Attempt #5 - Naso's

The Sicilian pizza

The Venue

453 7th Avenue,

Marion, IA

(319) 377-9066

Naso’s has a very laid back atmosphere, with dim lighting, a bar, and some tables packed around every which way.  If you go, you better go early, because Tuesdays are ½ price pizza nights.  So a large one-topping pie is roughly $5…not bad.

The Pizza

A closeup of the Sicilian pizza slice.

This pizza reminded me a lot of the pizza from Sip ‘N Stir.  It was thin crisp crust (with an exception of the pepperoni…that was soggy from all the grease).  The sauce was sweat, maybe a bit too sweat for some.  The cheese slid off the pieces so you had to be extra careful.  One plus about Naso’s was they had a large assortment of topping combinations to choose from.  We ordered a pepper (pepperoni, with red and green peppers) pizza, one called the Sicilian Mafia (sausage, artichoke hearts, onion, tomatoes, etc…), and a plain pepperoni.  My personal favorite of the

The Verdict

The Spicy "Peppers" pizza!

Pepperoni pizza

Although this pizza is thin (as I’ve noticed this is how a lot of Iowans prefer their pizzas), the price is very reasonable on Tuesday nights.  I would suggest going then and giving it a try before committing to the full price.  From my personal preference as a thick crust kind-of-guy, I would look elsewhere.

Attempt #4 - Tomaso's Pizza World

The Venue

Tomaso's Pizza World
1111 7th Avenue

Marion, IA

(319) 377-6102

 
Tomaso’s pizza is the self proclaimed best pizza in town.  They are confident enough that if you don’t agree, you can tell them and they will return your money.  Although they offer just pizza, they certainly do a good job at it.  They have a small dining area where you can serve yourself a soft drink while waiting 20-30 minutes for your pizza to cook.  They offer Parmesan cheese and red pepper to garish your pizza, along with salt and pepper.  You’ll be picking up a Styrofoam plate, and a plastic cup also for your dining in experience.  Also, they did offer a cookie square that had Easter M & M’s in the crust.  Yum.

1 Large Sausage

1 Large Pepperoni

The Pizza

They offer three types of crusts—New York (thin), Chicago (thick), and Detroit (cornmeal, fat-free crust with no-lip [the cheese is caramelized to the edge of the pizza]).  We ordered a large sausage pizza with Chicago crust, and a Pepperoni with the Detroit crust.  The actual thicknesses of the pizzas were similar, with the only difference being that the Chicago had a lip around the edge.  I enjoyed the breadiness of the lip; however, the center of the sausage pizza was soggy.  The pepperoni’s crust was a bit crispier than the Chicago’s, which made it much better (in my opinion).  The sauce for both of these pizzas was served lightly on top of the cheese, so the pizza was mainly a piece of cheese bread.  Naturally, being from Wisconsin, my wife LOVED that part of the pie.   Out of the 5 attendee’s we were pretty divided on which pizza was the victor in this case.  The sauce was good…a hint of spice with a rich tomato flavor.   My only complaint is that there wasn’t more of it!   

The "Chicago" crust sausage

The "Detroit" crust pepperoni

The Verdict

The total cost was $47 for five pop’s ($2 each), and two large pizza’s.  We had a $5 coupon, so that helped a bit.  They frequency mail those to your house, if you sign up for their mailing list. 

Tomaso’s Detroit style pizza still remains my personal favorite “classic” style of pizza in town.  My personal view if that the crust and cheese combination is simply wonderful! 

The "Detroit" Pepperoni (Left) and the "Chicago" Sausage (Right)

Attempt #3 - Miguels

The Venue

Miguels

175 Jacolyn Dr.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-4201
(319) 396-3434

It takes a local to find this place, as it is tucked in a strip mall hosted by an anchor store, the Dollar General on the west side of Cedar Rapids.  No doubt, this is how we found the venue, through some machinists at work.  We ordered an appetizer of fried Chicken Gizzards, not the greatest choice since they were very chewy and tough.  Coke products are $2, and have free refills…not too bad of a deal. 

