Organic Sustainable Nutrition Meets Pizza
Tampa, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: California Style Pizza and Pastas
Dined in May 2017
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
The word "pizza" (pittsa) first appeared in a Latin text from the southern Italy town of Gaeta, then still part of the Byzantine Empire, in 997 AD; the text states that a tenant of certain property is to give the bishop of Gaeta duodecim pizze ("twelve pizzas") every Christmas Day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday. Or as we have come to know it today: A yeasted flatbread typically topped with tomato sauce, cheese, assorted meats, and vegetables then baked in an oven. However stories of eating items similar to the modern day pizza go back to the 5th century BC. Remember the movie 300? Well, the Persian armies under Darius and Xerxes baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields. Fast-forward 2000 years and pizza is now a household name with restaurants and delivery stores everywhere. Few however source their ingredients from sustainable companies, use organic produce when possible, and that is a chain restaurant with locations around the United States, Mexico, Chili, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Japan, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Australia. I’m talking about the California Pizza Kitchen.
Follow Wine, Dine, and Play:
Main review:
The California Pizza Kitchen opened our first restaurant In Beverly Hills in 1985. Former federal prosecutors Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax combined their passion for food and quality ingredients to create hearth-baked pizzas such as The Original BBQ Chicken, Thai Chicken, and Jamaican Jerk Chicken, cooked in an open kitchen. The restaurant gave Chicago and New York chains a little run for their money. CPK puts a little twist to their product that garnered so much success that expansion from California to more than 250 locations in more than 30 states and 13 other countries began.
To make sure they are staying on the halthy side and not just saying one thing to the customer, and doing another, they have dietary information on their webpage for every menu item. Though this is becoming a mandatory law in the United States for all restaurants to provide this information (May 2017 - delayed enforcement until 2018), California Pizza Kitchen had their act together, and has been providing this information for some time. Follow the link here: Dietary and nutrition information link
Menu:
- Small Plates + California Flatbread
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Soups
- Main Plates
- Power Bowls
- Pasta
- Pizza
- Lunch Duos
- Desserts
The pizza and flatbread selection is vast, you can get hand tossed or thin crust pizza, or seasonally inspired flatbreads. If you're not a pizza eater and just tagging along, then they also offer assorted pastas, chicken dishes, seafood selections such as halibut, cedar planked salmon or mahi tacos, and a 12 ounce USDA ribeye steak.
My wife and I dined at the Tampa location, Westshore Plaza Mall, where the main dining room opened up to the full viewed kitchen, smaller full bar, which itself is rare for a mall restaurant. Then the dining room continued down the left side of the store galley style all the way to the restrooms and outdoor patio seating. We ordered some some to start our lunch, noticing that they had all common mainstream wines though the menu advertises “unique and divine.” To me when I see that, I’m thinking small boutique wines, not La Crema, Kendall Jackson, or Coppola. Those names mean empire or other distribution giants. Divine some wines may be but unique is not correct. As the chain does have high quality standards of fresh produce and sustainable meats, why not hold to the same standard when it comes to wine and beer? Speaking of beers, the past few years, local microbreweries have been popping up in almost every state, and several are very good. Tampa, St. Petersburg, and a few others like St. Augustine have some wonderful local microbreweries, but on the CPK menu you have Corona, Stella, and Newcastle!!
I recommend that you start with the spicy buffalo cauliflower appetizer under the small plates section of the menu. Fresh cauliflower florets are fried to a golden brown in a house-made buttermilk batter, then tossed in a Sriracha buffalo sauce, and topped with a garnish of celery, Gorgonzola cheese, and cilantro sprigs diced. The asparagus + arugula salad, and Thai chicken starters are also big hits.
