8 Items you MUST order at California Pizza Kitchen

Thank you to California Pizza Kitchen for inviting my family and me to enjoy a complimentary meal!

When I lived in LA, there was a California Pizza Kitchen on every corner.  At least, I felt like there was. I used to visit at least twice a month.  

Since moving to AZ, my CPK visits have dwindled.  But now, they have a new menu and I recommend 8 items that you MUST order.  May want to space your visits out to enjoy them all 🙂

When we told our daughter and son that we were going to pizza for dinner, they could barely contain themselves.  I swear they danced out of the house.

California Pizza Kitchen recently overhauled its menu to include new dishes.  They added a fire-grilled Ribeye (the first steak on the menu) and lots of exciting new flavor combinations.  

My husband and I were excited to try something new and ordered a variety of different dishes. 

My kids ordered cheese pizza.  They are SUPER adventurous.

Everything we had was delicious. Next time you go to CPK, you simply must try. 

Brussels and Bacon Flatbread & Smoked Ham and Swiss Flatbread

First you look at this and think… Brussels sprouts? Really?  On a pizza?

I thought that I would prefer the Smoked Ham and Swiss. Oh, my goodness…  the Ham and Swiss is really good but the Brussels and Bacon flatbread is amazing.

When I took a bite, I couldn’t taste any of Brussels sprouts characteristic bitterness. There was only salty bacon combined with creamy goat cheese.  The roasted brussels sprouts added a delicious savory flavor. 

Hearth Roasted Halibut

First, the halibut is cooked perfectly.  It’s moist and firm without being dry.  Each bite melted in my mouth.  

The real star however in this dish was the butternut squash farro.  The creaminess reminded me of a risotto but the farro added an extra hearty bite.  I swoon whenever I eat butternut squash.  I love it in soup, in ravioli.  The butternut squash in this dish took it to that next level of wonderfulness.

Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Thin Crust Pizza

Think Artichoke and Spinach dip on a pizza.  Amazing, right?  It tasted exactly like that without the dip’s customary heaviness.  Fresh roasted artichokes sat atop this pie with mozzarella, parmesan, and spinach.

Mahi Mahi Tacos

These were filling and delicious!  Panko crusted mahi, avocado, cabbage and a sriracha ranch made these super yummy.  The tacos had a little bit of a spicy kick but nothing too extreme.

Key Lime Pie

This Key Lime Pie is it!  The manager told us that CPK paid $1 million dollars for the recipe, and honestly, I believe it.  Tart lime takes over this pie in an extremely excellent way.  This dessert won as my (and my two-year-old son’s) favorite dessert on the table.

Yep, on the table.  We got more dessert.

Butter Cake with ice cream

This warm, dense and mouthwatering cake was also amazing.  I loved the little bits of sugar baked on the perimeter.  Each edge piece had a delicious sugary crunch mixed in with the melty, butttery cake. 

This was my daughter’s favorite. By the way, she recently started her own blog and you can read her review of the experience HERE.

S’mores

S’mores as an upscale dessert!  What could be better than that? Belgian chocolate pudding mixed with chocolate chunks layered over graham cracker crumbs and topped with flame roasted marshmallows.  It was delectable and sticky – like only marshmallow can be.  

This won my husband’s vote.  He will always vote for chocolate. 

Overall, I loved California Pizza Kitchen’s new menu.  Compared to the old, it features fresher ingredients as well as more produce.  While the previous menu had a lot of sandwiches and pasta, this is lighter and a bit more adventurous. 

And for my kids, the CPK cheese pizza will always be one of the best around. 

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