Panera Bakery

Panera Bakery
3521 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
626-351-8272

OK I know I'm not big on chains but I heard about Panera Bakery opening up and I figured why not give them a try.

I got there at lunch time, so instead of pastries I ordered a bacon turkey bravo sandwich, $6.39, smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes & signature dressing, on tomato basil bread. The turkey was stacked high and was very fresh. The smoked gouda cheese added a nice flavor to the smokieness of the turkey and bacon.

Service was very good. The cashier who took my order, was very nice and friendly. But be aware the lines can be very long.

I would not go back to Panera. While the food is good the prices are too high. There are much better places where you can get a better sandwich at better prices. Plus I'm not a big fan of chains. Support the locally owned restaurants.

Paradise Pastry and Cafe

Paradise Pastry and Cafe
1815 West Glenoaks
Glendale
818-545-4000

Trying to find some new places to have lunch and maybe a quick dessert, I found Paradise Pastry and Cafe. This a Middle Eastern cafe. They have kebobs, lamb, and many other Middle Eastern items.

I just stayed low key and ordered a turkey sandwich on a baguette. The baguette was very tough and chewy. I didn't like the texture. The turkey was simple processed turkey that was pretty tasteless. The lettuce and tomatoes weren't the freshest either. Not worth the $3.59 price.

The strawberry roll for a $1 wasn't a bad dessert. It wasn't too sweet, something I like. It was sponge cake filled with strawberry jam and topped with coconut. It was pretty good and worth the $1 price.

What wasn't worth it was the service. It was very slow, rude and just plain racist. Of course many of their customers are Middle Eastern. But they actually serve the Middle Eastern people ahead of other non Middle Eastern customers. I didn't realize we were back in the Jim Crow South.

I would not go back to Paradise Pastry again. Very average food and the worst type of service, rase based.

Amy's

Amy's Pastry
2208 Beverly Blvd
Montebello
323-724-0488

I was surprised to find such a good place for pastries, bagels, cookies, and cakes in Montebello. But Amy's Pastry is great.

Pictured is a cherry slushy. Good refreshing stuff.

Next is a cinnamon roll. Take the best cinnamon roll you ever had and this is twice as good. Only problem with day I went was that the oven was broken and it was served cold. I can't imagine how good it would be hot.

The crossiant is flakey, buttery goodness and as you can see from the picture it's a good sized crossiant.

I have had their bagels, cookies, and cakes and they are all awesome. One of the best bakeries anywhere.

Now the only that is bad about Amy's is their service. The people are friendly enough but they are so damn slow. A turtle could serve the pastries faster. Don't be in a rush if you go to Amy's. Also remember to take a number. They won't take any orders unless you have a number. The number ticket machine will be to your right when you walk into Amy's.

If you can handle good, but VERY slow service you will get great pastries.

Natas

Natas
13317 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks
818-788-8050

I found out about Natas from The Pleasure Palate. Natas is a Portuguese bakery. They have some great pastries, cakes, and cookies.

The first picture is a Folhado de Salscha - puff pastry filled chicken sausage. Awesome. Very flakey and tasty.

The second picture has Pasteis de Bacalhau, $2.00, which is cod cakes, rissois, creamy shrimp and crab, $2.00. Both are breaded and fried and damn tasty.

Service was good. They are helpful, they answered all my questions and friendly.

I was very impressed with the freshness and taste of the Portuguese pastries. I would go back anytime.

Porto's

Porto's
315 Brand
Glendale
818-956-5996

It maybe strange to go to a bakery for a Cuban sandwich but Porto's serves not only great pastries but a great sandwich. The first picture is the view of Porto's from Brand Blvd. The second picture is the "back" entrance from the parking lot behind Porto's.

The Cuban sandwich $3.75 is filled with pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles and served with fried bananas. The bread is toasted but is so soft and flakey. The meats, especially the pork is so tender. The ham is really just sliced ham that kids use for lunch meat. Otherwise a damn good sandwich at a damn good price.

The pastries pictured include a brownie, a raspberry mouse, and a pyramid shaped chocolate mouse with three kinds of chocolate, dark, milk and a white chocolate. They are all so awesome.

Porto's is packed, no matter when you go. Remember to take a number and be patient, it's well worth the wait. They also have another location in Burbank. I would go back to Porto's anytime.