 |
| Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower |
My wife and I shared our entree having a selection they offer Monday-Friday called the lunch duo, where you can get a choice of two from either a pizza menu, sandwich section, soup, or salad. Every item on this menu was mouth watering. We went for what we believe was the best, and boy was it ever. The Mushroom Sausage Pizza with cremini mushrooms, rustic pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, fresh torn basil, mozzarella and wild Greek oregano topping. This dish melted in our mouths. Every bite was exotic.
 |
| Mushroom Sausage Pizza |
We ordered a salad instead of the sandwiches or soups, though the Farmers Market soup with roasted squash and market vegetables, cream, and then finished with a drizzle of California extra virgin olive oil sounded divine, which is a real definition of divine, not their wine list divine definition. We had the mediterranean salad with crispy romaine lettuce sprigs, Roma tomatoes, garbanzo beans, crumbled feta cheese, sliced kalamata black olives, and red onions all lightly tossed in a mustard herb vinaigrette. Very nice!
 |
| Mediterranean Salad |
Dessert:
We didn’t have room, but if your interest on a future visit, they have key lime pie, a very Floridian choice, wish their local beer selection matched their classic local dessert. Butter cake, red velvet cake, and caramel pudding were some of the other offerings.
Other Noteworthy Pizza Kitchen Favorites:
Gino’s East Pizzeria Chain serving Chicago-style deep dish pizza & other Italian eats in Chicago, Illinois
Pizza Republica Trendy Italian trattoria and pizza restaurant in Centennial, Colorado
Base Woodfired Pizza A Re:Start business at “Little High Eatery” in Christchurch, New Zealand
Home Slice Pizza Thin-crust New York style pizza restaurant in Austin, Texas
Napoletana Pizzeria Wood-burned stone oven pizza restaurant at the Dubai Marina, UAE
91 Wood Fire Oven Refined rustic American fare in Canton, Ohio
Final notes and observations:
What is a restaurant review? Is one better than the other? How does the rating system work? Most reviews you read online are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsibly, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience. My job is to put you at the table with me, and to try and be objective to the best of my ability. Being impeccable with my word, never taking anything that happens personally, being honest in the review, never making assumptions, and to always write to the best of my knowledge. My ratings are notated by the level of stars I award (from 0 to 5). The star rating is based on the calculation and point accumulation of six separate factors with nearly seventy questions broken down by my individual experience. This includes: wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, plus a bonus section I call wow factor. To see more details on how I do my ratings read this article:
Over all from this experience, and using my rating system linked above, I give California Pizza Kitchen a 2 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience equivalent to most restaurants. Being in the industry I consider my standards to be higher than average as I look for and more when I dine. They do get extra points for their organic and nutrition qualities, but lost points in their beverage offerings and some customer service factors. The six factors used to get this rating are scored in the chart below.
|
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
|
Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
|
Total Points deducted:
|
|
Ambiance
|
10
|
9.5
|
0.5
|
|
Food quality
|
10
|
7
|
3
|
|
Plate presentation
|
8.5
|
6.5
|
2
|
|
Customer service
|
7.5
|
5.5
|
2
|
|
Alcohol and other beverages
|
9
|
3
|
6
|
|
Total regular points awarded
|
45
|
31.5
|
13.5
|
|
Total percentage Before Bonus
|
|
0.7
|
|
|
“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
|
Total bonus percentage
|
|
0.0222222222222222
|
|
|
Total percentage with bonus for final star rating
|
|
0.722222222222222
|
|
|
Stars Awarded (see chart below)
|
0 - 5
|
2
|
|
Review basics:
|
5 stars
|
An Extraordinary Experience
Worthy of a Michelin rating
|
94 - 100%
(105% with full bonuses added)
|
|
4 Stars
|
An Outstanding Experience
(Top of its class)
|
87 - 93%
|
|
3 Stars
|
Exceeded All My Expectations
|
80 - 86%
|
|
2 Stars
|
Far Above the Average Experience
|
72 - 79%
|
|
1 Star
|
An Average Dining Experience
|
66 - 71%
|
|
0.5 Star
|
The Restaurant is a very Basic Experience
|
65 - 61%
|
|
0 Stars
|
ALERT: Poor, or Appalling Experience
(Do not waste your money or time)
|
60% or below
|
|
Overall Star Rating:
|
2 of 5 Stars:
72% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus on nutrition
Far Above the Average Dining Experience
|
|
Wine List:
|
|
|
Corkage fee’s:
|
This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
|
|
Restaurant style:
|
Casual
|
|
Cuisine style:
|
Contemporary, Modern, American, Californian, Pizza, Organic, and Vegetarian
|
|
Reservations:
|
Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
|
|
Dress code:
|
Casual attire
|
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette. If not then
Hire a Babysitter!
