Campusfood Delivery Service

California Fresh Pizza

2000 Westwood Blvd.

$5-$10

(Out Of 5)

It’s officially finals time again at UCLA. Students will soon barricade themselves into their apartments or dorms, punctuating their studies only by rare trips to Bruin Café or Starbucks before retreating back to stuffy bedrooms and libraries. For those hungry for a change in their diet, but not wanting to risk the distraction that might result from a dinner out in Westwood during finals week, Campusfood.com provides a convenient answer.

Simply type www.campusfood.com into your favorite Web browser and click on UCLA. You’ll have access to eleven different restaurants, all offering delivery in the Westwood region, with menus and pricings for every item.

From Mexican to Indian food, the restaurants span a wide selection. You must sign up, however, to order food, a quick process that stores your e-mail and address for easy delivery and notification.

Once you sign in, the hardest aspect will be selecting a place from so many appealing menus.

I decided to give California Fresh Pizza a try. A restaurant that boasts more than just pizza, its menu includes a wide variety of pastas, salads, sub sandwiches, and chicken and fish dishes.

California Fresh is also one of the restaurants that doesn’t charge delivery fees (although there is a $20 order minimum). The prices are well within a strapped student’s price range. A slice of pizza sets you back a mere $1.95, their 12’’ subs cost $5.50, and the restaurant offers a wide selection of pastas all for under $8.

Also, if you’re looking to opt for a healthier meal during finals week, the menu offers a nice change from fast food, with sides like grilled vegetables, pita with hummus, and fresh fruit. Ordering is also a cinch, and a comments box in the order form allows you to make any special requests for your particular meal.

Most restaurants have a one-hour delivery time, so make sure to order earlier. The delivery, however, was punctual, arriving at my address ten minutes before the estimated time. The only drawback is the majority of Campusfood deliveries end by 10 p.m., so any 2 a.m. study munchies will have to go unsatisfied.

California Fresh provided large portions despite its modest prices. Their chicken field greens salad offered an abundance of walnuts, cranberries and beets on a bed of mixed greens. The chopped chicken slices were plentiful and lean, providing the perfect flavoring with balsamic vinaigrette for a tarter taste.

The chicken breast with pesto sub, although not as appealing as the salad, also satisfied palates. The chicken, however, was largely hidden within the sandwich until further examination revealed two large pieces nestled behind way too much lettuce.

The bread was one of the restaurant’s biggest surprises: the loaves of baguette provided to eaters with their meals were toasted perfectly, soft and still warm on the inside even after their journey across Westwood.

Their grilled white fish was flavorful but a little salty, although still a great price at only $7.95 for two pieces of fish and two sides. California Fresh’s side orders were excellent for the most part: The grilled vegetables had a great flavor without being too overcooked, and the fruit salad consisted of huge portions of fresh cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon and honeydew.

The eggplant tomato, however, was a disappointment. Drenched in a heavy tomato sauce, the eggplant assumed a mushy consistency after sitting in the sauce, its flavor lost in what tasted like simple spaghetti sauce. The only plus was that it served as a nice dip for the delicious baguettes.

Unfortunately, California Fresh Pizza’s biggest letdown rested in the restaurant’s very namesake. The pizza proved fantastically mediocre; the crust was thin but not crisp, rather under cooked and light on tomato sauce.

Although California Fresh Pizza did not provide the perfect gourmet meal, its insanely low prices, wide selection and online convenience make it a better alternative to homemade Easy Mac any day. Who knows? You just might find yourself venturing out of finals hibernation to visit the Campusfood restaurants in person.

– Laura Picklesimer