California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen Restaurant Review:

CPK remains one of the best chain restaurants around, both for flavor and value. The two dozen crispy-thin pizzas include all the standards, as well as inventive versions like pear and Gorgonzola, wild mushroom, mango tandoori chicken, and B.L.T.---complete with mayonnaise. Our favorites are the roasted garlic chicken, with its garlic-shallot butter, and the barbecued chicken. While it’s difficult to tear yourself away from the pies, we recommend that you try one of the pastas, perhaps the Thai linguine with spicy peanut-ginger sauce or the vegetarian spinach. Vegetarians will like the asparagus and spinach spaghetti. Salad portions are large, so keep in mind that you can get a half-order. The full-service menu includes soups, appetizers and sandwiches made with good hearth-baked focaccia and filling desserts.