I recently had the opportunity to try out California Pizza Kitchen’s new "Next Chapter" menu. It had been awhile since my last visit, so when I read about their new offerings, I grabbed a couple friends and we headed over to the California Pizza Kitchen located at The Fountains in Roseville to give it a try, and I'm glad we did.
We arrived at 11, which is on the early side for lunch, and while we were one of the first to be seated, the place quickly began to fill up. As I looked around, I noticed it was split pretty equally between families with kids and those without.
We asked Kerri, our server, about some of the new items on the menu, and she pointed out the new Roasted Garlic Chicken with Seasonal Favorites, saying it was her favorite. We decided to give it a try, along with their Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza, which she said they recently put back on their menu. We added their Shaved Mushroom & Spinach Flatbread, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and a Petite Wedge salad.
Kerri brought us some warm bread with a flavorful herb dipping sauce to enjoy as we waited for our meal, and asked if we would like the flatbread, lettuce wraps and wedge first (which we did). We were excited to try it all and we decided to share the dishes, because none of us wanted to miss out on a single thing.
The lettuce wraps, flatbread, and wedge salad arrived first, as promised, and we dug right in. The first thing two of us tried was the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and we were not disappointed. It came with a wonderful sauce. Our other friend started on the Petite Wedge, which was topped with bleu cheese dressing, smoked bacon, chopped egg and tomatoes. We then moved on to the Shaved Mushroom Flatbread. With a thin crust, cremini mushrooms, sauteed spinach and cheeses, it had the perfect combination of flavors.
When the Roasted Garlic Chicken with Seasonal Favorites and Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza arrived, we all oohed and aahed at the plate with the chicken. The presentation was superb, and once we tried it, we all agreed we were glad we took Kerri’s recommendation and tried it. The seasonal favorites consisted of white, orange and purple heirloom carrots, cauliflower, and fingerling potatoes. The lemon-garlic sauce was wonderful.
Now you would think, with all of that food, we would be too full for anything else, but we all have a sweet tooth, and the Seasonal Strawberry Shortcake in the picture on the table had been calling our names since we sat down. Of course one dessert between us just didn’t seem like enough, so we added the Belgian Chocolate Souffle Cake, topped with a scoop of ice cream, as well.
When they arrived, I didn’t know if we would be able to finish them. I wish I had a photo of how tasty they looked, but we dived in so quick I forgot to take a picture until we were almost done. You'll just have to trust me that they both looked as yummy as they tasted! The strawberries and whip cream topped a very large biscuit. The souffle was topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, which complemented the rich chocolate in the souffle and the fudge sauce. Both were scrumptious, and despite my worrying that our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, we finished them off.
I also found out CPK offers a special program that allows kids to play chef and make their own pizza from the freshest ingredients, while getting creative and learning about food along the way. Perfect for birthday parties, CPKids parties include a VIP-style behind-the-counter restaurant tour, a meal and dessert from the award-winning CPKids menu, souvenirs and a certificate for a free CPKids Meal for each child’s next visit.
We enjoyed the meal immensely, and it turned out to be a great place for our girls day out. They have expanded their menu, and there is something on it for everyone. I can’t wait to go back one evening and try their new Fire-Grilled Rib-eye and Hearth-Roasted Halibut! If you haven’t been to California Pizza Kitchen in awhile, I suggest you stop on by and check out their new menu
California Pizza Kitchen is located at 1190 Roseville Parkway in Roseville 95678
The meal was provided by CPK, but the views expressed are mine (and my friends) honest opinions. We were very happy with the meal!
