Pizza Place Sparks Some Fresh Ideas

I WALKED into a pizza parlor expecting to order my usual -- pepperoni. To my surprise, I emerged with a salad and a BBQ chicken pizza sandwich.

The RedBrick Pizza Cafe recently opened its first (more to come) Bay Area eatery in Pleasant Hill across from the Century theaters. I found the varied menu intriguing. It ranges from thin-crust pizzas to gelato, salads and sandwiches.
I began with the Chopped Chinese Chicken Salad (êêêê out of êêêêê; $3 for a small). A blend of greens, chicken, red peppers, sesame seeds, cilantro, scallions, mandarin oranges and toasted won tons tossed with a light but tangy Oriental dressing.
The concept of a chopped salad has always appealed to me, and I loved the way all the diverse ingredients' flavors and textures were dispersed throughout -- guaranteeing a treat in each mouthful. I was not disappointed. (The small was generous as a side, but for a lunch entree, I'd upsize to the medium.)
RedBrick's Fhazani features a variety of fixings baked on pizza dough, topped with fresh veggies and folded in two -- a kind of new-age pizza sandwich.
The barbecue chicken (êêêê out of êêêêê; $5.45) was filled with mozzarella, chunks of chicken, red onions, cucumbers, chopped tomatoes and a zippy barbecue sauce -- a tasty combo. The very thin dough crisped up nicely and provided an interesting alternative to bread (or the ever-popular tortilla), with the bonus of a pleasant, nongreasy crunch included in each bite.
No nutritional analysis available.
E-mail inquiries for Deborah Carvalho to tved@cctimes. com or contact her at 925-943-8239.

Copyright (c) 2004 Contra Costa Times.