I'm pleasantly surprised by California Pizza Kitchen! I dined there for lunch about 8 months ago and had a really great experience trying their 'Small Cravings' (small plates) and other new menu items. After seeing a FSI (free standing insert) in the newspaper last week advertising their new Caramelized Peach Salad, I went to lunch there yesterday and again, was surprised by how good their food was.
I ordered the Moroccon Chicken Salad which had Moroccon-spiced chicken, dates, roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, avocado, beets, romaine lettuce, toasted almonds, and some other ingredients, plus a Champagne vinaigrette. It was delicious. . . fresh chicken (I could tell it wasn't the super-restaurant-processed kind), light, and ingredients that worked really well together.
CPK is close to where I work, so I'll definitely be going back there for lunch, especially when I crave a salad. I'm actually heading back there on Monday with a co-worker to try their advertised Caramelized Peach Salad.
Check out their salad menu (lots of yummy-sounding choices!):
Note: It's nice that they have half and full portion salad options for the hungry and very hungry.