Given that we are eating out regularly this summer, a restaurant really has to WOW us in order to be considered "blog worthy." If I tried to blog about everything we ate, you would get bored and I would develop a serious case of carpal tunnel syndrome from typing every waking hour of the day. Of course, I make exceptions for the best meals we eat - if you recall, just a couple of days ago I posted about
Lemonade a delightful, mouthwatering wonder that we found in L.A. (Side note - I plan on making strawberry rhubarb lemonade today because our L.A. find was such an inspiration - will let you know how that goes). Anyway, I wanted to tell you about two
delicious places we recently ate that were quite different, but also amazing. If you ever visit L.A. or Phoenix, it is worth going out of your way for these meals!
Cuban in Los Angeles - Portos Bakery and Cafe
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| Mariquitas (Plantain Chips) with Mojo (garlic sauce) |
Every time we told someone in L.A. that we were there for a few weeks they always asked where we were staying.
We told them we chose to stay in a hotel central to the many spread out
events we had while there – Downey, CA.
Many people looked at us with a shameful, pitying glance
suggesting we made a terrible mistake, perhaps thinking we should have asked
for their advice on where to stay; however, in my mind we made an excellent
choice!
Not only were we central to events, and have a two room suite (important given the amount of boxes we had to store), we also enjoyed two movies at a theater only one block away, AND we stumbled upon an incredible, unexpected
culinary paradise right next to our hotel.
Now let me tell you about THIS gourmet getaway!
We ventured into Portos Bakery and Cafe one afternoon simply to find out what they had. We were greeted with beautiful cakes, a variety of sandwiches and salads, a complete espresso bar, fresh pastries including guava strudels, mango turnovers, fresh croissants, and Cuban delicacies. There was an entire section of the store dedicated to cakes, the long, glass pastry shelves lined both counters of the cafe and there was, without fail, always a line of eager customers. We had entered a world of Cuban culinary cuisine and we would venture back to this place at least 4, maybe 5 times, during our stay.
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| Horchata Espresso |
From the pastries to the breakfast sandwiches to the horchata beverages and lunch sandwiches - nothing failed to satisfy our hunger. Some highlights to get your mouth watering are below.
It was mid-day and we hadn't planned on eating - just wanted to check out the menu - but we couldn't resist.
We left with:
- a horchata smoothie - horchata is a traditional Mexican drink (but also made in a variety of ways in other countries) that is very rich and creamy - often made with ground rice, vanilla and cinnamon
- a rellenito sugar coated plantain stuffed with black beans (it doesn't look appetizing at first but it is jaw dropping delicious)
- mariquitas (plantain chips) with a side of Cuban garlic dipping sauce (mojo) - I just can't get enough of my bananas!
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| Rellenitos (photo pulled from website) |
In future trips we stopped in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, trying items on the menu such as:
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| Machacha Wrap (photo from Portos website) |
- Machacha Wrap (egg, roasted pork, cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onions in the best tortilla I have ever tasted)
- Chorizo and Egg Omelet Sandwich on Cuban Bread
- Caprese Sandwiches
- Torta de Pollo (chicken, goat cheese and black bean sandwich)
- House Salad with Mango Vinaigrette
- Horchata Espressos
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| Chorizo and Egg Omelet Sandwich |
We unfortunately were unable to try the
cakes, because splitting a whole cake between two people is just wrong. I imagine they are delicious given the droves of people that left the store with boxes upon boxes of cakes, plus, this is how the bakery and cafe originated. When the Porto family emigrated to CA from Cuba in the 1960's, Rosa Porto began selling cakes out of their home to make ends meet. Being the amazing baker she apparently was, she slowly developed a strong customer base and later opened Portos Bakery and Cafe, which now has three locations in California. You can read the whole story
here (which is quite interesting), and see the menu. If you are ever in Los Angeles, you must try this place!
Pakistani Cuisine in Phoenix - Curry Corner
We made another amazing find in Phoenix after watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. As the show came on, I thought outloud, "I wonder what places this show covers that are in Phoenix?" Sure enough, Curry Corner was featured on that very episode! It was destiny!
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| Bass Pro Shops Photo Shoot (note the hat Lucas is holding) |
We had a late event the following day so Lucas had made plans to go to a Bass Pro Shops in the morning to get a trucker hat since truck stops had proven to not have the right kind. The Bass Pro Shops was about 30 miles from where we were staying, and there was a brewery in the same area that Lucas had his eye on. Just our luck, Curry Corner was in the same general area so it was easy to tack on to our plans for the day.
After an amazing trip to Bass Pro Shops (more later) our stomachs began growling. We decided to hit Curry Corner before getting Lucas' growler filled - partly because of our very talkative stomachs, and partly because we were concerned a growler full of beer wouldn't hold up in the heat of the car when we stopped for lunch. This stop at Curry Corner was one of the best detours we have ever made.
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| Cheese and Garlic Naan |
The restaurant itself is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall and doesn't scream "amazing eating establishment" as you pull into the parking lot. This was a perfect example of the old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." We were seated quickly once inside, we beat the lunch rush apparently, and the service was wonderful. We quickly ordered cheese naan and garlic naan since we had watched how it was made on DD&D the night before. I took one bite and am pretty sure I said something along the lines of "Oh my Lord, this is the BEST naan I have ever tasted." The satisfaction didn't stop there.
Lucas ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala and I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Tikka which was also featured on the show the night prior. Both dishes were overwhelmingly delicious and were very generous portions (enough to have for dinner as well)! I would not do the meals justice by trying to explain what spices and herbs were included in each one. I wish I had that kind of palette, but alas, I do not. I suggest watching the clip on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives since we ordered those dishes (with the exception of the goat dish).
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| Tandori Chicken Tikka |
Next time you are in Phoenix, make the trip to Curry Corner, even if it is out of the way. Look how happy Lucas was enjoying his meal!!
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