While I usually don't write too much or think too much about large international chain food restaurants, as I believe their food becomes a little too cookie cutter like and not worth noting (kinda snobby - i know), my folks who were in town from overseas (Hong Kong) had a craving for pizza and were looking for some eccentric toppings and not so much your traditional italian toppings. Me on the other hand wanted something more traditional and old school - so to compromise I decided to take my folks to CPK. Although, its been while since i've been here, I've always remembered them to give a pretty decent experience each time. Nothing crazy enough to make me write home about, but always a quality, and tasty experience.
So, we went pretty early to avoid the dinner rush; and by arriving around 5:30 at the the CPK at Legacy Mall in Beachwood, we were seated pretty soon, which was a big change. Although seating was pretty prompt, the waitress in charge of our table; really was lacking in terms of caring for our table or wanting to serve our table at all. She didn't tell us of any specials that were going on that day, although I clearly heard it from the waiter from the next table - and it took a while for our drinks to come. But alas, we came to CPK for the food and not the service.
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| KUNG PAO SPAGHETTI |
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We wanted to get an appetizer to share amongst the four of us, but couldn't decide on a the small plates they had for a variety of the ingredients would have been repeated in the pizzas we chose to have. So in the end we decided to get an order of pasta; and share it amongst the four of us. We chose the
Kung Pao Spaghetti. Now I know, you will probably all be wondering why we would get this at CPK. But to tell you the truth, this dish came out very well. I was truly surprised how tasty it was. It wasn't your typical spaghetti, obviously this is not what CPK is known for - but the sauce was a very nice spicy flavor and was well incorporated into the pasta. It coated the pasta well; with just enough oil but not too much to over do the dish. If you're looking for a asian-inspired pasta dish - this was well done. The portion size was relatively small - but since we were sharing it between four of us as an appetizer, it served us quite well.
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| 4 SEASONS - THIN CRUST |
For my pizza, I chose their new 4 seasons pizza from their thin crust pizza selection. The pizza contained a light tomato based sauce with salami, roasted artichokes, mozzarella, onions and Parmesan cheese on a thin crispy crust. I have to admit, I enjoyed the pizza quite well. It came out piping fresh; but not hot enough to burn the top of my mouth. The toppings; although not as traditional as your normal italian pizzeria would suggest, but worked very well; and both the amount of toppings and the size of the pizza was perfect. Large enough to share with two people, but enough to fill you up to the brim if you were hungry and wanted your own (as I was last night). The meats and cheeses worked well together; and the thin crust was nice and crispy - much lighter than your regular crust and less doughy, and I thought made the pizza pretty enjoyable. Overall, a quality pizza, nice and tasty, and surprisingly well done for a chain. In fact, I would suggest this pizza if you were in search for a meaty; kind of traditional flavor from them.
The other three pizzas my folks went for included the: Jamaican Jerk Chicken (mom's), Roasted Garlic Chicken (dad's) and the Sicilian (sister's). They were all pretty satisfied with their pizza - knowing it wasn't an italian restaurant they were in, and were expecting something a little different. The roasted garlic; was slightly dry as the chicken breasts were probably roasted and re done in the oven for a tad too long; and without a sauce on the bottom; the pizza may be too dry for some; but still flavorful. The Jamaican Jerk Chicken; a favorite of my mom's came out as always. Nice and juicy; saucy and non-traditional. It wasn't so much a pizza but more a mix of so called jamaican toppings over some grilled bread. BUT the taste worked well. Very saucy; slightly sweet and slightly spicy. Interesting and for some reason, always had the most toppings of all our pizzas. As for the Sicilian my sister got - it was a well done thin crust pizza; nothing too special, but good tasty meats over a red sauce pizza; well done; but nothing crazy to write about.
A interesting note - my parents who live in Hong Kong, tried CPK in Hong
Kong and they mentioned that the pizza's tasted much better here then
back home. Interesting!!!!
Overall, I would say that the experience was enjoyable. For a chain; they did pretty well in terms of their food taste. The variety is huge; and the service is passable. So if you are looking for something a little different, a little fun; and you are in the area, I would say CPK is definately a potential choice! In terms of the price; the pizzas are pretty well priced; in the median range of pizzas too. A pleasant experience, and an enjoyable night!
25365 Cedar Rd
Lyndhurst,
OH 44122
(216) 382-4907
www.cpk.com
