Attempt #48 - Mellow Mushroom

Venue Inside

The Venue

1451 Coral Ridge Mall #700.

Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 625-2031

Mellow Mushroom is located in the Coralridge Mall where Bennigans used to be located. It is a Pizza chain based in the South (Atlanta, Georgia) and I believe this is the first location in Iowa. It opened up earlier this year.  The restaurant is groovy, with a large silver cow rotating around the center pole, lots of legacy video game references posted on the wall. You get a funky/stoner feeling being in there. It's as if the guys from the movie Grandma's Boy made a pizza place. That's what this place would be. There is plenty of room in the restaurant, with lots of table and large booth setting. There corporate menu can be found here:  http://mellowmushroom.com/corpmenu

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average

Our group consisted of five participants, so we ordered three pizzas. They can come in three sizes (10" = Small, 14" Medium, 16" Large), with only one styles of crust.
Mighty Meat - Red sauce base with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham and Applewood smoked bacon (14" Medium, $19.99).

Funky Q Chicken - BBQ Chicken, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, caramelized onions, and Applewood smoked bacon. Finished with a BBQ sauce swirl (10" Small, $12.99).

Philosopher's Pie - Pesto Olive oil and garlic base, all natural grilled steak, Portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, Provolone, feta and mozzarella cheeses (10" Small, $13.99).

Mighty Meaty, Medium 14", $19.99

Funky Q Chicken, Small 10", $12.99

The Verdict

The pizza came out in circular-shaped pizzas with rectangle pieces for the smalls and triangular pieces for the Mighty Meaty Medium pizza. The crust racked up a 9.9, one of our highest. It was not soggy, nor cracker thin.  It was baked at a good consistency from the center to the edges. The pizzas themselves were not greasy, which was a big plus. Compared to our last attempt at Old Chicago, most of us preferred this place since it wasn't a bready. After eating the pizza, you didn't feel sick from the bread and grease like some did from Old Chicago. It was very well balanced. The sauce was a little disappointing since it was on the light side, however that is probably what made the crust so good (since it couldn't get soggy). The votes were split between the Mighty Meaty and the Philosopher's Pie as the favorite (I oddly voted for the Funky Q Chicken). If you are around the Coralville Mall sometime, you should totally check this new (chain) out.

Philosopher's Pie, Small 10", $13.99

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            8.50

Cheese            8.10

Sauce               7.40

Topping           8.70

Crust                9.90

Venue              8.20

 

Attempt #47 - Old Chicago

Venue Outside

The Venue

77  2nd St.

Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 248-1220

Old Chicago has been around in various cities across the country for many years. Growing up in Rockford IL., I recall many times meeting up with old friends from High School there once it opened up around 2002. The Coralville, Iowa location isn't much different from the Rockford IL. location. The same decor, the same basic menu of foods loaded with calories and almost too many beers to count. I don't recall seeing a pool table at the Coralville location one (although we didn't go into the bar area, just walked by quickly). The location is actually quite a bit larger though, with additional rooms being added on to support a larger dinner/game crowd. The wait staff was very helpful and friendly - a good sign for being in a busy college town. The pizza didn't take too long to cook either. One cool thing about Old Chicago is that you can literally Google their menu straight from your web browser (no pesky .PDF file to scan through): Menu

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  Yes

Crust Thickness:  Thick and Thin (Average) 

Our group consisted of 5 participants, so we ordered three pizzas. They can come in three sizes (8" = Small, 12" Medium, 14" Large), with two styles of crust, Chicago Thick and Taven Thin (it is more like an average thickness).

Meat Me  - Loaded with Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, andouille sausage, pepperoni, green olive garnish, and fresh basil (14" Large, Chicago Thick, $24.95).

Pepperoni - Pepperoni (12" Medium, Chicago Thick, $16.05).

Pepperoni, Medium, 12", Chicago Thick Crust, $16.05

Royal Margherita - Pesto sauce, tomato bruschetta, roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella and basil olive oil. Finished with fresh basil (14" Large, Tavern Thin, $20.95).

