California Pizza Kitchen offers a full plate of California culinary treats
The word “lawyer” doesn’t generally conjure up images of people licking their lips with glee but when attorneys Rick Rosenfeld and Larry Flax traded in the courtroom for the dining room on March 27, 1985, their desire to serve the mouths of the public became an open-and-shut case.
That’s because people began eating the hearth-baked gourmet pizzas and other culinary offerings of the duo’s creation, California Pizza Kitchen, which has become a leader in authentic California-style cuisine with a recognized consumer brand. Today, it is a chain boasting more than 250 restaurants across the country, with three locations in Las Vegas alone – one in Fashion Show Mall, one at the Mirage, and one at the new Town Square on south Las Vegas Boulevard.
Stating that eating at California Pizza Kitchen is “like a trip around the globe,” Flax and Rosenfeld built their brand on innovative pizzas using fresh ingredients and introducing flavors and tastes from all over the world, from Thai to Jamaican Jerk. (It is claimed on the menu that the Barbeque Chicken Pizza was invented at California Pizza Kitchen in 1985.) Pizzas are available with honey-wheat dough upon request. While there are some thin-crust pizzas on the menu, any pizza can be ordered with a thin crust for an extra $1.50.
Among the 35 pizzas listed on the menu are the Thai Chicken Pizza, The Greek, the Hawaiian, the Jamaican Jerk, the Sicilian, the Carne Asada, the Chipotle Chicken, the Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant, the Original Barbecue Chicken and the BBQ Chicken with Applewood Smoked Bacon, and the Cheeseburger Pizza. Other flavors include Goat Cheese with Roasted Peppers, White Pizza, Pear & Gorgonzola, Shrimp Scampi, Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage, Wild Mushroom, Five-Cheese and Fresh Tomato, BLT, Pepperoni, and more.
In addition, the menu boasts a wide selection of distinctive salads, pastas, specialties, appetizers, soups, foccacia sandwiches, and desserts, including Chicken-Tequila Fettucine, BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, Tortilla Spring Rolls, Grilled Vegetable Foccaccia, Chicken Marsala, Pan-Sauteed Mahi-Mahi, and Key Lime Pie. There is a wide array of beverages offered, including smoothies and blended beverages. Alcoholic beverages are available as well.
A restaurant for the entire family – it also has a Kid’s menu and a birthday club for children -- California Pizza Kitchen partners with non-profit schools and 501c3 organizations through sponsorships, in-restaurant fundraisers and donations. Priority is given to groups that focus on children, education, and youth sports.
The three California Pizza Kitchen cookbooks and CPK gift cards are available from the restaurant’s servers or online at cpk.com. All proceeds from the cookbooks go to the California Pizza Kitchen Foundation, which supports children’s charities from coast to coast.
- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro
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