The only time I went to the California Pizza Kitchen was in 1991 and I learned that they were going to be one of the first restaurants in Fort Lauderdale that would not allow smoking on their premises. Being a 3 pack a day smoker I knew I wouldn't be coming back there. I gave up smoking July 21, 2008, having my last cigarette just before I was wheeled in to have aorta replacement surgery on my heart.

Last week I got an email from CPK that they wanted to show the public they weren't only pizza and were offering their new West Coast Burger and would give a coupon to be used in the future. I wasn't smoking now, I LOVE cheeseburgers and, heck, how bad could the pizzas be? Hey, I even eat frozen pizzas! I went to their web page and they said they have a reward system and just by joining you could get a small plate the next time you came into CPK so I joined.

When I got there I asked, since we both were having the new burger, would we get 2 free pizzas or should we get separate checks or even separate tables?! This was the first time she was dealing with the coupon and said she would find out. She said it was only one free pizza for each person who were on their reward system. Since Allen wasn't we would only get 1 free pizza and 1 free small plate.
Now to the cheeseburger! The best thing on the plate were the fries---I almost said French fries--which were different then any I have seen or tasted before as they looked like fried plantains though they definitely were made from potatoes.

The cheeseburger had a bun that was too thick and overwhelmed everything having on it--to quote--" the new burger features an elevated beef blend of wagyu, chuck, and brisket topped with melted cheese, Nueske's applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions, tomato, pickles, lettuce, and house-madeburger sauce on a brioche bun." It is not one I would order again as with everything on it the burger was too messy and didn't have a distinct flavor plus as it costs $22. 25 ($17.99 + $1.26 tax and $3 tip)
(PART 2 TO FOLLOW)