Meat Me, Large 14", Chicago Thick Crust, $23.50

The Verdict

The pizza came out in circular-shaped pizzas with rectangle pieces for the Margretta and triangular pieces for the Meat and Pepperoni pizzas. The sauce was light on the pizza-it was good, but the pizza seemed to be a little dry and greasy.  The crust wasn't soggy, but instead was a firm bready texture.  Nor was it burn or over done.  The cheese was spread across the pizza well, without any saggy parts. The toppings were what you would expect for a $20 pizza from a chain-good but not plentiful. The Royal Margherita tasted much like bruschetta instead of pizza, so be warned, if you don't care for Basil, I would suggest skipping it altogether. For me the flavor of the sausage didn't seem quite right on the Meat Me (it tasted a bit sweat), so I opted to go with the Pepperoni. The flavor of the Pepperoni and cheese seemed to be much more complementary. Old Chicago serves up good average pizza. Overall the Pepperoni won the votes as the favorite in our participant pool. Currently, our average is a 7.75 so Old Chicago is clearly on the top half of our list for places to try.  A weeknight may be best as it can get quite busy on the weekend, especially  if a Iowa game is going on in town.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.90

Royal Margherita, Large 14", Taven Thin Crust, $20.95

Cheese            8.40

Sauce               7.40

Topping           8.60

Crust                8.40

Venue              8.50

Attempt #46 - Emil's Hideaway

Outside from a side street view

The Venue

222 Glenbrook Dr. SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

(319) 743-3123

Emil's Hideaway is tucked away off of 1st Ave. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Personally, I have lived here eight years and never knew the building existed (although it wasn't always Emil's during that timeframe). It is behind the Taco Johns, and an apartment building so parking is a mess. The original entrance of the building is now the kitchen's back door in the front of the restaurant, and the side door is the main entrance. It gives you the 'hideaway' feeling somewhat like a mobster. The inside of the restaurant/bar is very classy with red walls, high top tables, salt water fish in a large tank, and several rows of tables for the restaurant section. The bar area has a pool table, and several spots for seating, with high dollar liqueur on display for the patrons. You can check out their pizza section of the menu on-line at this location:  http://www.emilshideaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2014-02-11-at-3.44.06-PM.png

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thin

Our group consisted of a mere five participants, so we ordered four (12") pizzas (their only size).

Shrimp Rangoon - Shrimp, green onion, yellow onion, fried wonton bits, sweet Asian sauce with a seasoned cream cheese base (12", $13.95).

Cheesesteak -Ribeye, onions, peppers, cheese sauce (12", $13.95).

Thai Chicken - Chicken, onion, green pepper, carrot, Sirracha, fresh pineapple, peanuts, cilantro, peanut sauce (12", $12.95).

Combo - Pepperoni, Italian sausage, onion, black olives, green pepper, mushrooms, pizza sauce (12", $12.95).

 

Cheesesteak, 12", $13.95

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces.

The toppings were well spread out. 

The crust was firm, and crisp not soggy (except for the Combo in the middle). One participant noted "Perfect thickness of crust with a great toast like crunch.

The Shrimp Rangoon was the favorite, scoring 2 out of five votes. The uniqueness of that pizza set it apart, plus the shrimp and wonton/cream cheese base was awesome! Personally, I found myself fond of the yummy cheesesteak due to its overloading sensation of cheese, ribeye, and onions. 

If you are in the mood for a hunt to find a good pizza place you'll want to try out Emil's.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            9.10

Combo, 12", $12.95

Cheese            8.80

Sauce               8.80

Topping           9.20

Crust                9.00

Venue              9.40

Slices-Combo, Shrimp Rangoon, Thai Chicken

Shrimp Rangoon, 12", $13.95

Thai Chicken, 12", $12.95

Attempt #45 - Syndicate

The Venue

Menu

207 1st Ave SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 363-1000

Cheese $11

The Syndicate is a new arrival to the Cedar Rapids pizza scene. Located off of 1st Ave., this locally owned restaurant serves up various specialty pizza pies. They also serve beer, other high quality foods-as well as the standard soft drinks.  They had two stories with about 15tables and around 15 booths for seating.  It was formally in the Gringo's Mexican Restaurant prior the 2008 flood. The restaurant was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Currently, they do not offer weekday or weekend specials, but they have a variety of other dishes over lunch and dinner to serve (aside from pizza). You can check out their menu on-line at this location:  http://www.syndicatecr.com/menu/.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thin

Forest Mushroom $12

Our group consisted of 6 participants, so we ordered five pizzas. They only come in one size, which is usually shared among two people.

Prosciutto - Tomato, Pesto, Mozzarella, Fresh Basil ($13.00).

Forest Mushroom - White Garlic Cream, Mascarpone, Parmesan ($12.00).

Cheese - Mozzarella, Goat Cheese, Parmesan, Pesto ($11.00).

Syndicate House - Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, Spicy Pork ($14.00).

Sausage & Pepper - Andouille Sausage, Roasted Peppers ($13.00).

