Pizza Galore

Traditionally we lunch out on the last day of work, and this year is no exception. With the boy's help Jeff and I toted boxes, cleaned classrooms, moved books, and turned in stacks of paperwork before leaving school for a late lunch at CiCi's Pizza. This place is pretty interesting as far as standard pizza fare goes since it is a buffet and offers about ten varieties at a time.

My favorite is macaroni and cheese pizza. I know this sounds odd, but it is yummy. Basically, they start with a medium-crust cheese pizza covered in a goodly amount of mozzarella and baked. Next, corkscrew pasta in cheese sauce goes on top before putting it back in the oven to brown the mac and cheese which melts into the pizza crust a little. This is cheesy goodness at its best!

Another interesting offering at CiCi's is the Florentine pizza which has white sauce instead of the traditional tomato-based pizza sauce. Then it is topped with parmesan, provolone, and mozzarella before a final layer of spinach. This is a delicious choice that appeals to many adults who are accompanying their kids.

One of my son's favorites is the Canadian bacon with pineapple variety. Admittedly, this is a more standard offering, but is always worth a few bites. I especially like the way the sweet pineapple plays off of the tangy Italian spices in the tomato sauce. Other standard options like pepperoni, supreme, and veggie pizzas are also available, but there are yet surprises awaiting the newcomer.

Taco pizza is a good choice with its blend of yellow and white cheeses topped with bell peppers and onions. The base sauce has Mexican spices instead of Italian, and the entire pie is drizzled with enchilada sauce when it comes out of the oven.

Barbecue chicken is popular with many people, though not my favorite. While I really like the smoky-sweet barbecue sauce base, I don't care for the tiny chunks of diced chicken. (Maybe I'm biased, but it looks like the little pieces in a can of cat food.) The blend of white cheeses is a mellow counterpoint to the sauce, so when I eat this one I just take the chicken off the top first.

In addition to myriad pizza flavors, a tossed salad complete with black olives, cherry tomatoes, and banana pepper slices is also available for grazing. Dessert is comprised of pans of iced cinnamon rolls served hot from the oven. (When the place first opened apple and cherry dessert pizzas were available, but they made the switch to the soft, yeasty rolls about a year ago.) Jeff adores these little bites and practically inhales them. As a matter of fact today he snarfed one off a plate in a single bite while making oinking/grunting noises. Upon completion of this maneuver he licked the plate for good measure, much to our 15-year-old's chagrin. Alas, eating out with the guys is always interesting!

As far as pizza places go, CiCi's is my hands-down favorite because of its interesting choices. However, most of them would be easy to reconstruct at home using some basic frozen cheese pizzas with additional ingredients. So next time you have a hankering for pizza, why not try something new?