|
|
Experiences:
|
Trendy, Hot spot, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
|
|
Payments:
|
Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
|
|
Parking:
|
Complementary Valet, or public lot
|
|
Wifi
|
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
|
|
Noise level:
|
Medium
|
|
Smoking:
|
Nonsmoking restaurant
|
|
Patio:
|
Yes
|
A few Tampa favorites on Wine, Dine, and Play:
|
Upscale eatery with butchery at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
|
Rustic native American and Floridian fare w/Barbacoa Grilling
|
Asian restaurant with sushi at the Hard Rock Casino
|
|
Eclectic & innovative gastropub using molecular gastronomy
|
Creative Mexican eats & decor
|
Café chain for health-minded breakfast, brunch, & lunch
|
|
Sleek chain with Hawaiian menu + sushi
|
Hip British-inspired and themed pub
|
Vibrant spot for classic Spanish dishes & tapas
|
Visit the whole list on “Restaurant Reviewed in Tampa, Florida”
Other Florida favorites:
|
St. Petersburg
Rustic New American Fare
A top 100 on Wine, Dine, and Play
|
New Smyrna Beach
Old-world classic Italian & Mediterranean
|
Gulfport
Old School Rustic Tuscan
|
|
Tampa
Native American Cuisine w/Barbacoa Grilling
|
Ruskin
German Bites in Bavarian-style Tavern
|
St. Petersburg
Contemporary Twist on American Eats
|
|
Orlando
Upscale Pan Asian Fare w/sushi
|
St. Pete Beach
Rooftop Artisan Fusion Bistro
|
Key West
Landmark bar since 1851, where Jimmy Buffet got his start
|
|
Brandon
Casual curries of North & South with Buffet
|
Sarasota
Authentic & Traditional Peruvian Cuisine
|
St. Augustine
Locally Sourced Café for Southern Grub
|
Food Prices
(excluding, alcohol, taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant or wine connoisseur’s**
|
My food bill:
|
Currency:
|
Price chart:
|
|
$20.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
|
$27.00
|
Australian Dollar (AUS)
|
$
|
|
£15.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
|
$27.00
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$
|
|
¥136.00
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
|
€18.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
Currency rates as of June 2017
Alcohol Prices:
$34.00
California Pizza Kitchen:
