Sometimes my boyfriend and I are cute and we go out to dinner together, just the two of us. It's always nice to be out of the house and reminded about how fun it is to flirt with each other. He's also great dinner entertainment!
With me being gluten-free, finding restaurants that we can both agree on is difficult. Lucky for me there's a CPK in Chandler not too far from my house.
We got there, and my idiot self forgot that it was a Friday night, at the restaurant adjacent to the movie theater, at a mall in the post apocalyptic season that follows Black Week. There was minimal parking and it was like 43 degrees outside as we trekked across the parking lot.
Once inside the restaurant, the hostess was happily prepared to deal with my request for a gluten free menu, and I had no issues getting one as soon as we were seated.
Unfortunately, CPK's gluten free options are limited. They include:
- Pepperoni Pizza
- Pepperoni, Sausage, and Mushroom Pizza
- The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Margherita Pizza
These four pizzas are prepared in an entirely gluten free environment. The toppings for these gluten free pizzas are kept completely separate from their counterparts that may touch gluten, in accordance with strict procedures approved by The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). The pizzas are made with a certified gluten free crust, and the other products are verified by the supplier as gluten free.
I ordered the Margherita pizza, which is basically a cheese pizza with a fancy name. I'm pretty basic when it comes to pizza, I don't get crazy unless I'm ordering drunk.
You CAN order any pizza from the regular menu in a gluten free option for an additional 2.00, but be very careful. Only the four pizzas above can be prepared according to the GIG procedures. CPK's regular kitchen operations involve shared cooking and prep areas. That can be super dangerous for me, so I avoid it whenever I can.
On the regular menu, a few other items are marked with a gluten free symbol, but it mostly includes salads and I'm quite tired of salads.
It was really good, and the crust didn't taste like bland crackers like some of the other gluten free pizzas I have had in the past. The tomatoes underneath the cheese were chunky and flavorful. My one problem is that I'm not sure who keeps insisting that large, leafy herbs like basil be chopped into thin, ribbon-like strands and dumped unceremoniously into the middle of my pizza. I like fresh basil, just not in huge gaping pieces.
When you go to CPK and request a gluten free menu, the kitchen and front of house managers then personally handle your meal, to ensure that the proper procedures are met to keep you safe. When the manager personally brings out your pizza, it's okay to feel a little bit special :)
It was a really positive experience for me and Riley both; he was able to scarf a whole pizza and I was able to happily eat two pieces of mine (my stomach is tiny I eat fairly small meals and love leftovers). Pricing was reasonable, my pizza was $12-$14 (can't remember). I'll go back again and try something different soon!
Love,
The GF GF