California Pizza Kitchen

531 Cowper St., Palo Alto



Hip, chic, and distinctly Californian. With its tinted glass walls and silhouetted palm tree logo, California Pizza Kitchen blends perfectly into downtown Palo Alto, which stretches along University Avenue in the shadow of Stanford University.

Inside the restaurant, the tiled walls are colored in an understated pattern of black, white and yellow stripes that would be quite minimalistic, were it not for the palm tree figures and decorated pizza boxes that dangle and droop all around the restaurant’s inner walls. In true California style, CPK’s multinational menu boasts everything from Asian dishes (Singapore Shrimp Rolls), to Spanish influences (Sedona Tortilla Soup), to Italian fare (Portobello Mushroom Ravioli). Known for its inventive, but delicious pizza combinations, CPK really does have something for everyone (vegetarians too), making it a favorite among families.

Though deciphering the menu is no simple feat, it seems like most items on the list leave their consumers in an exultant state of food coma. Appetizers are a must here, as they showcase the ability of CPK’s culinary masterminds to mix and match cultures and flavors. While the Chicken Lettuce Wraps—wok-seared chicken with Shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts and green onions, all in a soy ginger sauce—please even the pickiest eaters with gentle flavors, try the Tortilla Spring Rolls—available in three flavors: Baja Chicken, Thai Chicken and, my favorite, Mediterranean—for a surprising blitz of harmonious flavors and textures.

But CPK’s celebrity is not derived from its starters, soups or salads. It is the pizza here that is truly a show-stopper. For guests of a more selective taste, CPK offers a wide variety of classic pizzas that aim to please. The Five-Cheese and Fresh Tomato pizza is a popular choice that is unanimously well-liked. For the slightly more adventurous, the menu offers the sublime Original Barbeque Chicken pizza. This, CPK’s most popular pizza, is an amazing marriage of cheese, chicken and barbeque sauce. The addition of sliced red onions and fresh cilantro add just enough panache to keep this pie atop the list of favorites. But, believe it or not, CPK’s Tostada pizza takes top prize here. This unexpected combination of Southwestern flavors is like nothing you’ve had before. A bed of black beans and two cheeses baked on pizza dough is topped with lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, a creamy dressing and crispy tortilla strips to really create a "fiesta of flavors," so to speak.

For the adventurous eater on a (not-so-slim) budget, California Pizza Kitchen answers the call. Where every dish is a conversation piece, this restaurant not only serves up food, but it truly delivers an experience.

Rating:
**** "Oh that's freakin' Smurf"