Meat-Free An Easy Option At California Pizza Kitchen

One of the first restaurants I learned about after moving to Los Angeles was California Pizza Kitchen.

To my Midwestern eyes, it was one of the many unique treasures of this beautiful coastal state — California’s very own Pizza Kitchen. I now know that CPK has locations in 27 states from Hawaii to Massachusetts and nine cities internationally; it’s hardly our little secret. Nonetheless, we Californians still can be proud of our association with this reliable eatery.

My favorite way to experience CPK is to go with a companion or two and order a salad and a pizza (or two) to share. The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad is a sure bet, and CPK will happily prepare it (or anything on its menu) without chicken (or with the chicken on the side if you’re dining with someone who eats meat). The BBQ Chopped Salad has a southwestern twist, with black beans, sweet corn, jicama and tortilla strips marking this choice.

For a final touch, squeeze on a little juice from the lime wedge garnish, and you will find yourself scraping the plate to get every last bite of this delicious standard.

For an Asian flair, don’t pass up the Thai Crunch Salad. Cold edamame and peanuts along with crispy wontons and rice sticks and Thai peanut dressing make this a mouth-watering treat you’ll enjoy visit after visit.

The Vegetarian Pizza comes with grilled Japanese Eggplant as well as baby broccoli, roasted corn, sliced red onions, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes — a garden of vegetable goodness. This pizza may be ordered with goat cheese and on honey-wheat dough; the wise will take both of these options for a scrumptious vegetarian pizza experience.

A most reliable and simpler pizza is the Wild Mushroom. It comes with Cremini, Shiitake, Portobello and white mushrooms as well as a wild mushroom walnut pesto. If you like mushrooms even just a little, this pizza is worth a try. The flavor of the mushroom blend works beautifully to make this pizza a crowd-pleaser in any crowd.

One of the best simple pizzas you’ll ever try is the Five-Cheese and Fresh Tomato. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, smoked Gouda, Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano combine for a mouth-watering taste that will have you fighting over the last slice.

Two of the pizzas that come with chicken are definitely worth ordering meat-free. Most everyone knows about the delicious Thai Chicken Pizza; if you’ve never tasted this CPK classic, you simply must. Once you’ve experienced dough topped with spicy peanut-ginger and sesame sauce, you’ll never look at pizza the same way again.

Peanut sauce is replaced with curry sauce in the also unusual Mango Tandoori Chicken pizza, a newer creation that you can also order chicken-free. Besides the curry sauce, there is a sweet mango-chili sauce and chunks of mango. Once again you’ll be amazed how well the Asian flavorings replace traditional Italian sauces.

CPK’s menu also includes pasta (such as a savory Portobello mushroom ravioli) and focaccia sandwiches (including a grilled vegetable choice). You can even find the rare vegetarian split pea soup, this delicious version dressed up with barley and carrots and topped with green onion.

With CPK’s extensive menu and the restaurant’s willingness to prepare dishes meat-free, there are too many vegetarian options to describe them all here. Explore the menu with your own tastes in mind and you will no doubt create your own list of favorites.

The Pizza Kitchen can get pretty busy at peak times, so try to come for an early lunch at 11 a.m., when CPK opens, or for an off-hour late afternoon meal. CPK has two Long Beach locations, at the Marketplace on PCH near Second Street, and at the Pike, on Pine Avenue just south of Ocean Boulevard.