CiCi's Pizza Buffet, Or Is There A Good Buffet In This Town?

My wife and I decided to do something we haven't had much of a chance to do lately, and that was spend the entire day together (with the exception of when I donated platelets).

For dinner, we decided to try out the new Cici's Pizza Buffet that recently opened up in West Allis. Ever since Shakey's closed down awhile back, we were looking for a decent substitute. Besides, we received a promotional coupon in last Sunday's paper, and we figured we could afford the $10 to go there.

Cici's advertises themselves as being a salad, past and pizza buffet. Technically, this is true.

After walking in and paying, the buffet line starts immediately with their "salad bar," which consisted of two large metal bowls with an already tossed salad in each. Also tossed in with the salad was the dressing. One bowl was Italian and the other was Ranch. If you didn't want dressing, or wanted another kind of dressing, or wanted more or less dressing, it was too bad, so sad.

Around the corner was the "pasta bar." It was even worse than the salad bar. There was only one choice for pasta. A spiral elbow macaroni in a bland marinara sauce. Also at this section was a watery chicken soup and garlic crazy bread, which was actually good.

The next section was the pizza. They do offer quite a variety. There were the traditional cheese and sausage and pepperoni pizzas, as well as the semi-traditional Hawaiian, Mexican and Veggie pizzas. They also offered some more off the regular path types including Alfredo, Chicken, and Alfredo and Spinach.

All of the pizzas were thin crust. I tried the traditional types, disappointed that they didn't offer any with "the works." These pizzas reminded me of three things immediately. One was the overpriced pizzas that you buy from your coworkers or neighbors who are doing fund-raising for their kids' Little League team or school band. The second was the frozen pizzas you bought in college because they cost a buck and a half each. The third was the pizzas they served one day each week in the high school cafeteria.

In other words, the pizzas were bland and greasy. Adding red pepper flakes helped jazz them up, but as I sit here seven hours later, I can still taste the grease.

They also offered a variety that my wife loved. It was a cheese-and-mac pizza. I didn't have the nerve to try it, but my wife absolutely loved it. Of course, she is a self-admitted carboholic as well, so that might have something to do with it.

They also offered three types of dessert: Brownies, apple pie pizza and cinnamon buns. My wife tried the brownies and said that they were good. The apple pie left a little to be desired, since it was as blase as their pizzas. We both agreed that the cinnamon buns were excellent, and almost worth the price of admission by themselves.

The one thing that really did impress me was the service. When we walked in, I immediately noticed that they seemed to have a lot of people working in a small restaurant. As I watched, it became apparent why. They would have two or three young people working the pizza buffet at all times. If there ever was the slightest pause, they would rearrange the pizza slices so that they were all together, spin the pizza pan so that the slices would be nearest the customer, and make sure the spatula was within easy reach. I did not notice an empty pan stay on the counter for more than few seconds before it was whisked away and replaced with a fresh pizza.

There were several people working in the back, making the pizzas, which they seemed to have down to an art. They would prepare the pizzas in advance and keep them in a rack. At regular intervals, they would run the pizzas through the oven and have them ready for the buffet without skipping a beat.

There were also a fair number of people busing the tables, and our used plates never stayed on the table for more than a few minutes. The manager ran a tight ship, but also was able to crack a joke with his employees, and was willing to help out when things got to hectic. His management skills showed by the efficiency and friendliness of the crew.

The restaurant itself was clean and brightly lit and decorated. There was a small arcade in the back of the dining area.

Overall, CiCi's meets a niche group. The regular price for an adult is $5.49, and sodas are $1.09. I think it would be an excellent place for a family with kids and/or a tight budget. I could also see it being very popular with Little League teams, boy or girl scout packs, or church youth groups. The relatively low price keeps it affordable, and kids tend to gravitate towards that kind of pizza.

If you only want to eat healthy food or a pizza connoisseur, this is not the place for you.

As for us, if I had my druthers, I would spend the money on a good take out from Papa Murphy's or go to a real pizzeria. However, I am full aware that my wife's carboholism will kick in sooner or later, and we will be going back there. Their food isn't bad, so it's not the end of the world. I'll just focus on the garlic bread and cinnamon buns, and take some Pepcid to deal with the grease.