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| - Today, we decided to try a new pizza restaurant, Cenci's. This restaurant has the advantage of being proximal to home and boasts extended hours. In addition, I had a coupon for a large pizza and 15 wings. The first surprise was to learn that the 15 wings could only be served in one flavor. I had expected that this was a large enough number of wings that two flavors would be possible. Shrugging in disappointment, I placed the order anyway. When I arrived to pick up my order, I was given a total approximately $2 higher than was expected. Questioning this, the cashier broke down the total. This came to what I expected and I again questioned the extra $2. She did not know why this additional charge was present. When she sought the help of another employee, he informed us that mushrooms, ordinary, white button mushrooms garner an additional charge, just, as he stated, "like seafood". This is the first time that I have ever heard anyone classify ordinary, run of the mill, available in every grocery store, white, button mushrooms as such an expensive item as to be comparable to seafood. The employee volunteered that the prices were high, but that the customer must pay a premium because of the location (Wexford) of the establishment. He further stated that the high prices were justifiable because they make the best pizza around. Simply stating that the pizza is "the best" is insufficient to make it true. It is, rather, patently untrue. I shall address this assertion later in this discourse.
At this point, I figured I was just out of luck and would be forced to pay the premium for the mushrooms. The employee stated that it was company policy and that he could not change it. He did offer to get a manager, but stated that he doubted the manager could fix the issue. I accepted the offer to speak to the manager, if only to make my displeasure known.
It should be noted at this point that the prices at this restaurant are on the high side for pizza. With the coupon, the total for a large two topping pizza (I paid for an extra topping) and 15 wings came to over $25.
Fortunately, the manager was able to make an adjustment for the extra charge for mushrooms. He asserted that the extra charge is fair because mushrooms are expensive and because they are generous with the amount of mushrooms that are included. As previously mentioned, these are ordinary, white button mushrooms that sell for $1.39 (regular price) at the grocery store.
When I got home (about a 5 minute drive away), I tasted the pizza and the wings. The pizza was not bad, but neither was it good. It was quite ordinary and similar to other pizzas from chain restaurants. The crust was neither chewy nor crisp. It had no distinguishing flavor or texture. The sauce was slightly sweet, and had a faint hint of oregano. Again, quite ordinary and similar to other pizzas from chain restaurants. The cheese layer was thin, the crust poked through the cheese in numerous locations. Additionally, the cheese layer ended approximately 1/2 - 3/4" before the sauce layer. (Yes, I measured it). The slices of mushroom were very thin and very sparse. The first slice of pizza that I randomly selected from the box boasted a scant half piece of mushroom. No piece had more than 3 thin slices of mushroom. The pepperoni was, perhaps, the pizza's only saving graceThe pepperoni did cover the pie completely and the edges of some of the pieces were crisp.
Next, I sampled the wings. Since only one flavor was allowed, I chose the medium sauce. The sauce was, as expected, a commercial buffalo sauce. There was just enough sauce to barely cover the 1.5" long jumbo (so Cenci's claims) wings. This was enough to lightly flavor the wings without truly flavoring them. Despite the lack of the sauce, the wings were soft and soggy with none of the crispness one expects from well cooked wings. The meat inside was hard and dry. In one case, I bit into a wing and encountered something so hard that I was afraid I had inadvertently eaten a bone. Fortunately, it was not a bone. It was, however, a piece of rock hard meat. These wings were definitely overdone.
The best thing to come out of the whole experience is that I no longer have to wonder if there is a hidden gem in my neighborhood every time I drive by. Now, I know. I do not.
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