Cibo - Visit #16

              Let's take a quick minute to start with pronunciation, it' is Cibo...say it, Cibo! Did you say "Si-bo" or "Chee-bo"? I think most people go with "Si-bo", but it is actually pronounced "Chee-bo". Now that we are on the same page linquistically, let's get to the visit. 😆

      

             For the second time this year our pizza tasting night fell on the same day as our beer club meet up. For those of you that don't know, Veggie and I are part of a group of friends (BCM) that visit a different Portland brewery every two months. It's a group I started ~5 years ago, and it is still going strong today. We started at Grixsen Brewery on lower Division, did some sampling, and even won their trivia night (which was unexpected and awesome), before heading to Cibo. 

            Typically for pizza nights it is only Veggie and I, and sometimes our partners join us. However, after winning trivia night and tipping back a few barley soda's, half of beer club wanted to join us for pizza, so six of us left Grixsen in search of Portland's best pizza. 

           

Marga

           Cibo is led by Marco Frattoroli, who was behind Basta Trattoria for ~20 years before closing in late 2016. Basta was considered by many to be the best Italian food in Portland. Cibo offers a variety of high quality Italian dishes, but we came here for one thing, and one thing only. The pizza!

          Their pizza is cooked in a very unique wood fired oven. The deck rotates in a circular, clockwise motion. I had never seen an oven like this before. The benefit of this feature is it reduces the manual turning of pies on and off the peel. One thing to be aware of is their pies are large. My guess is 16 inches or so. We were glad to have six of us, since there was no way Veggie and I could eat four pies on our own. 

           The Margherita was very good. We loved the copious amount of basil that is well distributed all over the pie. Those of you that are following our journey this year know we prefer a Marga this way. Every bite needs basil. This was one of the better Marga's we have tried this year.

           The crust at Cibo is unique. It is thinner than most, and definitely crunchier as well. As Veggie put it, "it was crunchy and crispy without tasting dry, burnt, or overcooked". He also thought the smoky char was the best we have experienced this year. You will find out by continuing to read on, Cibo may be Veggie's favorite stop of the year. I thought the crust was good, but not great. It lacked airiness and chew, which I rank ahead of crunch and char on the pizza perfection priority list. 

          

Chef's Special

            The Chef's Special is made up of house pepperoni, Berkshire ham, sopperessata, roasted garlic, and mozzarella. Before this came out I thought there were too many ingredients on this which would create a pie with too much competition for flavor. I was wrong, this was a great pie, the flavor combinations were excellent, and it was a table favorite. If you are a meat lover, definitely order this pie. 

Filippo

          The Filippo is made up of a pesto base, artichoke hearts, red onion, chèvre, mozzarella, Calabrian chili, and lemon zest. We all liked this pie, but it really stood out for Veggie. Veggie noted that the ingredient combinations and balance was the best he has experienced this year, saying "each ingredient was distinct and stood out separately from the other ingredients. You could taste a dollop of pesto in one bite, and red onions or artichoke in another...not a little bit of each in every bite." The toppings appeared to be strategically placed. This was a great pie.

Bianca

            The last pie of the night was the Bianca. This goat cheese, for di latte mozzarella, arugula, and grilled lemon pie was my favorite of the night. It was also Veggie's favorite. This is a super simple pie, and executed to perfection. The toppings allowed the crust to shine, which we think is a strength for Cibo. We have had similar pies this year that tasted more like a giant salad on crust or as Veggie puts it "the greens bully your taste buds and get all the attention". The balance of ingredients and flavors sets this Bianca apart. The heavy cheese with a slightly salty flavor combined with that peppery arugula taste worked great.

         Also, as Veggie noted, the arugula didn't have that "steamed vegetable texture". I think Cibo did a smart thing by putting the arugula on just before bringing the pie to the table. Lastly, look at that lemon! I am a sucker for fun, creative elements like this. We squeezed this all over the pie, which opened my eyes to using lemon juice (or zest) as an add on, similar to sea salt, chili flakes, or chili oil.

      Cibo is likely to rank near the top of Portland's best pizza. If Veggie has his way, Cibo may come out #1! We definitely recommend trying this place. You will enjoy it!

Overall Rank: #9