California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen Restaurant Review:

While initially CPK was all the rage with its list of two dozen crispy-thin pizzas, pastas and big salads, lately we have been disappointed with the fare. The lettuce in our Cobb salad wasn’t fresh, the asparagus soup bland, and artichoke salad overly chewy. Safe bets include the standard pizzas, but we do like some of the inventive multi-cultural versions like wild mushroom, mango tandoori chicken, and B.L.T.---complete with mayonnaise. Other favorites are the roasted garlic chicken, with its garlic-shallot butter, and the barbecued chicken, the most popular of the pizzas. You can also design your own. If you can tear yourself away from the pies, try one of the pastas; we recommend the Thai linguine with spicy peanut-ginger sauce. Another Asian option, the crisp Chinese chicken salad, is satisfying. Salad portions are large, so keep in mind that you can get a half-order. Soups, appetizers and sandwiches made with good hearth-baked focaccia are also available, and filling desserts like sundaes please the kids.