’t had a Porto’s croissant in years, but I can’t imagine that they’ve changed significantly. I guess it’s cheap enough and close enough to warrant another look…maybe.
One has to wonder what the criteria were. I’ve never found Porto’s to be supreme at anything that I’ve tried. The QPR is solid, but if I’m shoveling bakery calories in my belly, they’d better be FTC-acceptable - not just good for the money.
Their oatmeal raisin cookies are wonderfully good.
I used to get the chocolate chip cookies (his fav) for the hubster and the oatmeal (“Oh, you wouldn’t really like these…”) for me. And then one day he’d eaten all his cookies, and thus tried one of mine.