The Verdict

Prosciutto $13

Syndicate House $14

The pizza came out in rectangle shaped pizzas with rectangle pieces. The sauce was very good, especially on the Prosciutto (the Pesto was great!).  The cheese was disappointing because the amount was too great on the pizza. It even looked like the pizza wasn't completely cooked. This gave us the impression that the pizzas were sitting out awhile before upon coming to our table (although this wasn't the case). The toppings were of high quality.  Also, the crust was noted to be thin, but it may be considered average by some (it is by no means cracker thin). Overall the Syndicate House was the clear favorite earning 50% of the votes-the whole gloves of garlic will surely keep the vampires away but are also very tasty! If you are in a group, figure one pizza every two people, otherwise you may be taking home leftovers!

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.50

Cheese            6.33

Sauce               7.17

Slices

Topping           7.83

Crust                8.00

Venue              9.00

Sausage & Pepper $13

Attempt #44 - Za's Pizza

Menu

The Venue

1944 42nd Street NE STE B

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 200-4566

Za's Pizza is a new arrival to the Cedar Rapids pizza scene. Located off of 42nd Street, this locally owned restaurant serves up New York Thin and Detroit style crust in small, medium, and large pizza pies. They also serve beer as well as the standard soft drinks.  They had two tables and around 10 booths for seating with beer available. The restaurant was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Currently, they do not offer weekday or weekend specials. You can check out their menu on-line at this location:  http://www.zaspizzacr.com/menu.html.

The Pizza

Meatza Slice

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average with Caramelized Cheese around the rim (Detroit), Average, and Thin

Our group consisted of 10 participants, so we ordered two large (14") pizzas and two medium (12") pizzas.

Meatza - Pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, ham, bacon pieces, salami (Large 14", Detroit crust, $24.99).

Taco - House refried bean sauce, beef, lettuce, tomato, nacho chips. (Large 14", NY Thin crust, $22.99).

BLT - Ham, bacon, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato (Medium 12", Detroit crust, $20.99).

Meatza, Large 14", Detroit Crust, $24.99

Potato and Bacon - Homemade mashed potatoes with bacon and cheddar.  We made it a loaded potato with onions, black olives and a side of sour cream (Medium 12", NY Thin crust, $18.99).

 

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces. The toppings were a little on the light side (Potato and Bacon) on some and on the heavy side on others (lettuce on the BLT); however, these ingredients consisted of high quality.  The crust was firm, not soggy which is a plus.  Za's used real bacon stripes that looked and tasted extraordinary this wasn't the pre-prepared strips or bits that you might expect.  The BLT was the crowd favorite, scoring 50% of the vote.  The use of real mayonnaise and real bacon propelled this to #1 for our group.   Personally, I enjoyed the Meatza with all the fresh flavors of meats on my pizza. Either way, the Detroit crust won the votes!  So, if you are in the north east side of Cedar Rapids, I would recommend checking this joint out.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            8.30

Cheese            8.50

Sauce              7.80

Potato and Bacon, Medium 12",
NY Thin Crust, $18.99

Topping          8.80

Crust               8.40

Venue             8.90

BLT, Medium 12, Detroit Crust, $20.99

Taco, Large 14, NY Thin Crust, $22.99

Attempt #43 - Marco's Pizza

Venue Outside

The Venue

6905 C. Ave NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 294-8899

According to Wikipedia, Marco's Pizza is operated by Marco's Franchising, LLC.  It is a restaurant chain and interstate franchise based in Toledo, Ohio that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. The first store is in Oregon, Ohio at Starr Avenue and Wheeling Street. It was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco in 1978. Currently, it is rated one of the top 25 pizza chains, and is noted for fast growth in 2013.  The venue has only carry out with no available dining seating. This (and numerous Marco's) establishments partnered with Family Video to create a one-stop-shop for a date night.  When visiting the website you can scope out some major deals, on Monday's the pizzas are 50% off with the coupon code "Monday50"!  You can check out their menu and order on-line at this location:  https://www.marcosorder.com/Menu/Pizzas?_=1415677707061.

Pizza Sizes

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thick, Average, and Thin

Our group consisted of 9 participants, so we ordered three large (14") pizzas and two medium (12") pizzas.

Meat Supremo - Cheese, Classic pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, bacon & sprinkling of extra cheese (Medium 12", Thick crust, $13.99).

Deluxe Uno - Cheese, Classic pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions & sprinkling of extra cheese (Medium 12", Thick crust, $13.99).

Deluxe Uno, Medium 12", Thick Crust, $13.99

Pepperoni Magnifico - Pepperoni Old World (Large 14", Thin crust, $12.99).

Chicken Fresco - 4 types of cheese including cheddar, grilled chicken, bacon, onions, sliced tomatoes (Large 14", Classic crust, $16.99).

