Tasting the Next Chapter of California Pizza Kitchen at Rolling Hills CPK

After thirty years of actively setting trends in casual dining, you would think a restaurant chain might rest on their laurels, leave well enough alone, or any other cliché that means keeping things just the way they are.

That’s not the case with California Pizza Kitchen.

For the last three decades they’ve taken strides in casual dining like bringing the show kitchen to the dining room and of course, popularizing the barbecue chicken pizza.

As CPK starts a new chapter in its history book, changes in décor and new additions to the menu are prepping the chain for a new generation.

Recently, I was invited* to visit the CPK in Rolling Hills.  Its one of the locations that has undergone the transformation from old to new with changes in setting and menu.

Signs of things to come for the next chapter in CPK’s storied history.

A large chalkboard in the front of the restaurant acknowledged the turn around the bend with hints of what was to come:  Fresh, seasonally inspired ingredients; hand-tossed artisan pizzas; classic, unique pastas & salads; and hand-shaken cocktails, premium wines, and craft beers.

Sounded like a good plan to me! With a few other South Bay Foodies to help me out, we dove into the menu.

Appetizers

Change is often a good thing.  One of the changes I appreciate at the new CPK is swapping in seasoned olive oil for the butter served with the complimentary bread.

If you’ve been to CPK, you might recall the butter as cold and hard to spread when its first served.  I always appreciated knowing the butter was refrigerated, but I was bummed to have to wait for the butter to warm up a bit before I could spread it.  Sometimes I would even hold a pat or two of butter in my hands to heat it up faster!

Now, they’re serving olive oil with a bit of herbed seasoning along with the crusty, freshly baked bread.  No more hand-to-hand warming up the butter!

Freshly baked bread and the remains of herbed olive oil used for dipping.

Of course, there are a few things that are great just left alone and CPK’s spinach and artichoke dip is a fine example.  Its served hot along with blue and white corn tortilla chips that are perfect for scooping up the dip that’s both cream and chunky at the same time.  Don’t ever change that!

Spinach and artichoke dip with white and blue corn tortilla chips.

Cocktails

The Blueberry Ginger Smash is a new addition to CPK’s full-bar line up of cocktails and beverages.   I’m a fan of whisky and bourbon cocktails, so I immediately gravitated towards this blend of Jack Daniel’s and ginger liqueur seasoned with fresh blueberries, lime and cranberry juice. The candied ginger garnish is a nice treat as well; I find stirring the drink with it adds a bit more “pepper” from the spicy ginger giving the drink just a bit more of a flavorful kick.

Blueberry Ginger Smash; photo from Foodgal.com.

Entrees

As I checked out the new entrée items on the menu, I wanted to try an item that I wouldn’t expect to get from a pizza place.  The ribeye steak was a clear choice.  The price gave me pause ($25.99) but I was turned on by the description: 12 ounces of choice ribeye grilled with sea salt and topped with blue cheese butter.  The sides were fingerling potatoes and arugula salad.

I shared this plate with three people and there wasn’t a scrap remaining.  The steak was cooked perfectly as ordered (medium rare) with the sea salt and blue cheese butter bringing just the right amount of brine and tang to the flavor of the beef.  The arugula added some pepper flavor and the potatoes stood on their own merit, crispy outside and tender inside, seasoned with a precise amount of herbs and olive oil.

The crazy good grilled ribeye steak.

And even with new items on the menu (like roasted halibut), I find it almost impossible to dine at CPK without ordering the dish that started it all: the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza.  Like other classics, this is one pizza that I think will be in style for some time.

Its a classic! CPK’s BBQ Chicken Pizza.

Dessert

Ending things on a sweet note, we decided on the butter cake and the Key lime pie.  The butter cake certainly lives up to the simple description on the menu that says, “Trust us. Just try it.”  Basically, its everything a desert should be: warm; easily yielding to a fork in moist, fluffiness; and sweet and buttery throughout.  Our plans to save some for later were foiled after just one bite.  The vanilla ice cream on top was an unnecessary, yet welcome addition to the plate.

The Key lime also didn’t disappoint.  I’m biased towards Key lime pie but you can trust that I know a good one from experience.  From top to bottom this slice was well built with a firm, creamy filling that was cool in temperature and sweetly tart in flavor.  The graham cracker crust was thick but not crumbly.  Overall it was a really nice Key lime pie.

Butter cake with vanilla ice cream. They don’t lie: Trust them, just try it!

A portrait of the perfect Key lime pie.

Many More Years of CPK to Come

I have no doubt that CPK will continue to innovate and succeed in the very competitive space of chain restaurants providing casual, full service dining.  They’ve taken the first step by shaking up things a bit in their menu and my first venture into their new offerings leaves me confident that I’ll see more of CPK in the years to come.

All of the South Bay CPK locations have been “reimagined” and are serving items from the new menu.  If you stop by the South Bay Galleria location, you’ll have even more new options as that’s where the CPK test kitchen is located; they’ll be serving test dishes well before they’re available anywhere else.

Follow this link to learn more about CPK’s “next chapter” and find a location near you,

• California Pizza Kitchen, Rolling Hills Plaza
  • http://www.cpk.com/locations/rolling-hills-plaza/
  • 25304 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505; (310) 539-5410

* Some items mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this review. Prices and menu items mentioned are subject to change without notice. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinions of the reviewers.