2223 N.W. Shore Blvd.
Spc. 189
Tampa, Florida
33607
Contact Information:
|
Restaurant website:
|
|
|
Maître d or host:
|
+1 813-353-8155
|
|
Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
|
Mon-Sat
11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Sunday
11:00 am - 7:00 pm
|
|
Email or webpage contact:
|
|
|
Social Media
&
Accolades:
|
|
****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list based on who is writing about them, and it changes on a regular basis. My list of best reviewed restaurants here on Wine, Dine, and Play is based on a rating number at 4 or 5 stars. From the 350 + published reviews as of summer 2017, less than 15% hold these prestigious rankings, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. I have dined at restaurants on five continents from cafés, chains, and fine dining spots including a few that are rated on the Michelin one to three scale. Below is a sampling of some from my list, which include mom and pops + holes in the wall. These places can be just as good, or if not better than a top ranked restaurant of the world in my opinion. To visit my full list of best places follow this link:
A few to tease you with…
|
Rustic New American Fare
Saint Petersburg, Florida USA
|
Elegant Modern Australian with Molecular Gastronomic dining
Melbourne, Australia
|
Modern eclectic and Nouvelle Latin cuisine
Woodstock, South Africa
|
|
High Rise Fine Global Dining, Highest Restaurant In The World
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
|
Haute French Cuisine
Paris, France
|
Highly creative new American molecular gastronomy tasting menus
Chicago, Illinois, USA
|
|
Impeccably prepared French fine dining
Dublin, Ireland
|
Acclaimed high-concept inspired Farm to Table tavern
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Refined and elegant creole fare since 1880
New Orlean’s, Louisiana, USA
|
|
French-American Fine Dining
Yountville, Napa, California, USA
|
Safari + Upscale African Cuisine
Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
|
Contemporary Japanese restaurant, sushi, & cocktail mixology
Dubai, UAE
|
|
Fine Indian and Pakistani Cuisine
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
|
Contemporary, African-French Tasting Journey
Franschhoek, South Africa
|
Eclectic French-Asian Tasting Menu
Sydney, Australia
|
|
Top 10 American fine-dining ornate chophouse
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Posh and artful French cuisine + culinary experimentalism
Festival City, Dubai, UAE
|
Haute Gastronomique French restaurant & bistro
Bordeaux, France
|
So many great wines in this world, here are a few boutiques, cult wines, and favorites:
|
A 1756 Estate Famed Rubicon Blend
Stellenbosch, South Africa
|
Big, Bold, Cult Cabernets
Oakville, California, USA
|
|
Boutique Producers of Pinot Noir
Willamette, Oregon
|
Agincourt, Waterloo, Salamanca
Yarra Valley, Australia
|
|
A Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
|
Not Kehlsteinhaus, Exceptional Shiraz
Constantia, South Africa
|
|
Screaming Eagles Sister
Santa Barbara, California, USA
|
World Class Oregon Pinot Noir
Willamette, Oregon
|
|
20+ Blue Ridge Handcrafted Wines
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
|
Domaine Bertagna
13th Century Cistercian -1er Cru Les Cras
Vougeot, Burgundy, France
|
Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Executive Chef
Father, Husband, Wine Drinker
Restaurant nut, History and
Star Trek lover
Picture below was taken at a kitchen in
Canton, Ohio, 2014
About Sean:
I am based out of Florida working in food service for over twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta, Georgia prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army Food Service Program. The idea for Wine, Dine, and Play started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by friends to write down my experiences from a few restaurants, wines I tasted, and unique locations such as Petra. Since that time, I have written over 300 articles, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide restaurants. I have articles on exotic world locations such as Victoria Falls, and South African Safari’s; food recipes & a Grand Food Dictionary; ethnic country cuisines such as Afghan, and Peruvian; tasting tours of world cities like Charleston, Cape Town, and Dubai; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, with much more to see and write.
Who is John Galt?
Other articles of interest on Wine, Dine, and Play:
The Complete A to Z Food and Beverage Grand Dictionary If you're looking for it, then you found it
Afghan Cuisine Recipes, culture, history of food, the future - A culinary tour of Afghanistan during the war
Burj Khalifa Tower Take a tour of the tallest building in the world, Dubai, UAE
Converting a recipe card from Imperial to Metric Cooking Conversions made easy
Fugitives Drift Lodge and Zulu Battlefields African Cuisine Buffet, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa
Thanksgiving in Antarctica An American tradition with turkey and football at the bottom of the world
Cowgirl Creamery Artisan cheese shop “aka” Cowgirl Cantina in Point Reyes Station, California
Tipping in Restaurants Etiquette, customs, cultures, and assumptions
(Articles coming soon)
Petra, Jordan
A Taste of Dubai
A Taste of South Africa (multiple volumes)
Wine, Dine, And Play’s “best of”
FOB Shank - Cooking with Incoming
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
TTFN
