Porta Via: Paradiso Italiano

Surrender to your inner gourmet and take the shortcut to meatball heaven at Porta Via Italian Foods, a stylish deli located in One West California.

Co-owned and managed by foodies Victor Ciulla (former Twin Palms CEO) and ex-New Yorker John Weithas, this handsome shop oozes contemporary Italian flavor in every bite of each authentic recipe.

At Porta Via, you can have your pick of the most delectable in authentic Italian deli – choicest meats, sausages, cheeses, pastas, antipasti and ready-to-eat foods, all fresh and absolutely mouth watering.

But the great thing about Porta Via is that deli items are just the beginning of the story: They have a variety of gorgeous and delicious prepared authentic Italian foods ready to be taken home for dinner with family or friends – part of their “gourmet to go” philosophy. Everything is prepared in their own kitchen, on the premises.

Wander in and get ready for a hit of epicurean overload. There’s the sight and tantalizing smell of the enormous calamari platter, Luciana style. Then the stack of lovely Panini sandwiches packed with fresh mozzarella and all sorts of sinful cuts of meats, and the over-the-top sub sandwiches that prompted a patron to declare, in a moment of ecstasy, “I have waited 20 years for this!”

It’s hard not to love their perfect Italian cold cut sandwich –  the “Autostrada” (Italian fast food?) – stuffed with mortadella, prosciutto, soppressatta, coppa, pepperoncinis, provolone, lettuce, and tomatoes – which by my phenomenal standards is a work of exemplary culinary expertise. (Three cheers to Octavio Beccera,  Patina Group’s former corporate executive chef who engineered many items on Porta Via’s menu.)

The meatballs already seem to have acquired celebrity status (a bit early to say “legendary”); prepared from nine ingredients including three different meats and  steeped in a juicy marinara sauce loaded with San Marzano tomatoes.

There’s much more:  Tri tip marinated in red wine and rosemary; grilled scampi with garlic and chiles; salmon with green olives and potatoes; herb encrusted rotisserie leg of lamb; and more!

Hard not to stand there putting that Pavlovian canine to shame.

To complete this increasingly tasty picture, indulge in a light, luscious and lemony serving of cannolis – made with a secret recipe handed down through 3 generations of Ciullas. Those with simpler ambitions can treat themselves to the special bread pudding of the day.

Porta Via it’s a little bit of paradiso Italiano you ought to visit.

Porta Via, One West California Boulevard, Pasadena.  Call (626) 793-9000 or go to,  www.PortaViaFoods.com. Open Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 7:00 pm,  Saturday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.