Recently I had the chance to dine at the California Pizza Kitchen in Tukwila Washington. My wife and I had attempted to dine at and review the restaurant on Oct 31st but were turned away despite being in the restaurant an hour before closing time. When I voiced my concerns online, I was surprised to get a call that day, (Saturday) from a manager at the locale. The manager explained that they were closing due to a slow night, but had to stay open longer to accommodate a small party. He also said he was sorry for the confusion and promised to send us some certificates. Now over two weeks and one follow up e-mail later, we are still waiting for the promised certificates that I now suspect will not arrive.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the hostess and told it would be about a ten minute wait. After waiting, we arrived at our table and were pleased by the décor of the restaurant. I noted that the kitchen staff (Which could be seen from the dining room), seemed to really be in a good mood and were really staying busy.
Unsure which pizza to get I asked our server for advise as we ordered our Iced Teas. After some debate, we went with the BBQ Pizza and Spaghetti Bolognese with Mushrooms. The pizza was wonderful as the signature pizza was on a handmade crust with BBQ sauce, onions, and two types of cheese (Gorgonzola and Mozzarella). The pasta was served aldente and the sauce and mushrooms were a great combination. Prior to ordering, I noted that aside from pizza and pasta, there were many other dining options ranging from salads to meat dishes, which made the choice difficult. The California Pizza Kitchen lists on the menu that they would like customers to be adventurous and if they order something they do not like, then they can substitute it for something else without charge.
After the nice dinner, we were pressed for time and ordered dessert to go. After looking over the nice menu options we decided on a Red Velvet Cake that later turned out to be a very good idea as it not only travelled well, but was as good as it looked on the menu.
The final total for our evening was $42.00 which made the prices comparable to dining experiences such as The Cheesecake Factory, and Claim Jumpers. I only wish that my first experience with the restaurant was better and that promises made to us were kept. Otherwise, this was a very enjoyable experience.