White Cheezy - Award Winning - 4 types of cheese including feta, bacon, onions, sliced tomatoes, garlic butter sauce (Large 14" Classic crust, $16.99).

 

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces, except  for the pepperoni magnifico (thin crust?) for some strange reason-it used rectangular pieces.  Several people mentioned that overall, they were surprised by this pizza...it was actually pretty good.  As far as chains go, it was certainly better than Papa Johns or Pizza Hut.  One common complaint is that it was excessively greasy.  Upon arriving, the staff was helpful, theypresented each pizza to me, to ensure it met my expectations, and then asked if I wanted additional dipping sauces for the crust and if I wanted butter/cheese placed on the rims of my pizza crusts.  They even helped open my car door when picking up the stack of pizzas.  As far as favorites go, the Deluxe Uno and the Meat were the clear favorites amongst the participants each scoring 3 votes.  The pizza passed the 'lift test' on the slice of Meat Supremo and the toppings did not slide off although the crust did slightly sag down a tiny bit.  I got the sense from the leftovers that the Chicken Fresco and the White Cheezy were not popular choices.  The thick crusted pizzas were hearty and maybe slightly undercooked, giving it a little more doughy texture.  The Thin on the other hand was overcooked, and a little dried out.  The Classic pizzas were cooked about right.  My guess is that they all went into the oven at the same time, which explains the variation.  Overall, this pizza joint surely replaces some of the more popular chains in my book.  Not bad for picking up a pizza after work.  This is especially cheap on Mondays too!

Meat Supremo, Medium 12", Thick Crust, $13.99

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.67

Cheese            7.33

Sauce               7.22

Topping           8.33

Crust                8.00

Venue              0.00 (N/A)

Chicken Fresco, Large 14", Classic Crust, $16.99

White Cheezy, Large 14", Classic Crust, $16.99

Pepperoni Magnifico, Large 14," Thin Crust, $12.99

Attempt #42 - Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company

Menu Board

The Venue

129 Main Street

Ames, IA 50020-6388

(515) 232-426337

Since 1979 the Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company has been baking pies for Ames, Iowa.  Iowa State college students often remark about trying their pizza, and we happened to be in the area to give them a try.  The restaurant itself seemed a little cramped, with a small upstairs, bathrooms downstairs which felt like an old basement due to the limestone walls.  The prices were a little high compared with Cedar Rapids, but that is expected in a college tow-pizza is quite popular.  The thing that stood out to me was the varieties of dough!  You can have the same pizza prepared over 6 different ways dough types for thin and 3 for thick).  You can check out their menu here:  http://www.greatplainspizza.com/menu.html.

The Prairie Special, Large 14",
New Orleans Style Crust, $20.55

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thick, Average, and Thin

Types of dough:

1.     Denver Style - Rolled-edge whole wheat crust

2.     Sam's Recipe - Classic thin, white crust

3.     New Orleans Style - Thick, white crust

4.     Oat Style - Rolled-edge oat flour crust

5.     Thin Denver - Whole wheat twin to Sam's

6.     Idaho Style - Thin, Softer texture potato flour crust

Our group consisted of 6 participants, so we ordered three large (14") pizzas; two one topping and two specialty. 

The Prairie Special - Pick a crust style and we'll top it with sliced pepperoni, our own special pork sausage, fresh diced onions, and fresh diced green peppers (large 14", New Orleans style crust, $20.55)

The Buffalo, Large 14",
Thin Denver crust, $22.20

The Buffalo - We load sliced pepperoni, our own special pork sausage, fresh diced onions, fresh diced green peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms and sliced ripe olives on your choice of crust. (large 14", Thin Denver crust, $22.20)

Meat - Cheese, sausage, pepperoni, bacon bits, Canadian bacon (large 14" Thick Oat crust, $22.20)

 

The Verdict

The pizzas served and you have to deliver it to your own table, along the red pepper, cheese, silverware and napkins.  They were cut into triangular-shaped pieces.  They take about 20-30 minutes to prepare, so it might be wise to either call ahead if there isn't a line.  Meat was the clear favorite amongst the participants scoring over 60% of the votes.  The pizza's crust was excellent, we performed a 'lift test' on the slice of meat and the toppings did not slide off nor did the crust buckle.  Pretty much everyone loved the flavor of the oat crust, its heartiness and unique taste helped the meat pizza rise in popularity among out group. The pizzas were excellent after a long day, I would highly recommend it if you are in the area!

Meat, Large 14", Thick Oat Crust, $22.20

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            6.33

Cheese            6.78

Sauce               6.44

Topping           5.44

Crust                7.00

Venue              7.89