By: Guest Writer: Lauren Pearce

               California Pizza Kitchen attacks the looming task of refining pizza with poise and good taste. Its Nashville location in Tennessee, 4031 Hillsboro Pike, provides a relaxing but stimulating atmosphere. The low lighting and soft music serve as an elegant background with an open kitchen that allows warm aromas to waft towards the costumers. The seats are soft and placed with just the right amount of distance between guests. The bathrooms are clean and follow the elegant color scheme of the restaurant.

               The moderate prices match the food, as the taste is satisfying but not exemplary. At first sight, the four cheese ravioli seems to be served in too modest a proportion, but the perfectly blended cheeses fill you up satisfactorily. This $11.99 dish is well worth its price, but no more than it. The dish that impresses during its ingestion, fails to leave a long lasting impression.

               However, the Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza, $12.49 as it appears on the menu, does leave an impression. The unique
combination of flavors is impressive, but only in its creativity. The taste is enough to satisfy one’s thriving hunger, but it stops there. The flavors are too bland to be mixed together well, creating a piece that is more interesting than delicious. The price seems to be too high for such a bland meal in small servings.

               The service is passable, being very friendly but slightly negligent. What the waiters lack in attention they make up for in nice smiles and respectful humor. They are welcoming, but are spread too thin, as they stop by the costumer’s table too infrequently to be convenient for the costumer.

               The menu is the real art of the restaurant. The photography and descriptions make the food seem well worth the slightly extended wait. The font is easy to read and the color theme matches that of the restaurant itself. The large selection provides a meal suitable for every person you would want to bring, no matter how diverse their taste is.

               Overall, I would say that California Pizza Kitchen is an easy choice for a nice relaxing dinner. The pleasant attire and lack of need for reservations makes it a simple process, as well as the convenient and ample parking. The simplicity of eating there and the satisfactory food lead me to give this restaurant 3 out of 5 stars. It is not exemplary, but easy and pleasant enough to be worth the trip.