Let me start off by saying that I’m not that big a fan of Italian food, so you’re probably safer completely ignoring this here review. And now that I’ve gone through the routine of getting any reader to ignore what I have to say so that I can write in peace, here’s my review of Cibo’s:

This place is, from the vantage point of a polish boy like myself, insanely italian all the way through. A window from the outside allows for viewing into the kitchen, but it was all just a cacophony of noodles, basil, garlic and red sauce so I didn’t have much the heart for gazing in, though I understand that sort of thing might be attractive to folk like yourself.

The restaurant occupies an old theater. It gives it an interesting view from the inside that’s completely unexpected from the standard red brick affair presented on the outside (I just ruined the surprise for you). A wide open dining area with tiered levels on the way down to the stage (which I assume is mostly unused) gave the place a unique feel. The decorations were reserved yet presented italian-ness well enough.

The menu was extensive. Plenty of different ways to match the pasta you wanted with the sauce you wanted. Plenty of ways to throw in meatballs and so forth. The unfortunate news for those of us that don’t crave pasta is that there’s little on the menu for us. I started with an appetizers sampler platter and followed it with a baked steak.

The appetizer sampler contained the following (all fried): shrimp, crab cakes, jalapeno poppers, calamari, mozzarela. Everything on the plate rated about average. The calamari was bland and chewy. The poppers tasted like they were pre-packaged food service kind of stuff.

The baked steak was about average as well. I wasn’t anticipating ground beef, but that’s what it was made out of. It had a cheeze and mushroom top that rated at “meh”. The mashed potatoes were pretty damn good though, I have to admit.

The most interesting thing on the menu looked to be the 7 course meal that had essentially everything on the menu. Every pasta, every meat dish, desert. If italian is your thing and you have a big appetite, that was a pretty solid amount of food for the price.

Prices were just under what I expected.

My anti-italian food ratings are as follows:

1 – poor, 2 – fair, 3 – average, 4 – good, 5 – excellent

Food: 2

Decor: 3

Service: 3

Price: 4

Overall: 3

In summary, if italian is your thing, head here and you’ll more than likely enjoy yourself. If italian hits you the wrong way, avoid it.

Scoring:
1 – poor, 2 – fair, 3 – average, 4 – good, 5 – excellent

Amanda – 3
Ralph – 4
Amy – SNI
Tony – SNI
Dan – SNI
Bob – 3