The Pizza

The pizza wasn’t Chicago style, but they did an excellent job of having an even spread of cheese and toppings.  The sauce was a little thin; I felt more would have helped bring out a little more flavor to the pizza.  The dough was made earlier that morning in house, and most of the ingredients were purchased from Sam’s Club.  The thing that stood out was how the cheese had a nice layer consistently around both of our pizzas…it was a mixture of mozzarella (primary) and cheddar (secondary).  The crust had an average thickness; however, it had the consistency of a thick pita that was baked on the bottom.  It did not rise, to give a noticeable spongy breaded texture where the crust and sauce meet—this is somewhat common for some pizzas.  Another benefit was that no grease leaked through the crust, so it was firm and crisp.  For a 16” (large) pizza, the individual pieces were cut a bit larger than you might except.  Our table had five of us and we finished off all but three pieces from two 16” pizzas and felt satisfied. 

The Verdict

For me, this pizza is of better quality than Sip ‘n Stir’s pizza; however, the 16” cheese pizza was $12 and the 16 all meat pizza was $15.  If you are in the area, Miguel’s is not a bad place to stop by and try a pie.  Otherwise, if you are crazing that thick, deep dish pizza, then Miguel’s isn’t your place.  One special bonus about Miguel’s, the staff was very helpful and they provided excellent service.  So far, this is the best place in terms of service that we have received.

Note:  Their Taco pizza is their most popular among patrons.  We did not try this pizza, as most of us are not fond of this style of pizza.

Attempt #2 - Sip N Stir

The Venue
Sip N Stir
1119 1st Ave SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-5005
(319) 364-3163

On Sunday’s, they have a 2 topping, 13” pizza special for just $7, with one condition—you must eat it at the establishment.
Unfortunately, they do not serve anything but Pizza and Appetizers on Sundays. The bar was peaceful at 5:00 on a Sunday, and they had a lot more table room than I would have guessed for a little place next to Zio Johno’s.

The Pizza
Although, their pizza wasn’t Chicago style, by any means, they did pretty good job of having an even spread of cheese and toppings.
Everything that was prepared was made in-house, from the dough to the sauce.
The dough had a salty, crisp taste, with a fair amount of cheese grease to soak it in, as to soften it up (yummy). I found myself easily finishing off four pieces (1/2 of a single 13” pizza).
I found that the size was a bit small, however, the toppings were fresh and the cheese was very good.
We ordered two pizza’s, a Sausage and Onion, and a Ham and Pineapple.

The Verdict
For only $7, you can’t go wrong with the Sip ‘N Stir; However, if you are looking for something with a bit more substance and you are crazing that Deep Dish Flavor, head elsewhere.

Attempt #1 - Sam's Pizza

The VenueSam's Pizza & Deli
824 6th Street Southwest
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
(319) 366-8406

This restaurant gets their ingredients straight from Chicago…and for their specialty—the Chicago style pizza, this is very fitting. Part of the restaurant is organized to be a pick-up-and-order counter, but there is a passageway to the other side, where tables and chairs are located. It’s very laid back. They have been around for nine years, and their pizza shows.

The PizzaThis pizza was a true Chicago style type of pizza. A firm, salty crust, loaded with TONS of cheese. The largest size (costing $27), takes about 30 minutes to cook, and weighs in at around six pounds. It certainly fed our group of six, with one piece left over for the missing seventh person. They were generous with the cheese, so much so that they mixed in the other toppings amongst the intense overflow of cheese. We were impressed that given the shear amount of cheese, there wasn’t more grease at the bottom of the pan after taking a slice. Overall, the pizza was still was very good. Considering we had a group of six, we ordered two batches of breadsticks, which were delicious. A blend of spices (parmesan cheese and garlic salt) were baked on to them, which enhanced their unique flavor.

The VerdictI would have liked this pizza a bit more if they had more sauce and a thicker curst. To me, the crust seems a bit on the thinner side for Chicago style. Compliments were given with the unique mixture of parmesan cheese and garlic salt that was provided to spice up the pizza and breadsticks.