11677 San Vicente Blvd. | Brentwood, CA 90049 | 310-826-3573 | cpk.com | Price: $$
By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer
Restaurant chain food should not taste this good, but California Pizza Kitchen achieves the near impossible: offering top-notch dinner fare on a mass scale.
Tucked upstairs on the second floor of Brentwood Gardens on San Vicente Boulevard near Barrington Avenue, this location is only the sixth CPK established in what is now an international chain of some 200 restaurants founded in 1985 by attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flaxon.
All photos courtesy of CPK
Three decades later, the CPK chain, under the ownership of Golden Gate Capital since 2011, has undergone conscious steps to refresh its brand.
Now, after giving many of its locations (including this one) an atmospheric overhaul, ripping out carpeting and installing new furniture to create more of a down-to-earth, rustic chic vibe, CPK has launched what it calls its “Next Chapter” assortment of new menu additions.
On the beverage side, one of the Next Chapter newbies is the Fresh Strawberry Mango Cooler, a refreshing, light, non-alcoholic drink. On the alcoholic side, the Seasonal Harvest proves equally light and transparent with its wash of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, Bacardi Superior Rum, St. Germain Elderflower and muddled grapes.
Among the starters, Smoked Ham & Swiss, from its California Flatbreads selections, is one of CPK’s finest offerings: it comes decked out with Emmentaler and goat cheese with caramelized onions and smashed garlic croutons.
Some of the most perfect foods you can enjoy at this CPK come from the Next Chapter’s soup menu. The Farmers Market is a medley of zucchini, spinach, carrots and potato in a cheesy broth. Even richer and tastier is the Baked Potato Soup, a purée of potato with scallions topped with bits of Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon.
Brentwood CPK has no shortage of sandwiches to accompany those soups. One of the best sandwiches is the Oven-Roasted Turkey and Brie, which includes slices of Bosc pear and baby greens on Ciabatta bread.
The Hearth-Roasted Halibut, served on a bed of butternut squash, farro and baby kale, features “wild caught” Alaskan halibut. Even better is a surf ’n’ turf-style plate of Mahi Mahi Tacos, accompanied by fresh avocado, shaved cabbage, Sriracha ranch and fresh cilantro on grilled Mazina tortillas, served with flame-roasted salsa and house-made chips.
By far the Next Chapter’s rock star is the Fire-Grilled Ribeye, a 12-ounce slab of steak topped with a large creamy bulb of bleu cheese butter and Pinot noir sea salt. The steak arrives with a batch of roasted fingerling potatoes and lemon-garlic wild arugula salad riding shotgun.
The most epic of the Next Chapter desserts is the S’Mores, a cup of kettle-cooked Belgian chocolate pudding with double graham cracker and a bubbling, blowtorch-seared cloud of marshmallow. (Other options include the Salted Caramel Pudding and a slice of Red Velvet Cake with optional Haagen-Dazs scoop add-on.)
Just this past Tuesday, CPK has ushered in a wide range of embellishments to its menu. Its summer offering, the Maine Lobster Flatbread, has been replaced with a Brussels Sprouts Flatbread. There is also the addition of a Shrimp Scampi entrée, Blood Orange Sangria and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Sauce for dessert.
The seasonal vegetables accompanying the lemon-garlic marinated Roast Garlic Chicken mean that Brussels sprouts have now replaced the side of carrots alongside the fingerling potatoes, cauliflower and Mediterranean herbs.
With its softly lit, handsome interior, night views of San Vicente Boulevard and a buoyant staff headed by this outlet’s hospitable Kitchen Manager Damion Davis, be sure to make a beeline for Brentwood Gardens.
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