Quantity, Not Quality: The CiCi's Story.
The names of over 40 options written down, put on to little pieces of paper and placed inside a Tupperware bowl. Their fate is not my choice, for God will determine this adventure. As I place my hand into the plastic bowl, I am hopeful for a good one. When I pull out the paper and see the pizza adventure for the week, I cringe. I turn the paper around to show the, now expanded audience of participants......
CiCis!
CiCis Pizza, for those of you unfamiliar, is more of a quantity versus quality type of place. The commercials most recently boast of a new "Grill'd Cheese Stuffed Crust," and "Bacon Stuffed Crust Pizza," which alone states what I am getting into.
The family and cousins are along for this ride. I chose the name on Friday night to prepare for the festivities sometime on Saturday. There is no order out option, we are damned. Damned to a 20 plus minute drive to the north part of Lincoln to eat a buffet-style meal, for which my principles do not agree with.
The drive, long. The arrival, anticipation. I wanted to give this place the best shot, so I had to go in with an open mind. I had to be fair. If I hadn't been fair then this whole exploration, a fiasco.
The buffet line, the environment, the 15-year-old employees (assumed), all what I expected. Nothing more, nothing less. Even the patron with tattoos on his face staring aggressively, unintentionally in our direction.
The pizza itself, sad. Sorry, more literal; dry, unflavored, went down like a circle shape in a square whole (like it fit but didn't satisfy).
Initial thoughts: This is the worst pizza I can remember. I know I've had worse, but I could not recall at the time. Maybe it was at some child's birthday party. The sauce, that had to be scooped out of the pasta section of the buffet, was the consistency of watered down tomato soup. The pizza itself had no sauce.
The cheese was equivalent to the sprinkle cheese on top of a casserole where all the moisture been dried out, and no sauce to counteract. The main dishes on the commercials was that of the "Bacon Stuffed Crust" and the "Grill'd Cheese Stuffed Crust," and these took center stage. Right in the middle of the buffet where these bread looking things that were sadly the best options. The stuffed portion was Kraft, or lower than, singles. The kind of cheese made with minimal dairy, mostly a soybean oil (I didn't look it up, this is just what it reminded me if).
As I loaded my plate with various options, I had to note that there was not one vegetable atop the entire buffet. All options were cheese, meat, cheese, meat, and then finally noodles (yes noodles atop pizza). My first bite to touch my ravishing taste buds was lack thereof. The taste was that of next-day, for the heat lamps had destroyed any softness. All aspects of flavor were missing. Words like spice, robust, hearty, rich are not words used in this place, for it was developed for the masses. Even the release of hunger in someway wasn't worth it. That of a child who wakes up Tuesday morning and thinks it's Saturday, a let-down of the highest.
I tried all the slices, tried the breads, tried the sauces. I did not try the desserts, however my wife claimed them to be dry and "off" as well.
I will give them credit for keeping a business alive at $6 a person and a $1 for our daughter. My entire family sat down to a meal for $20. Scary cheap.
At the end of the meal I look to my cousin and question my love of pizza. I pondered if I even like pizza that much or if I had just made this food up in my head as some superior, nostalgic food to indulge in.
As I sat back in my cramped booth I realize that the food was so unsatisfying and such a poor display of pizza craft, that I actually questioned my love of the entire food species. I reminded myself of the week before and trips to various places where the pizza danced on my tongue and filled my belly with joy.
No CiCi's your pizza will not bring me down. Quantity and quality are worlds apart. It was fun, however I hope to never taste this food again.
CiCis!
CiCis Pizza, for those of you unfamiliar, is more of a quantity versus quality type of place. The commercials most recently boast of a new "Grill'd Cheese Stuffed Crust," and "Bacon Stuffed Crust Pizza," which alone states what I am getting into.
The family and cousins are along for this ride. I chose the name on Friday night to prepare for the festivities sometime on Saturday. There is no order out option, we are damned. Damned to a 20 plus minute drive to the north part of Lincoln to eat a buffet-style meal, for which my principles do not agree with.
The drive, long. The arrival, anticipation. I wanted to give this place the best shot, so I had to go in with an open mind. I had to be fair. If I hadn't been fair then this whole exploration, a fiasco.
The buffet line, the environment, the 15-year-old employees (assumed), all what I expected. Nothing more, nothing less. Even the patron with tattoos on his face staring aggressively, unintentionally in our direction.
 |
| This however, was unexpected. |
Initial thoughts: This is the worst pizza I can remember. I know I've had worse, but I could not recall at the time. Maybe it was at some child's birthday party. The sauce, that had to be scooped out of the pasta section of the buffet, was the consistency of watered down tomato soup. The pizza itself had no sauce.
 |
| Evidence I tried. |
As I loaded my plate with various options, I had to note that there was not one vegetable atop the entire buffet. All options were cheese, meat, cheese, meat, and then finally noodles (yes noodles atop pizza). My first bite to touch my ravishing taste buds was lack thereof. The taste was that of next-day, for the heat lamps had destroyed any softness. All aspects of flavor were missing. Words like spice, robust, hearty, rich are not words used in this place, for it was developed for the masses. Even the release of hunger in someway wasn't worth it. That of a child who wakes up Tuesday morning and thinks it's Saturday, a let-down of the highest.
 |
| Yes, Macaroni atop a pizza. |
I tried all the slices, tried the breads, tried the sauces. I did not try the desserts, however my wife claimed them to be dry and "off" as well.
I will give them credit for keeping a business alive at $6 a person and a $1 for our daughter. My entire family sat down to a meal for $20. Scary cheap.
At the end of the meal I look to my cousin and question my love of pizza. I pondered if I even like pizza that much or if I had just made this food up in my head as some superior, nostalgic food to indulge in.
As I sat back in my cramped booth I realize that the food was so unsatisfying and such a poor display of pizza craft, that I actually questioned my love of the entire food species. I reminded myself of the week before and trips to various places where the pizza danced on my tongue and filled my belly with joy.
No CiCi's your pizza will not bring me down. Quantity and quality are worlds apart. It was fun, however I hope to never taste this food again.
 |
| There was an arcade there though for which daddy won a bunch of new bath toys. |
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