The Iowan Pizza Chronicles: Attempt #16

Menu

The Venue

685 Marion Boulevard

Marion, IA 52302

(319) 447-1414

This locally owned fashionably contemporary restaurant is well known for their Monday night half price pizza specials. Every pie on the menu is half off. In addition to pizza, they serve a number of pasta dishes along with meat based entrées. They are known to have a twist that sets them apart from the norm, hence the “fusion” in their name. If you are interested in knowing more, take a look at their dinner menu at: http://www.cibofusion.com/dinner.php.

The restaurant itself looks a bit like an old Dennys on outside, but inside it is bursting with cool metal sculptures, a large pane of glass with water running on both sides of it, giving it a cool effect, and a large aquarium of exotic fish. It is definitely worth the visit just to see the inside of the place…pretty cool and unexpected, considering it is next to a strip mall.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Our group consisted of 8 participants; so we ordered seven pizzas. Each of these pizzas cost roughly $11 a piece, and around $5.50 on Mondays because every Monday is half price. They came in only one size and crust, and was roughly the size of a large dinner plate.

California Garden - Tomato sauce with spinach, roma tomatoes, green and yellow pepper, mozzarella and smoked gouda cheese.

Italian - Tomato sauce with sweet sausage, capicola, salami, prosciutto, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Pomodoro - Olive oil with marinated tomatoes, fresh basil, prosciutto, mozzarella and goat cheese.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken - Spicy jerk sauce with grilled chicken, roasted red pepper, onion, roasted corn, cilantro, fresh mango, and mozzarella.

Thai Chicken - Garlic ginger sauce with grilled chicken, bean sprouts, carrot, green onions, sesame seeds, cilantro, and mozzarella.

Santa Fe Chicken - Guacamole with grilled chicken, tomato, onions,yellow peppers, cilantro, mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Carne Asada - Olive oil with carne asada beef, black beans, roasted red pepper, jalapeno, roma tomatoes, onions, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Topped with cilantro, guacamole, and sour cream.

The Verdict

Slice of the Italian

The pizza was cut into traditional slices with somewhat evenly distributed toppings. The crust was very thin, yet it maintained its crispiness regardless of the amount of toppings…well done Cibo’s! We could not say the same about most places we have tried thus far. My guess is that they have a brick oven in the kitchen in which they used to bake the pizzas, giving that crisp sensation to the crust. The sauce was a bit lacking for my tastes, however it was flavorful. My favorites were the Pomodoro then the Thai Chicken. Others preferred the Jamaican Jerk Chicken as well. Given the cost (~$6 on Mondays), it is a terrific deal. If you like thin, hand tossed pizza, this place should be on your list of ones to try.