Who should you eat at California Pizza Kitchen?

Who shouldn’t eat at California Pizza Kitchen?

Ok, so what’s the food like? First, let’s talk about the crust, the foundation of all pizza. John Travolta demonstrated how to tell if you have a perfect pizza crust in the opening sequence of “Saturday Night Fever.” What did he do? He folded one slice around the other. The proverbial perfect pizza crust has to be crisp yet pliant enough to bend. The California Pizza Kitchen’s crust passes the Tony Manero test. It is yeasty, bready, tasty… and just thick enough to support the weight of the crowded toppings. All the pizzas are hearth baked, which keeps the dough moist.

My favorite pizza was the wild mushroom pizza. The voices of the different mushrooms – crimini, shitake, portabella, and white buttons – sang four-part harmony in this white pizza. Fontina and mozzarella cheeses blanketed the quarter. Roughly chopped Italian parsley garnished the pie. Earthy, musky, meaty – a great pizza.

The essence and elegance of Italian cooking is to take great ingredients and do as little as possible to them in the kitchen. That describes the tomato, basil, and garlic pizza. Where do they find such tasty Roma tomatoes this time of year? Cut like wagon wheels, there were Porsche red and bragged about their flavor. The garlic was fearlessly self-possessed.

Another brassy alternative was the five cheese pizza that also showcased those tasty tomatoes. The other four cheeses lurked in the shadows giving the smoked Gouda center stage.

You won’t expect a perfect hummus in an Italian restaurant. The Tuscan version uses white beans instead of chick peas for the brassy paste. The restaurant uses its pizza dough to make pie-like wedges for dipping, which arrive warm.

The Oriental salad was another ethnic offering prepared true to form. The salad had lots of crunch thanks to the oriental noodles and fresh carrots. It’s topped with juicy chicken sliced from the breast. I loved the sweet and sour sesame dressing – I closed my eyes and I suddenly I was back in Okinawa.

Dessert in the desert: Save room for the tiramisu. The pastry chef soaks the lady fingers in espresso and rum (a lovely combination) before layering them like a lasagna with mascarpone cheese (that’s Italian cream cheese). A dusting of cinnamon makes the flavors more vivid. There’s an added plus: the tower of tiramisu is surrounded by a foamy sea of zabaglione, frothy custard like sauce laced with Marsala wine.

Key lime pie is a lighter selection if you’re about to burst from pizza. The tart filling is yellow – not green—which means it prepared properly. This is a good summer choice because traditionally key lime pies are never cooked. The acid from the lime juice is all that’s needed to thicken the egg yolks, which provide the yellow color.

History: In 1985 California attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax traded the courtroom for the dining room. The chain has 118 restaurants with the newest one right here in LVNV. The Mirage location is one of the three busiest restaurants in the company. I predict Fashion Show will give the Mirage store a run for its money.

If you don’t want pizza, there are still dozens of choices. The restaurant serves pastas, soups, sandwiches, and salads, all with its signature “who would have thunk it” combinations.

What’s more, the prices are surprisingly reasonable. The only drawback: the place is popular, so plan on a wait or eat late.

Where is it? There are two locations in LVNV. The new one is at Fashion Show between Bloomingdale’s and Dillard’s. There’s also a CPK at the Mirage. The Web site is www.cpk.com

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